Book excerpt: Back to Serve is a fictional memoir about a soon-to-be-retired army captain, Nico Corretti, who after a career in the military is ready to begin his civilian life with his family. But first, he must out-process and then drive halfway across the country to get home, during which he has an improbable encounter with a Russian woman who informs him that his safety and his postservice stability may be in jeopardy. On the long drive home, he considers the plausibility of her claim and reflects on his past and future.Once home, he relishes the quality time with his family, which includes visiting his father in his hometown. But afterward, he discovers the limited employment opportunities in the slow recovery years after the Great Recession. He undergoes an extended unemployment period before anxiously and dutifully taking a government-contract position abroad, which turns out to be more perilous than he had originally been briefed. And the mysterious Russian woman he met may lead him to some of the answers he was searching for, as well as to some dangers and desires that he wasn't. Upon completion of his contract job in Europe, he enjoys a well-deserved respite at home. But it's short lived, as a swell of terrorist attacks against the United States require (or demand) more of his military service. Torn between being there for his family and his duty to his country, Captain Corretti is coldly reminded that the two actually are mutually inclusive. He's sent back to a familiar place, the Middle East, and in the process, he may be able to avenge the soldiers he had lost under his command. But he'll need to reach deeper within himself than he ever has before in order to succeed on the battlefield and in life.