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Back to topEight Lives Down: The Story of a Counterterrorist Bomb-Disposal Operator's Tour in Iraq (Mass Market Paperback)
Description
Searing heat...cold fear...silence. It's just you and the bomb...
In this riveting first-person account, bomb-disposal operative Chris Hunter takes us behind the scenes in an eye-opening, never-before-seen portrait of the most dangerous job in the most dangerous place on earth.
By the time he got to Iraq, Chris Hunter was one of the most experienced bomb-disabling operators in the British armed forces. But Iraq was different, a place where terrorists and soldiers were climbing the same deadly learning curve. Where new devices and new tactics led to countermeasures, and the line between killer and innocent bystander was impossible to draw. As Hunter’s unit became more skilled at disabling bombs, the bombers became more skilled and determined—until Hunter ended up with a price on his head and bombs designed just for him. From a horrifying ambush in the heart of Shia-dominated Basra to the chilling interrogation of a captured bomber, Hunter delivers a first-of-its-kind account that is gritty, immediate, and heartbreaking—the chronicle of a man clinging to his sanity, his marriage, and his duty to his fellow soldiers.
Praise For…
“This isn't a book about the ethics of war . . . it's a book about a soldier doing the most dangerous job there is and managing to remain not just sane but also incredibly sympathetic.... [Hunter] writes grippingly, honestly, thoughtfully and above all simply. There’s no need for frills with raw material like this.”
—Guardian, UK
"... packed with such powerful descriptions of coming under fire that at times you begin to imagine you have picked up the script for a Hollywood action movie."—London Lite
"Will do for Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush what McNab did for Saddam and George Senior"—Evening Standard
"You're left in awe and wondering if we're paying Our Boys enough for going through this kind of hell. And doubting it."—Books Sport
“The best war memoir I’ve read in years.” —Andy McNab, author of Bravo Two Zero
