Welcome to the world of military... and later, law enforcement. Enter massively evil rapist/torturer/murder out of Kosovo and fast forward the same crap happening at home. Set up the military man growing older and now with an untreatable cancer, a vendetta against evil, and mix well.

The story is old, told many times, but it's still a perennial favorite. Cat and mouse. A focus on characterization, development, and especially the realism of gore and the military from an author who'd experienced it.

The novel is a very decent read and it's best praised for its level of detail. There is lots of action and angst and plenty of real human moments, too. I may not prefer this type of novel, but it turned out quite good. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Thanks to the author for a review copy! ( )

Living half a world away, I know little about countries in the middle east. I’ve heard of Serbia and Kosovo, but I’d never be able to point them out on a map.

This book begins with an introduction to the U.N.’s presence in Kosovo. We learn about the varied reception received by the soldiers on their peacekeeping mission. We also learn about the atrocities human beings are capable of inflicting upon others.

While reading this book, I kept the author in mind. Many common British phrases tend to lead an American reader puzzled. Puzzled, but not lost. The context was never in question. At the end of the book I found the guide answering all my questions.

I did have difficulty reading through many of the torture scenes. I understood the need to demonstrate the monstrosity of the torturer, but the detail was too much for me, personally. I’m sure there are plenty of others who are less queasy than I and would enjoy the detailed pictures painted.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Revenge begets revenge, but sometimes there in no other way to seek true justice. Some lines need to be crossed. The world is no longer black and white. It hasn’t been for a while.

I look forward to reading more works by Lee Sherred. ( )

Oh man that was intense.... I just finished it. I haven't read anything that intense since The Policewoman, and even more graphic (if you can imagine that!)... but worth it. You might need a strong stomach, and it is definitely not for your kids, but it would make an incredible movie!

The story basically has its start in Kosovo, during the Yugoslav War, when NATO forces were sent on their peace-keeping mission. A contingent of those forces is sent to find out what has happened to a policeman and his family that has gone missing. It is suspected that his disappearance is due to the fact that he had been investigating the murders of some Kosovar Albanians, and wanted justice. He is found, barely alive, in a very terrible state, and the torturer, known as Aždaja, is still in the room, in the shadows. Aždaja is seen as a hero among some of the more radical Serbians, including some with lots of power, and thus suffers no punishment. Fast forward to the present.... murders start happening again, this time in the UK, with the same M.O. as Aždaja. Those who had happened to witness the previous crime and their families seem to be target. Those who had witnessed what he had done years earlier knew, but for the rest of the world-- they were clueless. One ex-NATO soldier, now policeman, who has just been diagosed with colon cancer and given 5 years to live, sees it as his mission to stop Aždaja and do humanity a favor. No one knows the killer's real name-- he has taken the name of Aždaja, which is a legendary and mythical creature from Balkan folklore that was a many- headed dragon like creature, and pure evil. The book ended in a manner leading me to believe their will be more to come. I would like to thank the author for a copy of this book-- I expect to see some great stuff to come from him! ( )