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In the Company of Heroes: The Inspiring Stories of Medal of Honor Recipients from America's Longest Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
by James KitfieldAn award-winning military journalist tells the amazing stories of twenty-five soldiers who've won the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. In the Company of Heroes will feature in-depth narrative profiles of the twenty-five post-9/11 Medal of Honor awardees who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book will focus on the stories of these extraordinary people, expressed in their own voices through one-on-one interviews, and in the case of posthumous awards, through interviews with their brothers in arms and their families. The public affairs offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the individual armed services, as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, have expressed their support for this project.Stories include Marine Corps Corporal William "Kyle" Carpenter, who purposely lunged toward a Taliban hand grenade in order to shield his buddy from the blast; Navy SEAL team leader Britt Slabinski, who, after being ambushed and retreating in the Hindu Kush, returned against monumental odds in order to try to save one of his team who was inadvertently lost in the fight; and Ranger Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, who lunged for a live grenade, threw it back at the enemy, and saved his two Ranger brothers.
In the Crossfire of History: Women's War Resistance Discourse in the Global South (War Culture)
by Matthew Spencer Lava Asaad Doaa Omran Farzana Akhter Margaret Hageman Nyla Khan Shafinur Nahar Carolyn Ownbey Moumin Quazi Lucia Garcia-Santana Stefanie SevcikIn the global south, women have and continue to resist multiple forms of structural violence. The atrocities committed against Yazidi women by ISIS have been recognized internationally, and the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nadia Murad in 2018 was a tribute to honor women whose bodies have been battered in the name of race, nationality, war, and religion. In the Crossfire of History:Women's War Resistance Discourse in the Global South is an edited collection that incorporates literary works, testimonies, autobiographies, women’s resistance movements, and films that add to the conversation on the resilience of women in the global south. The collection focuses on Palestine, Kashmir, Syria, Kurdistan, Congo, Argentina, Central America, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The essays question historical accuracy and politics of representation that usually undermine women’s role during conflict, and they reevaluate how women participated, challenged, sacrificed, and vehemently opposed war discourses that erase women’s role in shaping resistance movements. The transformative mode of these examples expands the definition of heroism and defiance. To prevent these types of heroism from slipping into the abyss of history, this collection brings forth and celebrates women’s fortitude in conflict zones. In the Crossfire of History shines a light onwomen across the globe who are resisting the sociopolitical and economic injustices in their nation-states.
In the Crosshairs: A Sniper Novel (Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels #10)
by Sgt. Jack CoughlinThe Central Intelligence Agency is under attack, and so is its top field operative, Kyle Swanson. The highly decorated former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant is attending the funeral of a friend when a terrorist blows up the grave. A week later, he narrowly survives a grenade attack in Berlin. In Washington, Congress is being told that Swanson has been turned, his private employer is corrupt, and the Agency itself cannot be trusted. Swanson is assigned to find the root of the problem and is partnered up with Luke Gibson, a skilled operative rated as being almost as good as Swanson.They are looking for assassin Nicky Marks, who also was a CIA shooter but now works for a shadowy power broker known as The Prince. But before Kyle and Luke can eliminate the threat, they must identify and find the man who wants them dead. That takes them from the pink poppy fields of Afghanistan to the jungles of Southeast Asia and the streets of America as they learn that the Prince is the ruthless kingpin of a global drug empire that uses CIA planes to transport opium and heroin. Swanson also lines up a secret partner, the beautiful widow of his friend whose grave was desecrated in Mexico, the sharpshooting former commando Beth Ledford, who has her own agenda of pure retribution. Kyle Swanson, at the worst possible moment in a combat showdown, must decide: Do you trust your partner, and if so, which one?
In the Face of the Enemy: A Battery Sergeant Major in Action in the Second World War
by Ernest PowdrillIn Part One Powdrill describes his experiences in France during &‘the Phoney War and then their baptism by fire in May 1940, culminating in the evacuation from Dunkirk having left their disabled guns behind. Ernest was wounded but many of his colleagues were killed by ferocious German counter-battery fire. Part 2 tells a very different story in more detail. By now a Sergeant Major in an armoured tracked regiment, the author fought through from the Normandy beaches to the River Maas. He describes the near constant action in graphic terms. In the Face of the Enemy is a splendid soldiers story full of understatement and atmosphere. Success is tinged with sadness for lost comrades and admiration for his fellow men.
In the Fields and the Trenches: The Famous and the Forgotten on the Battlefields of World War I
by Kerrie HollihanFrom a Hall of Fame pitcher to a U.S. president, learn what an incredible impact World War I made on young men and women When it started, many thought the Great War would be a great adventure. Yet as those who saw it up close learned, it was anything but. In the Fields and the Trenches traces the stories of 18 young idealists swept into the brutal conflict, many of whom would go on to become well-known 20th-century figures in film, science, politics, literature, and business. Writer J. R. R. Tolkien was a signals officer with the British Expeditionary Force and fought at the Battle of the Somme. Scientist Irène Curie helped her mother Marie run 20 French field hospitals. Actor Buster Keaton left Hollywood after being drafted into the army's 40th Infantry Division. And all four of Theodore Roosevelt's sons fought in Europe, though one did not return. With World War I as a backdrop, readers will encounter heroes, cowards, comics, and villains who participated in this life-changing event. Author Kerrie Logan Hollihan uses extensive original material, from letters sent from the frontlines to personal journals, to bring these men and women back to life. And though their stories are a century old, they convey modern, universal themes of love, death, power, greed, courage, hate, fear, family, friendship, and sacrifice.
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo
by Michela WrongKnown as "the Leopard," the president of Zaire for thirty-two years, Mobutu Sese Seko, showed all the cunning of his namesake -- seducing Western powers, buying up the opposition, and dominating his people with a devastating combination of brutality and charm. While the population was pauperized, he plundered the country's copper and diamond resources, downing pink champagne in his jungle palace like some modern-day reincarnation of Joseph Conrad's crazed station manager.Michela Wrong, a correspondent who witnessed Mobutu's last days, traces the rise and fall of the idealistic young journalist who became the stereotype of an African despot. Engrossing, highly readable, and as funny as it is tragic, In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz assesses the acts of the villains and the heroes in this fascinating story of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers
by Larry AlexanderA tribute to World War II heroism from the national bestselling author of Biggest Brother. The paratroopers of Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, have come to symbolize the incredible bravery and heroism shown by the greatest generation in World War II. on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Allies' victory in Europe, author Larry Alexander crosses an ocean and a continent to discover just what made the Band of Brothers special. Accompanied by his friend Forrest Guth, an easy Company veteran on his final tour in Europe, Alexander explores the living history of the places where American soldiers went into action, and reveals what makes this story so meaningful for us today. Part travelogue, part historical perspective, In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers is an unforgettable memorial to the men who fell in action, and a tribute to the veterans who are still with us. .
In the Footsteps of the Red Baron (Battleground Europe)
by Mike O'Connor Norman FranksManfred von Richthofen became a fighter pilot on the Western Front in August 1916. By January 1917, Richthofen had shot down fifteen aircraft had been appointed commander of his own unit. He painted the fuselage of his Albatros D-III a bright red and was nicknamed the Red Baron. In June 1917, Richthofen was appointed commander of the German Flying Circus. Made up of Germany's top fighter pilots, this new unit was highly mobile and could be quickly sent to any part of the Western Front where it was most needed. Richthofen and his pilots achieved immediate success during the air war over Ypres during August and September. Manfred von Richthofen was killed on 21st April 1918. Richthofen had destroyed 80 allied aircraft, the highest score of any fighter pilot during the First World War. This book is divided into three sectors of the WWI front line in which von Richthofen operated. Each area is conveniently reached within hours. Airfield sites, memorials and the graves of Manfred's famous victims are described and directions for the battlefield walker are included with information on related museums and historic sites with special association with this most famous of fighter pilots.
In the Full Light of the Sun
by Clare ClarkIn the Full Light of the Sun follows the fortunes of three Berliners caught up in a devastating scandal of 1930s' Germany. It tells the story of Emmeline, a wayward, young art student; Julius, an anxious, middle-aged art expert; and a mysterious art dealer named Rachmann who are at the heart of Weimar Berlin at its hedonistic, politically turbulent apogee and are whipped up into excitement over the surprising discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent van Gogh.Based on a true story, unfolding through the subsequent rise of Hitler and the Nazis, this gripping tale is about beauty and justice, and the truth that may be found when our most treasured beliefs are revealed as illusions. Brilliant on authenticity, vanity and self-delusion, it is a novel for our times.
In the Full Light of the Sun
by Clare ClarkIn the Full Light of the Sun follows the fortunes of three Berliners caught up in a devastating scandal of 1930s' Germany. It tells the story of Emmeline, a wayward, young art student; Julius, an anxious, middle-aged art expert; and a mysterious art dealer named Rachmann who are at the heart of Weimar Berlin at its hedonistic, politically turbulent apogee and are whipped up into excitement over the surprising discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent van Gogh.Based on a true story, unfolding through the subsequent rise of Hitler and the Nazis, this gripping tale is about beauty and justice, and the truth that may be found when our most treasured beliefs are revealed as illusions. Brilliant on authenticity, vanity and self-delusion, it is a novel for our times.
In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan
by Seth G. JonesA definitive account of the American experience in Afghanistan from the rise of the Taliban to the depths of the insurgency. After the swift defeat of the Taliban in 2001, American optimism has steadily evaporated in the face of mounting violence; a new "war of a thousand cuts" has now brought the country to its knees. In the Graveyard of Empires is a political history of Afghanistan in the "Age of Terror" from 2001 to 2009, exploring the fundamental tragedy of America's longest war since Vietnam. After a brief survey of the great empires in Afghanistan--the campaigns of Alexander the Great, the British in the era of Kipling, and the late Soviet Union--Seth G. Jones examines the central question of our own war: how did an insurgency develop? Following the September 11 attacks, the United States successfully overthrew the Taliban regime. It established security throughout the country--killing, capturing, or scattering most of al Qa'ida's senior operatives--and Afghanistan finally began to emerge from more than two decades of struggle and conflict. But Jones argues that as early as 2001 planning for the Iraq War siphoned off resources and talented personnel, undermining the gains that had been made. After eight years, he says, the United States has managed to push al Qa'ida's headquarters about one hundred miles across the border into Pakistan, the distance from New York to Philadelphia. While observing the tense and often adversarial relationship between NATO allies in the Coalition, Jones--who has distinguished himself at RAND and was recently named by Esquire as one of the "Best and Brightest" young policy experts--introduces us to key figures on both sides of the war. Harnessing important new research and integrating thousands of declassified government documents, Jones then analyzes the insurgency from a historical and structural point of view, showing how a rising drug trade, poor security forces, and pervasive corruption undermined the Karzai government, while Americans abandoned a successful strategy, failed to provide the necessary support, and allowed a growing sanctuary for insurgents in Pakistan to catalyze the Taliban resurgence. Examining what has worked thus far--and what has not--this serious and important book underscores the challenges we face in stabilizing the country and explains where we went wrong and what we must do if the United States is to avoid the disastrous fate that has befallen many of the great world powers to enter the region.
In the Gray Area
by Seth W. FolsomIn the Gray Area builds on Seth Folsom's earlier award-winning memoir, The Highway War, which described his 2003 command of one of the first Marine light armored reconnaissance battalion companies to march on Baghdad. In February 2008, he was deployed to Iraq again as the leader of a U.S. Marine advisor team embedded with an Iraqi army infantry battalion. In this new work, Folsom frankly addresses the realities of the Marines' mission as he reflects on challenges they and their Iraqi counterparts faced in their struggle to gain control of al-Anbar province. He explores the bonds he formed with his men, the "Outlanders," and the tenuous relationships forged between the American and Iraqi soldiers whose cultures were so vastly different. The author creates a compelling picture of the obstacles faced by both as they lived, ate, and fought side-by-side.The Highway War was lauded for its insights about how a young combat leader copes with his own vulnerabilities while publicly presenting a tough persona. In the Gray Area, Folsom shows a now more mature commander thoughtfully evaluating the situation at a time when the Iraqi army is on the cusp of independence from its American partners. He further reflects on the difficulties posed by a possibly premature American departure from Iraq and questions if the advisor mission is really the key to an American exit of Iraq.
In the Hands of Fate
by Dwight R. MessimerPatrol Wing Ten was the only U.S. Navy aviation unit to fight the Japanese in the early weeks of World War II, and the daring exploits of its PBY scout-plane pilots offer a dramatic tale of heroism, duty, and controversy. Poorly equipped and dead tired from flying back-to-back patrols with no fighter cover, the men lost sixty-six percent of their aircraft in just eight weeks as they took on an enemy that outnumbered them nearly 1,000 to one. This forceful narrative places the reader right in the midst of their courageous battle. Dwight Messimer's aggressive research on the topic has resulted in a work that provides moving details to their desperate but valiant acts against the seemingly invincible Japanese juggernaut that swept across the southwest Pacific at the opening of the war.By Christmas Day in 1941, Patrol Wing Ten was forced to split into two groups, one fighting an air and sea campaign in Java, the other fighting as infantry on Bataan and Corregidor. Moving back and forth between the two groups, Messimer skillfully interweaves their experiences with the major events of the overall war. He uses material from the fifty survivors he managed to track down and deftly captures their ability to maintain a sense of humor in the face of overwhelming danger. The more than one hundred personal and official documents uncovered during years of research reveal new information relating to technical points about the planes, facts verified by the PBY crews that do not agree with popularly accepted ideas. To those who believe the wing accomplished nothing--and this group includes many pilots--Messimer argues that while attempts to bomb the Japanese fleet proved futile because the PBYs were unsuitable for such a task, the wing's rescue and evacuation missions saved many lives. The airdales themselves were not so lucky. When Corregidor fell, nearly half of them were captured and many died in captivity.
In the Hands of Providence
by Alice Rains TrulockDeserve[s] a place on every Civil War bookshelf.--New York Times Book Review "[Trulock] brings her subject alive and escorts him through a brilliant career. One can easily say that the definitive work on Joshua Chamberlain has now been done.--James Robertson, Richmond Times-Dispatch"An example of history as it should be written. The author combines exhaustive research with an engaging prose style to produce a compelling narrative which will interest scholars and Civil War buffs alike.--Journal of Military History"A solid biography. . . . It does full justice to an astonishing life.--Library Journal This remarkable biography traces the life and times of Joshua L. Chamberlain, the professor-turned-soldier who led the Twentieth Maine Regiment to glory at Gettysburg, earned a battlefield promotion to brigadier general from Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, and was wounded six times during the course of the Civil War. Chosen to accept the formal Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Chamberlain endeared himself to succeeding generations with his unforgettable salutation of Robert E. Lee's vanquished army. After the war, he went on to serve four terms as governor of his home state of Maine and later became president of Bowdoin College. He wrote prolifically about the war, including The Passing of the Armies, a classic account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac.
In the Hell of the Eastern Front: The Fate of a Young Soldier During the Fighting in Russia in WW2
by Arno SauerA Nazi infantryman recalls the horrors of combat against the Soviet Union in this WWII memoir as told to his son.Friedrich “Fritz” Sauer was posted to the Eastern Front in 1942. A soldier in the 132nd Infantry Division, he was deployed in Hitler’s grand invasion of Russia. But instead of the swift knockout blow the Germans had anticipated, Operation Barbarossa ground on for almost four years. Sent first to the Crimea and then the region around Leningrad, Fritz experienced horrors of all kinds. In this memoir, Fritz recalls losing his best friend to a sniper, rescuing the body of a fallen comrade from No Man’s Land, enduring Soviet tank assaults, and his own wounding during a counterattack. Fritz was later transferred to a tank assault regiment where, on a mission to contact another unit, he lost his way in the snow. After sheltering with a farmer’s family, Fritz headed west to flee the advancing Red Army. His subsequent journey home took many twists and turns.
In the Highest Degree Tragic: The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies during World War II
by Donald M. Kehn Jr.In the Highest Degree Tragic tells the heroic story of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet’s sacrifice defending the Dutch East Indies from the Japanese in the first three months of the Pacific War. Donald M. Kehn Jr.’s comprehensive narrative history of the operations involving multiple ships and thousands of men dramatically depicts the chaotic nature of these battles. His research has uncovered evidence of communications failures, vessels sinking hundreds of miles from where they had been reported lost, and entire complements of men simply disappearing off the face of the earth. Kehn notes that much of the fleet went down with guns blazing and flag flying, highlighting, where many others have failed to do so, the political and strategic reasons for the fleet’s deployment to the region in the first place. In the Highest Degree Tragic rectifies the historical record, showcasing how brave yet all-too-human sailors and officers carried out their harrowing tasks. Containing rare first-person accounts and anecdotes, from the highest command echelons down to the lowest enlisted personnel, Kehn’s book is the most comprehensive and exhaustive study to date of this important part of American involvement in World War II.
In the Highest Traditions of the Royal Navy: The Life of Captain John Leach MVO DSO
by Matthew B WillsOn 10 December 1941, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese bombers in the South China Sea. Amongst the several hundred men who went down with her was her Captain, John Leach, who had fought against frightful odds and to the very end made the best of an impossible situation with courage and calmness. He truly embodied ‘the highest traditions of the Royal Navy’. Author Matthew B. Wills analyses the influences that shaped John Leach and led him ultimately to his heroic end: his time at Royal Naval College Osborne and Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth and his baptism of fire when he survived a direct shell hit to the bridge where he was standing. He describes Leach’s role in command during the Battle of the Denmark Strait, during which the Prince of Wales inflicted damage on the Bismarck that contributed to her later destruction ? and then the ill-fated mission to Singapore as part of Force Z, an attempt to intercept Japanese landings in Malaya.
In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown (The American Revolution Series #3)
by Nathaniel PhilbrickThe thrilling story of the year that won the Revolutionary War from the New York Times bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Valiant Ambition <p><p>In the fall of 1780, after five frustrating years of war, George Washington had come to realize that the only way to defeat the British Empire was with the help of the French navy. <p><p>But as he had learned after two years of trying, coordinating his army's movements with those of a fleet of warships based thousands of miles away was next to impossible. And then, on September 5, 1781, the impossible happened. Recognized today as one of the most important naval engagements in the history of the world, the Battle of the Chesapeake--fought without a single American ship--made the subsequent victory of the Americans at Yorktown a virtual inevitability. <p><p>In a narrative that moves from Washington's headquarters on the Hudson River, to the wooded hillside in North Carolina where Nathanael Greene fought Lord Cornwallis to a vicious draw, to Lafayette's brilliant series of maneuvers across Tidewater Virginia, Philbrick details the epic and suspenseful year through to its triumphant conclusion. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane's Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
In the Kaiser’s Clutch
by Kathleen KarrStarring in an anti-German World War I propaganda serial in the days before the "talkies," fifteen-year-old twins Fitzhugh and Nelly Dalton find their screen adventures paling in comparison to a real-life mystery.
In the Lake of the Woods: A Novel
by Tim O'BrienA politician&’s past war crimes are revealed in this psychologically haunting novel by the National Book Award–winning author of The Things They Carried. Vietnam veteran John Wade is running for senate when long-hidden secrets about his involvement in wartime atrocities come to light. But the loss of his political fortunes is only the beginning of John&’s downfall. A retreat with his wife, Kathy, to a lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota only exacerbates the tensions rising between them. Then, within days of their arrival, Kathy mysteriously vanishes into the watery wilderness. When a police search fails to locate her, suspicion falls on the disgraced politician with a violent past. But when John himself disappears, the questions mount—with no answers in sight. In this contemplative thriller, acclaimed author Tim O&’Brien examines America&’s legacy of violence and warfare and its lasting impact both at home and abroad.
In the Legions of Napoleon: The Memoirs of a Polish Officer in Spain and Russia, 1808–1813 (The Napoleonic Library)
by Henrich von BrandtIn the Legions of Napoleon recounts the adventures of an intrepid Polish soldier who fought for Napoleon the length and breadth of Europe. By the time he was twenty-five, Heinrich von Brandt had marched from Madrid to Moscow and had been severely wounded on three separate occasions. From 1808 to 1812 he was caught up in Napoleons attempt to subjugate Spain, fighting in battles, sieges including the siege of Saragossa and hunting and being hunted by merciless bands of guerrillas. In 1812 his unit took part in the crossing of the Niemen and the epic retreat from Moscow.In his extraordinary memoirs Brandt describes in great detail the actions in which he fought, the type of officers and men he served with, and the grueling campaigns in which they participated. He also gives fascinating insight into the minds of his comrades and superiors. This book is a must for every Napoleonic historian, enthusiast, and anyone who likes a good story of high adventure.
In the Line of Fire - Peacekeeping in the Golan Heights
by Major Jeffery S. BessThis monograph examines the considerations involved in maintaining a peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights. The examination is based on the assumption that Israel and Syria have reached an agreement concerning the Golan Heights and that the United States is going to establish a peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights.The monograph first examines the historical background of the area since the 1967 War. Based on this examination and on lessons learned from previous UN and other multinational peacekeeping operations, the monograph addresses national composition of the force, command of the peacekeeping force, and force structure. Next, based on the military and political aspects of the region, the monograph addresses the future peacekeeping force commander's concerns with military credibility, freedom of movement, and force protection.The study concludes with a summary evaluation of the necessary size and type of force for future peacekeeping in the Golan Heights. Based on the assumption and an analysis of the political and military considerations, future peacekeeping operations in the Golan Heights would require a MFO type force under the command and control of the United States. Due to the essential requirement for force protection due to the potential of pre-emption by either Israel or Syria and of terrorist attacks, a heavy brigade would be the most effective force in maintaining the peace while protecting the force.
In the Midst of a Revolution
by David HawkeIn the Midst of a Revolution, originally published in 1961, provides a social history of Pennsylvania in the months before Independence, based on contemporary diaries and newspapers. The author, Dr. David Freeman Hawke, a teacher at Pace University in New York City, examines the events of Pennsylvania in 1776, which made it possible to overthrow the venerable Charter of Privileges of 1701, and to replace it with the more democratic Constitution of 1776.A useful book with informative footnotes and an extensive bibliography.
In the Mind's Eye: The Blinded Veterans of St Dunstan's
by David CastletonDiscover the stories of the men and women who sacrificed their sight for their country. Since 1915 St Dunstan's (now Blind Veterans UK) has helped thousands of war-blinded men and women to rejoin society and live their lives to the full. This compelling book includes new research from the St Dunstan's archive and previously untold stories of the people, both blind and sighted, involved in the charity during the First and Second World Wars. St Dunstan's was founded by Sir Arthur Pearson, a blind press baron determined to prove that the blind could make a valuable contribution to society. Early St Dunstaners played football against Arsenal; learned to read braille, type, row and even shoot; and trained for new careers as masseurs, carpenters, switchboard operators and gardeners. As PR officer at St Dunstan's for 35 years, David Castleton worked with many of the men and women whose stories he tells in his book, and provides a unique insight into their achievements. Meet irrepressible Tommy Milligan, who lost his sight just months after enlisting on his eighteenth birthday, and Ian Fraser, blinded on the Somme, but later president of St Dunstan's. David Bell, who lost his hands and sight in a North African mine-field, yet found hope and a wife at St Dunstan's. War-blinded servicewomen also joined the charity during the Second World War, including 22-year-old Gwen Obern, blinded and maimed in a factory accident but later famed for her singing, and ATS sergeant Barbara Bell, who became a top physiotherapist.
In the Name of Honor: A Thriller
by Richard North Patterson“An absolute humdinger of a murder mystery . . . unrelenting suspense [and] a close look at the dysfunctions of military justice and of one particular family.” —Scott Turow, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Presumed InnocentA “riveting legal thriller” by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Trial (Publishers Weekly, starred review)The McCarrans and the Gallaghers have been close for decades, ever since Anthony McCarran—now one of the army’s most distinguished generals—met Jack Gallagher, a fellow West Pointer later killed in Vietnam. Now a new generation faces combat, and Lt. Brian McCarran, the general’s son, has returned from a harrowing tour in Iraq.Traumatized by experiences he will not reveal, Brian depends on his lifelong friendship with Kate Gallagher, who’s married to Brian’s commanding officer, Capt. Joe D’Abruzzo. But D’Abruzzo also seems changed by the experiences he and Brian shared in Iraq, growing secretive and remote.Tragedy strikes when Brian shoots and kills D’Abruzzo on their Virginia army post. He pleads self-defense. Kate backs him up, saying her husband had turned violent and abusive. But Brian and Kate have their own secrets, and now Capt. Paul Terry, an accomplished young JAG lawyer, must defend Brian in a high-profile court-martial. Before the case is over, Terry will become deeply entwined with the McCarrans—and learn that families, like war, can break the sturdiest of souls.“Powerful . . . Patterson long ago established himself as one of the nation’s best writers of serious thrillers, and his latest novel burnishes his reputation.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch“Readers will find themselves engrossed as well as pleased by a twist revealing that there’s more to this powerful yet seemingly straightforward story than first meets the eye.” —Booklist“Patterson’s insights into PTSD are fascinating but never interrupt the story’s flow to its explosive ending, and his courtroom drama is as intensely engaging as the most action-filled thrillers.” —Library Journal (starred review)