“He compared his situation to that of Voltaire’s Candide, who, after enduring a litany of absurd horrors in a society plagued by fanaticism and incompetence, concludes that the only truly worthwhile activity is tending his garden. ‘Except my garden is the Third Precinct.'” The New Yorker’s Ben Taub on why an expert on counterterrorism decided to become a beat cop. The Spy Who Came Home.