An SAS trooper turned hired gun is kidnapped by fundamentalists in Baghdad, and threatened with beheading. The British government is powerless to help. The hostage's only hope is his former colleagues, who reunite for a rescue mission, in a race against time. And what will they break this time around? All the rules just to do their job, to help free a friend and former colleague from the terrorists who hold him captive.
With the execution deadline only days away, Shepherd and his former SAS colleagues know that the only way to stop his friend being murdered is to gather themselves together in a covert rescue operation by putting themselves in the firing line in the most dangerous city in the world, Baghdad.
There are people who truly believe that God has spoken to them, and they often do a lot of good. But there are some who will do just the opposite. And Shepherd is just about to meet some of these people who believe their God has told them to kill their enemies to get into heaven. These are the fanatics and terrorists that make life difficult for the normal people trying to live normal lives.
Leather has done his research time in Belmarsh prison, like all good journalists turned authors, and he has written well-known dramas for Sky TV, including The Bombmaker. He has also written for shows such as London’s Burning, The Knock and the BBC’s Murder in MInd.
There is a story, and a couple of minor sub-plots - most of which are not satisfactorily resolved. Except for the hero, there is no humanity in any of the characters featured. They are shades, types, character sketches, and it is hard to feel or care what happens to any of them.