"You could well be the worst typist in the Corps. Which is a shame because you could have been one of the best soldiers I ever trained."

Sgt Hopkins looked at Pte Grant. "Being good at weapons drills and unarmed combat isn't everything. But what you've done today. That's a different matter."

"What have I done today?"

"The number one rule of any soldier, combat, clerk or engineer. What every soldier learns. Is that you don't fight for your government, your queen or your country. You fight for the man beside you. You help dig his trench. You watch his back. And you throw yourself on the grenade to save him."

"I didn't throw myself on a grenade."

"You ruined your career and your future for the man beside you at Waterloo Station. I hope he appreciates what you've done."

3BAPD, Bracht, Germany

Before Snake Pass saw Jim Grant sent to America, and before Jamaica Plain saw Grant recruited by Boston PD, and even before the Black Hawk Down incident when he was in the British Army. Before all of that there was Operation Snow Queen. With only two years' service, Grant is posted to Germany after a runaway suitcase at Waterloo Station breaks a civilian passenger's leg. He replaces a Company Clerk who lost his head in an accident, and a smuggling ring that doesn't want him. Following an explosion at the Ammunition Depot, and a court martial in Dusseldorf, Grant is assigned to a training exercise in Bavaria. A place where landslides and falling off a mountain are the least of his worries.

Critical Acclaim for Colin Campbell:

"Very real. And very good." -Lee Child

"No one writes better action sequences than Campbell." -Dana King

"There's nothing soft about Campbell's writing. If you enjoy your crime fiction hard-boiled, the Jim Grant series is a must read." -Bruce Robert Coffin, author of the Detective Byron series

"A cop with a sharp eye, keen mind, and a lion's heart." -Reed Farrel Coleman

"Campbell writes smart, rollercoaster tales with unstoppable forward momentum and thrilling authenticity." -Nick Petrie

"Grim and gritty and packed with action." -Kirkus Review

"The pages fly like the bullets, fistfights and one-liners that make this one of my favorite books of the year. Top stuff!" -Matt Hilton

"An excellent story well told. A mixture of The Choirboys meets Harry Bosch." -Michael Jecks

"Sets up immediately and maintains a breakneck pace throughout. Its smart structure and unrelenting suspense will please Lee Child fans." -Library Journal Review

"This is police procedural close-up and personal. A strong debut with enough gritty real-ism to make your eyes water, and a few savage laughs along the way." -Reginald Hill