May 27, 2009 07:57 PM
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The book could be a news article on a current conflict. A biological incident of bibilical significance in the middle east conflict. Coyle is now in his second generation of protagonists. Scott Dixon, the hard charging.
Derriere kicking army officer of old, has been displaced by his son, Nathan. Nathan, as a regular army officer, finds himself faced with situations outside of his experience. He is thrust into the role of commanding a group of men considerably different than his previous commands. Nathan is surprised at how different the National Guard is from his regular army experience. His disparaging mind set faces facts the he is challenged to understand.
Considering the intense participation, currently, of the National Guard in conflictual situations, the novel seems extremely current in spite of it's 2004 publication. Portrayal of the demographics, strengths and weaknesses of a National Guard unit seem quite accurate. The difficulties of intergrating National Guard troops with regular Army provide the primary theme while dealing with a middle east hot spot seemed secondary. I enjoyed the book, not as much as some others written by Coyle but I do recommend it.