Overview

DARK AGENT, The Memoirs of L.W. Kwakou Casselle is the improbable, yet intensely unique story of a young Black kid's struggle, which turned to service and immense sacrifice; the son of an artist and schoolteacher who traveled with his parents to the civil war engulfed West African country of Liberia as a young child and nearly witnessed his father's execution. Upon his return to Las Vegas, Casselle got lost in the violent, gang-infested neighborhoods of North Las Vegas where he struggled at Rancho High School. His newly widowed mother and aunt sent him off to Missouri Military Academy to learn discipline and finish high school. While at MMA, he became a leader and then attended Hampton University, the famous Historically Black College/University, in Virginia where he was commissioned upon graduation as an infantry officer in the United States Army.Casselle was a young Army captain on 9/11 and then became a special agent with the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). His service spans over twenty-five years and over eighty countries around the world. From saving lives under fire in Baghdad, to defending his compound in Afghanistan and hunting down international fugitives in Belize, his compelling story leads all the way to his selection to the National Security Council at The White House. DARK AGENT, The Memoirs of L.W. Kwakou Casselle is a hard hitting, action-packed, and intensely personal part of a Black American family's legacy of service that first began in The Civil War and will continue with the next generation of Casselles.

Full Product Details

9781088227541

Table of Contents

Reviews

L.W. Kwakou Casselle's Dark Agent is a powerful memoir that brings readers inside a remarkable life of resilience and duty. From witnessing a coup in Liberia as a child to breaking barriers as the first African American Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent to serve in the White House, Casselle tells his story with candor, humility, and vivid detail. His pages move seamlessly from the dangers of global missions, protecting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, pursuing fugitives, and serving in Afghanistan, to the personal sacrifices and quiet acts of courage that defined his journey. I had the privilege of working alongside Kwakou ""Q"", and the voice in these pages is the same one I knew in the field: steady, unflinching, and grounded in integrity. Dark Agent is not only an extraordinary personal story, it is a testament to the courage, costs, and humanity behind America's service abroad. Olivia Troye, Former White House Homeland Security & Counterterrorism Advisor Dark Agent is a moving, visceral, and unforgettable account of one man's journey through childhood innocence, the brutality of adulthood, and the relentless trials of leadership and survival. The author's mastery of description is remarkable; he doesn't just recount his past, he rebuilds it in front of you, pulling you into its textures, sounds, and sensations until you feel as though you have lived alongside him. The blend of richly evocative description, raw emotional truth, and narrative suspense creates a book that is as artful as it is impactful. The author emerges not just as a storyteller but as a voice of profound honesty and resilience. By weaving together memory and feeling with such intensity, the book lingers long after its final page. It is a reminder of the power of human perseverance. Lindsey Pullam, PhD, Association Director, YMCA Family, faith, and commitment resonate throughout this outstanding story. This author, whom I consider as a brother on one level, the perfect mentee on another, and a tremendous trailblazer on yet another, has done a marvelous job of detailing what it means to rise above it all and be your best self. If that is your goal, this treasure is for you. Gentry O. Smith, former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security

Author Information

L.W. KWAKOU CASSELLE was appointed to the State Department's Senior Foreign Service by President Joe Biden in 2024. He graduated from Hampton University and was commissioned as an Army infantry officer in 1998, serving as an active-duty officer in the 1st Cavalry Division on 9/11. He joined the State Department's Foreign Service in 2003 as a federal agent with The Diplomatic Security Service where he served for twenty-two years before retiring in 2025.Casselle's assignments included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Protective Detail, overseas assignment to Iraq, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, and Belize. He is a 2021 graduate of Eisenhower School at National Defense University where he earned his master's degree in National Security Strategy and Resources. He is the recipient of numerous State Department Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards. He was selected as the 2022 commencement speaker at his alma mater, Missouri Military Academy. Lawrence is married to college sweetheart and fellow veteran Tameka, and they have two children, Benjamin IV and Alyssa. Jeanette J. Epps is an American aerospace engineer and retired NASA astronaut. Epps received both her M. S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, where she was part of the rotor-craft research group and was a NASA GSRP Fellow. She was chosen for the 20th class of NASA astronauts in 2009, graduating in 2011. She served as a member of the ISS Operations Branch and completed analog astronaut missions, including NEEMO 18 and CAVES 19. She is the second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES. She was part of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission that spent 235 days on the ISS from launch on March 4, 2024 to return to Earth on October 25, 2024. Jeanette retired from NASA in June of 2025.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available