First published 2005
Jack Coughlin joins the Marines at nineteen without ever touching a firearm. A divorced father from wealthy Boston suburbs, he transforms into the Marine Corps' most lethal sniper over two decades of service. His rifle scope becomes his window into combat zones across the globe. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Coughlin eliminates thirty-six targets, including thirteen in one brutal day. Each kill adds weight to a record that defines his military career. The invisible world of military snipers operates beyond civilian understanding, governed by rules outsiders never see. Coughlin must balance his deadly profession with maintaining his mental stability. His craft demands precision while his humanity struggles with the psychological toll. This account reveals the tension between exceptional skill and personal survival in modern warfare.
Genres: military-fiction, action, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, moral-dilemma
Setting: Boston, Iraq
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, violence