Set in Afghanistan at the height of the war between the allies and the Taliban, this tells the story of Mark, his best mate Casey and army dog called Prince. When a routine hostage extraction goes horribly wrong, Casey is killed and Mark and Prince must try and get back into "safe" territory. In a foreign land where they do not know friend from foe, it is a survival story in a desert with the added suspense of someone could have a gun trained on you at any moment. This is not a kid's book a-la Michael Morpurgo as there is realistic violence in the form of war injuries and torture, a foray into the world of the illicit drug trade and its horrific effects on peoples' sanity, as well as the main characters' inner musings about friendship, life, death and the immorality of war. Gripping from start to finish, this is one for older readers 8-10. ( )