Eleven years after leaving Iraq, former soldier Jim Cooper isn’t adapting well to civilian life. When his old lieutenant gets abducted by ISIS, he and his former squad members don’t hesitate: they’ll return to Mosul to nudge the Iraqi army to try to free him.
This tight, briskly paced novel is a gripping ride. For fans of military fiction, all the right elements are here: strong details, honorable soldiers, a sense of history and purpose. For readers new to the genre, the genuine characters and David-versus-Goliath dynamic make for an unputdownable commercial story—more Tom Clancy than Tim O’Brien, but without corrupt politicians and off-putting technical deep dives.