Masters of War

By CHRIS RYAN

Published by Hachette New Zealand, 13 August 2013 $37.99 RRP

Death seemed their servant. The latest explosive novel from the master of the SAS thriller, Chris Ryan.

In Paris, an elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk.

In the war-torn cities of Syria, government forces wage a bloody war against their own people. The Russians are propping up the government, the French are backing one rebel fraction and the British are backing another.

And in north Africa, young SAS trooper Jamie Truman is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty, or so he thinks.

Jamie has a new mission. An MI6 agent needs to make contact with Syrian rebel forces, and also with the private military contractors who are – unofficially – training this rebel faction as it struggles to bring down their government and establish a new regime that will be favourable to British business interests.

As they travel deep into rebel heartland, Jamie will learn who the masters of war, the men who call the shots, really are. As Jamie finds himself sucked into the murky orbit of the private military, he discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.

And where a secret lurks that will change the course of Jamie's own life, however long that might last.

'[Osama] reads as if it has been torn directly from the headlines' NZ Herald

About the Author

Chris Ryan was born near Newcastle in 1961. He joined the SAS in 1984. During his ten years there he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team.

During the Gulf War, Chris Ryan was the only member of an eight-man unit to escape from Iraq, where three colleagues were killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. For this he was awarded the Military Medal.

For his last two years he was selecting and training potential recruits for the SAS. He lectures in business motivation and security, and is a consultant for a security organisation.