Facing Down Evil deals with the role of the hostage negotiator in the defusing of major crises by the FBI. Author Clint Van Zandt covers the training and formation of a hostage negotiator and discusses his role during the Waco siege in 1993, the handling of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 1995, and the Unabomber case in 1996, as well as survival strategies for those taken hostage and ever-emerging issues for FBI Special Agents.