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Rating: 
Summary: The peace process and its enemies
Review: As some others have said, the title of this book might be a bit misleading. This book has much more about "the hunt" than it does about "the engineer." Even more broadly, this book is about the Israel politics in the 1990s, the attempts at peace, attempts by terrorist groups to thwart that peace and Israel's attempts to stop those terrorists. At times, Ayyash (the engineer) seems like a bit player in this narrative. There is very little biographical information available about Ayyash, so Katz makes do with what he has.I agree with another review who was concerned with Katz's overly vivid descriptions of events and scenes he didn't witness. I also found some of the bombing scene descriptions redundant and cliched. As a whole, however, this book is a good choice for those interested in modern Israeli affairs, terrorism and counter-terrorism and peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile but flawed
Review: I eagerly waited for this book's release. I am fascinated by terrorism and a narrative relating Israel's pursuit of the notorious Ayyash sounded like a intriguing story. Well, it is, but I have (I am still reading the book) two bones to pick with the narrative: 1. Overhyped language: I know the book is intended for a popular audience (as opposed to academic) but the overuse of dramatic adjectives tends to give it a superficial tone (even if the information content is serious --which it is). Sometimes, less is more. 2. Moral one-sidedness: I am hardly an apologist for a group like Hamas. However, the author would have done well to have thrown in some more reasons why a group like Hamas might exist and be popular with the Palestinian population. Sad to say, some of this information does not reflect great credit on the Shin Bet (the Israeli General Security Service), which the author admires so much, or other Israeli government organizations. For example, Katz might have related in detail that in 1984, Shin Bet operatives beat to death two Palestinian bus hijackers and then tried to frame an Israeli Army general for the murders. Or when talking about Hamas's vicious murder of Border Policeman Nissim Toledano, Katz should have pointed out that the Border Police have sometimes dealt with the Palestinian population in an extremely brutal fashion and made themselves into logical and highly popular targets for a group like Hamas. If Katz had taken a slightly more balanced and less overheated tone, he would have produced a superb book that cast Hamas in the bad light it deserves but retained more credibility by acknowledging the Israelis are not flawless supermen. Written the way it is now, "The Hunt for the Engineer" sometimes comes across as a sort of "puff piece" for the Israeli security services.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thrilling Read
Review: No one can dispute the fact that Samuel Katz is probably the world's top expert in the subject matter at hand. This true account of the hunt for a master terrorist goes far beyond anything a wild imagination could concoct. It is fascinating, detailed, and an absolute must for anyone interested in terror, counter-terror and espionage. One wonders how Katz has managed to glean the information that makes this book a page-turner, for certainly much of it must be stamped "Top Secret" and locked up in a safe somewhere. It's a "must read" for both amateur spies and the top case officers at Langley.
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Summary: History of the
Review: Some people have read this novel expecting a book about Israeli spies, spy tradecraft, and cloak and dagger "action." That's not what this book is about. What Samuel Katz has written is an informative history of one particularly notorious genocide-bomber (popularly called suicide-bombers in the media) and the effect his bombing attacks had on the Israeli people and their government. He provides every kind of background and history needed to be well-informed about what happened. Some of the data provided include familial history of Yehiyyah Ayash "The Engineer," the political infighting among Israeli governmental agencies how to combat Ayash, details of operations against terrorism by the Sayeret Matkal, how the attacks effected the Israeli public (both Jewish-Israelis and Arab-Israelis no matter what their faith), and other background. With the tight security precautions that Israelis show, don't expect too many details about what happened that aren't widespread public knowledge already. Katz does detail how many of the bombs were made from easily purchasable materials, but not in so much detail that bombs will be made using the information from this novel. It's definitely tamer than the "Anarchist Cookbook" if you get my drift. Some of what can be done with a cell phone was fascinating.... I recommend the book for anyone wanting to know more how terrorism can affect international politics and a society. This book could be especially useful in light of the 9-11 terrorist attack on the USA. The Israeli's history can be a sort of testbed for other nations that will soon have to deal with continual attacks from terrorist organizations. Don't read this book if you want an in-depth study of Palestinian-Arab society. He does talk about some factors involved in producing Genocide-bombers, but I wouldn't call the book friendly to Palestinian-Arab interests in any way, shape, or form. Katz simply isn't an apologist for terrorists. At the same time, I detect a sympathy for the suffering Palestinian-Arab people. If you are looking for good books about Israeli spies, try "Every Spy a Prince" by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman or "Soldier Spies" also by Samuel Katz. End Impression: "The Hunt for the Engineer" is a great book if you know what you're looking for. If what your looking for is an insightful look at terrorism and how to combat it, this is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: A True Life Thriller
Review: The title of this book is misleading. While the crux of the book is indeed Shin Bet's efforts to eliminate Yehiya Ayyash, Katz presents the hunt for the Engineer more in the context of how his deadly devices affected the Israeli-Palestinian peace process rather than the actual manhunt for Hamas's bomb master. There's not that much about the techniques that Israel employed to track down Ayyash. The way Katz tells the story, a frustrated and increasingly desparate Shin Bet caught a lucky break in its search for Ayyash. The strength of the book is that it provides an excellent synopsis of Hamas's emergence as a force to be reckoned by both the Israelis and Arafat in the middle east peace process.
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Summary: More Than a Hunt
Review: This book is more than just a story about the hunt for Yehiya Ayyash. This book provides insight into how both Palestinian terrorism and even Israeli terrorists (e.g. Baruch Goldstein) have prevented peace in the Middle East. The Israelis appear to be in a no-win situation. If they hit back against the Palestinian terrorists, the volley is returned. If they seek peace the Palestinian terrorists hit them even harder. It is clear that Hamas is not interested in just ending the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. They want to destroy Israel altogether. If you don't believe me just read the Hamas convenant.
Rating:
Summary: The peace process and its enemies
Review: This book was'nt what I imagined it to be. It's virtually pure propaganda of Israeli intelligence and their military services. Samuel Katz takes a one sided view here and mostly describes the Israeli population suffering due to the suicide bombers destruction. He virtually ignores the fact on why the Palestinians resort to this method and does not inform the readers how the Israeli's murder of innocent civillians started the whole issue. Samuel Katz should have explored both sides of the issue well before writing this book. Furthermore, those wanting to know of how Israeli agents tracked the bomber would be dissapointed as the book largely focuses on Israeli politics. A bad buy to anyone interested. I would recommend "By Way Of Deception" by Victor Ostrovsky and "Gideon's Spies" by Gordon Thomas for a compelling read.
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