First published 2002
The mountains of Afghanistan echo with gunfire as American forces find themselves trapped in a vicious brushfire war that threatens to consume everything they believe about military honor. The conflict spreads beyond the battlefield into the Pentagon's corridors and America's newsrooms, where generals and politicians clash over the future of warfare itself. Soldiers who signed up to serve their country discover that the enemy they face may be less dangerous than the forces within their own institution. As casualties mount and public support wavers, the military must confront whether its traditional values can survive in a new century. The war becomes a mirror that reflects the deep fractures running through American military culture. What emerges is a story about men and women caught between duty and conscience, fighting not just for victory but for the meaning of service itself.
Genres: american-fiction, military-fiction, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: duty-vs-conscience, institutional-conflict
Setting: Afghanistan, America, Pentagon
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Paperback · Random House Trade Paperbacks
Content warnings: violence, war