“Ambitious...Powerful…His extensively reported tales of individual whistleblowers and their often cruel fates are compelling…They reveal what it can mean to live in an age of fraud.”

“A spectacular book that should be in every library in the country, in addition, as part of living room discussions and town meetings, because [whistleblowing] is the ultimate protection against wrongdoing.... Thank you very much, Tom Mueller.”

“Tom Mueller’s authoritative and timely book reveals what drives a few brave souls to expose and denounce specific cases of corruption. He describes the structural decay that plagues many of our most powerful institutions, putting democracy itself in danger.”

“Unauthorized disclosures” by whistleblowers are the lifeblood of a republic. As many of Mueller’s fascinating cases show, misplaced loyalty—exclusively to a boss or an organization or a president—can be betrayal: of the health of consumers, of an oath to the Constitution, or of a war’s worth of lives.”

“This trenchant examination of whistle-blowing is based on interviews with more than two hundred people who have exposed wrongdoing in areas such as national security, finance, and health care.”

“An extraordinary book, both meticulously researched and a page-turner. Crisis of Conscience is a call to arms and to action, for anyone with a conscience, anyone alarmed about the decline of our democracy.”

“Engrossingly examines the ethics, mechanics, and reverberations of whistleblowing of all kinds, emphasizing how bitterly controversial the practice remains, posing a clash between group loyalty and individual conscience…. Superb reporting on brave people who decided, ‘It would have been criminal for me not to act.’”

“A masterful, eye-opening account of heroes ‘who are fighting a rising tide of wrongdoing by the powerful.’”

“Wide-ranging, detailed, compelling, and often alarming.”

“A sweeping new chronicle of the nation’s whistleblowers, the difficulties they have faced and the wrongdoing they have exposed.”

“Mueller’s powerful but disheartening story of pervasive fraud and a general collapse of ethical behavior with only glimmers of hope from the bravery of whistleblowers is fully accessible to general readers and substantive enough for academic audiences; a must-read.”

“A fascinating history of the self-deputized referees who blow the whistle on illicit activities that put Americans’ freedom, money, health, and lives at risk.”

“This exceptionally timely book is sure to strike a chord with readers paying close attention to the political landscape.”

“This is the definitive treatment of whistleblowing. Tom Mueller not only describes the ordeals and impact of those who change the course of history, but takes us on a journey through their souls.”

“Mueller is a great storyteller and his stories are nothing less than inspirational. The book explains why U.S. whistleblower laws – whose core concepts were put in place by the nation’s founders – deliver impressive victories against corruption. Crisis of Conscience is an antidote to hopelessness and cynicism.”

“This book should be taught in civics classes across the country. Too often, the gears of government don’t work in the public interest without insiders taking risks that put their careers and even their freedoms on the line.”

“We owe an immeasurable debt to the brave women and men who become whistleblowers. We now owe a similar debt to Tom Mueller, who gives us this riveting portrait of whistleblowing from the Revolutionary War to the Trump presidency, humbling us with the knowledge of what whistleblowers endure to protect every citizen.”

“Mueller does a magnificent job of explaining how whistleblowing may be the only safety valve left against unfettered secrecy and fraud in a post-9/11 world. A powerful call to save our ailing democracies before it’s too late.”

“A moving, urgent call to understand and celebrate whistleblowers as the best mechanisms to address the corrupting forces that drive corporate and government institutions to abuse the public trust. We need this book, and whistleblowers, more than ever.”