Let’s just say that 2025 was not my year for reading. It’s not like the concept had escaped my mind; the row of books on top of my dresser was actually a constant reminder. But, 2025 was one of those work and travel heavy years, so I ended up deprioritizing reading to free up time, and, the total of two books I read is clear enough evidence.
When my friend Aditya sent me a book recommendation in November, I knew that was my signal to break the dry streak. My schedule had already started to ease up a bit and the thought of picking up a book was making its way into my todo list. But seeing the conviction Aditya had in Harp’s The Fort Bragg Cartel, I figured I had no excuse but to buy it now. So, while home for the holidays, I drove to my hometown Barnes and Noble for the first time in quite a while and finally put thoughts into action.
Whenever I’m asked what my favorite book is, I always respond with David Grann’s, Killer’s of the Flower Moon. The book tells a true story of the insane events that unfolded when the Osage nation found oil on their land, documenting the ensuing chaos. Parts of that book are so insane, it’s hard to believe I wasnt reading fiction!
I can confidently say that The Fort Bragg Cartel is second on the list of “how is this real life” books. The author, Seth Harp, documents some of the swept away aspects of the Fort Bragg military base including crime, drugs, addiction, and murder. The book is loosely centered around Billy Lavinge, a member of one of the most elite special mission units called the Delta Force. Though his name comes up in almost every chapter, there isn’t really a clear plot to the book nor is the book centered around one such example of criminality.
Instead, the book reads as a loose collection of many, many events enriched with historical context and very apparent investigations by the author. On top of all of this, the book is also focused in the military base which is an hour from my hometown.
Harp is meticulous about naming specific locations of where certain key events happened (think restaurants, street intersections, etc.) which made everything feel a degree closer to home. I frequently found myself going to Google Maps to pinpoint specific locations that the author calls out. Perhaps this level of detail is useless or even detractive for some, but as a North Carolina native, the attention to detail was not lost on me.
Though I found this book very entertaining to read, there were certain aspects of the structuring that didn’t quite flow right for me. The density of information was not consistent, with some chapters having tons of context while others felt as though Harp was just listing off crimes by the sentence. Similarly, with the number of names introduced, there would be times that somebody’s name would briefly be discussed and then brought up again hundred(s) of pages later without context.
I’d also argue that there was some degree of sensationalism happening throughout the book. I don’t fault the author for having an opinion given the book is investigative, but sometimes his opinion was arguably too explicit.
All said, this was an incredibly interesting read and it feels great to be typing on this site after many months of inactivity.
Rating: 4/5