Book excerpt: Cut off, surrounded, and desperate, three WWII commandos wait for the chaos to begin in this “fiercely authentic” novel of combat (Sunday Telegraph). They were three soldiers, on watch in the French countryside, their base a disused barn. Three ordinary men seconded into the horrors of World War II, each with his own ideals, his own feelings, his own fears. Their task was a nightmare of waiting. German forces were stationed over the brow of a hill, and every moment of every day passed in nerve-shattering anticipation of their first clash. When the clash finally came, it was not merely a battle of force and brutality but a complex and murderous struggle between the cunning and ruthlessness of both sides . . . “Extraordinarily powerful . . . at times harrowing but always gripping. Its authenticity and credibility is rooted in the experience of the author, who led a commando unit in Occupied Europe during the Second World War. The story draws on his experiences in an unflinching manner, turning the fields, hills and hedgerows of the front line into the stage for a drama of the most compelling kind.” —Alex Gerlis, author of Prince of Spies “Tense and convincing.” —Observer “I think it’s the best thing of its kind I’ve ever read. I literally couldn’t put it down.” —Leslie Charteris, author of The Saint novels “A gripping read.” —The Sunday Times