Book Excerpts
Cobra Gold | Operation Certain Death | Bloody Heroes | Slave | Desert Claw
Cobra Gold
Before he was even fully alert Kilbride knew what had woken him. A low, throaty growl was coming from the direction of the bedroom window. It was barely audible and certainly not enough to rouse a man under normal circumstance: but this was far from normal and Kilbride knew it for what it was - an urgent warning. His dog, Sally, had been through the Defence Animal Training Centre, in Leicestershire, before spending the next four years on active duty with the SAS. Sally didn't growl at nothing. They had an intruder outside their window. Read More
Operation Certain Death
Prologue
Gaining height and circling out above the vast expanse of the harbour, the seven aircraft go into a holding pattern. It feels like an age to the men of D Squadron - poised and ready for action inside the choppers - although it can only last for a little more than ten minutes. They all know the reason for the delay: they have been listening in on the radio net to the short exchange of words between the Chinook pilot and Lassie on the ground at the rebel base. It's still too dark to hit the target. If only the fucking sunrise would get a move on, they're thinking. If only the fucking river mist would clear... Read More
Bloody Heroes
Chapter 10: Mission Impossible
With the SBS vehicles and the 5th SOF Humvees now parked up inside the entranceway tower, they were positioned in the only part of the fort that was known to be in friendly hands. With the 600-odd prisoners in full revolt, the whole southern end of the fort had already fallen to the enemy. They had seized RPG's and mortars, which meant they could put down devastating fire on to any section of the fort. It would only take one lucky mortar shell, or a grenade lobbed over the wall, and the SBS Land Rovers and 5th SOF Humvees could be blown to smithereens... Read More
Slave
Prologue: The Raid
The day that changed my life forever started with a beautiful dawn. I greeted the sunrise by facing east and making the first of my five daily prayers to Allah. It was the spring of 1994, at the end of the dry season. I was about twelve years old. After prayers, I got ready to go to school. It would take me an hour to walk there and an hour back again. I was studying hard because I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up.... Read More
Desert Claw
From the cover of the bushes Mick stared at the target building with unblinking eyes. It was barely thirty yards away. Their approach across the desert had been slow but sure and no one had noticed their passing. In spite of the chill desert night, it was hot and sticky inside the bulky suit and he could feel the drops of sweat trickling down his neck. He wiped the eye-piece of his night vision unit. Four windows were lit up in the target building. Every now and then he could see a figure flit across one of them. People were awake and active in there, but that was as he had expected. Everything seemed quite normal.... Read More