As the authors write: “If you are a practitioner, we will arm you with tools and techniques designed to combat fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption. If you are a student of government—but more importantly, if you care about the quality and integrity of government—we aim to provide you with a story of the good and the bad of current oversight, with an eye to improving our government” (p. 2).

What makes this book valuable is its in‐depth analysis, complete with true stories, of legislative and executive oversight efforts. It studies oversight at the national, state, and local levels of government; the role of the press and newer social media; and public interest and non‐governmental efforts to hold government officials and agencies accountable.

In their recounting of the case of Congresswoman Liz Holtzman’s efforts to curb abuse in the Summer Food Services Program for Children, they list 14 steps in the investigation process. In another chapter, they look at state compt­rollers, auditors, and attorneys general in their roles as government watchdogs. Few other books consider these state officials in their accounts of oversi