A passionate page-turner by a soldier with something to say.
After nearly 20 years of SAS operations, including a never before published role in the infamous Bravo Two Zero patrol, Bob retired from the military to work as an advisor on the international commercial security circuit. Certain his most dangerous days were behind him, Bob settled into a sedate life looking after VIPs. Then 9/11 happened.
Bob found himself back in war zones on assignments far more perilous than anything he had encountered in the SAS: from ferrying journalists across firing lines in The West Bank and Gaza to travelling to the heart of Osama bin Laden's Afghan lair. As part of a two-man team, Bob searched for ITN Correspondent Terry Lloyd's missing crew in Basra, Iraq, while in Afghanistan, he was forced to spend the night as the only Westerner in Khost - with a $25,000 bounty on his head.
As the War on Terror escalated, Bob contended with increasingly sophisticated insurgents. But the most disturbing development he witnessed was much closer to home; namely The Circuit's rise from a niche business staffed by top veterans into an unregulated, billion dollar industry that too often places profits above lives. This is an important, pulse-racing and at times shocking testament to what is really happening, on the ground, in the major trouble spots of the world, culminating in an explosive conclusion: The Circuit is undermining the War on Terror.

2008-08-16 Thought Provoking

[[ASIN:0330455737 The Circuit: An Ex-SAS Soldier's True Account of One of the Most Powerful and Secretive Industries Spawned by the War on Terror]
A fascinating insight into the job of a 'Close Protection' operative.Bob Shepherd pulls no punches with his opinions about his fellow countrymen(and non fellow countrymen)who share the same profession,especially if they're not trained to his standard,which as you might guess after 23 years serving with 'The Regiment' are understandably high.If you're looking for a book crammed with boys own stories about damsels in distress and guns and explosions in true gruesome detail,then this definately is NOT the book for you.This is a story about a true professional in every sense of the word,who makes it his duty to understand the ways,traditions and historical backgrounds of the people he serves and meets on his adventures and operations in often very hostile environments.Oh yes,he also meets some very important and influential people(and the odd warlord)along the way...ENJOY.