Trigger Time

by Mick Flynn

Gritty, but witty, description of life and death on the front line in Afghanistan, by the bestselling author of BULLET MAGNET.Now Zad, a small unit of British soldiers are beseiged on a hilltop, surrounded by Taliban. There is no way out but through ambush country, on roads full of IEDs. In any case, the British have no intention of they have promised the local population that they are here to stay. But every day the attacks on their position become more daring, the shells more accurate. It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt...This is the gritty but life-affirming story of how Britain's most highly decorated frontline soldier led his men through two tours in Afghanistan. Through rocket strikes and IED attacks, drugs busts, ambushes and full scale battles, Mick Flynn's first priority has always been to get his men out alive. But it is an ambition he can't promise to live up to...

Genres: Military Fiction

Hardcover

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting book; it is told from the perspective of a British soldier in Afghanistan. It discusses various firefights and missions involving his unit against the Taliban. It is mostly about combat, but it also talks about some humanitarian missions the British undertook to try and improve the lot of the local inhabitants. It also shares how brutally harsh the Taliban were to anybody they considered pro-British or who accepted assistance from the British [and American] forces in the region.

I thought it was well-written. It held my interest throughout the entire book. It also had humor scattered throughout the book. It discussed various weapons, equipment, and vehicles used by the British Army in a manner that was not the least bit boring. He did a good job balancing giving information on how the different equipment and weapons worked in general versus how they worked in a combat situation.

It does have some 'blatant foreshadowing' about midway through the book about a tragedy that would occur sometime later in the narrative. A young man named Mundy had approached the author and expressed a desire to leave the Army. Flynn talks Mundy into staying in the Army, telling Mundy that Mundy was exactly the kind of soldier and potential officer the British wanted to remain in the Army and how much staying in could improve Mundy's future. Mundy is killed in action before the book ends. It was a somber moment in the book (among other somber moments).

It has some descriptions of some crazy IEDs the Taliban and the insurgents created in order to try to kill British and American soldiers, as well as any Afghanistanis assisting them. Some of the stuff I read about blew my mind - it was just crazy that bombs and shells and whatnot were transformed the way they were into IEDs.

The ending is rather abrupt, though. It just . . . ends. No warning. He returns to their base camp after a mission, and that's it. I found myself hoping for more. Hopefully he writes another book that is a continuation of his story. It would be interesting to read how things turned out for him and what he decided in terms of the British Army.

I am glad I read the book.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Mick Flynn's second book, the follow up to Bullet Magnet and it follows in style.

This centres around Flynn's return to the army and Afghanistan in particular.

It runs at pace and with an excitement not always seen in military books, definitely a good read!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting to get a bit boring these books. Same old, same old.