The Pepperdogs - by Bing West (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Serbs behind them were preparing to attack, and in front of them lay open ground, flat and white as a shroud. We've run a hundred miles, Lang thought, to come up a football field short.

When a fellow Marine is kidnapped, Captain Mark Lang and his recon team, the Pepperdogs, disobey orders and cross into snowbound Serbia to rescue him. A leader who can't quit, Lang is urged on by his team members. Five New York City reservists -- a trader, a fireman, an auto mechanic, a fitness trainer and a computer geek -- set out on an impossible odyssey. Superbly fit and equipped, they employ speed, ambush and the Internet to close in on their target.

After a team member sends back e-mails describing their firefights, the Pepperdogs become front-page news. Once Weekend Warriors, by the end of their mission they are the most feared unit in Europe, fighting anyone who stands in their way. The press calls them "The Wild Bunch on technological steroids." Lang, haunted by memories of his missing buddy's dying mother, knows the horrific costs they are inflicting but won't turn back. Their rescue mission, condemned by the military, slowly escalates into a standoff between the Oval Office and NATO Europe with the world watching.

A razor-sharp storyteller and Pentagon insider, Bing West unleashes a blistering techno thriller that probes the limits of physical and mental endurance. Drawing on firsthand knowledge of combat, West fuses the grit of Blackhawk Down with the behind-the-scenes intrigue of The West Wing, showing how in the near future a squad can become wired to the White House, to the dismay of the traditional chain of command. The Pepperdogs is a gripping story about American reserves, conflicting loyalties and devotion to comrade. What price will a nation pay to save one life?

Review Quotes

"The Wall Street Journal" Impossible to put down.

Vince Flynn "New York Times" bestselling author of"Executive Power" [A] riveting thriller filled with the details only a military and government insider could provide. Bing West knows his stuff.

Dr. James R. Schlesinger

former Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

As in his previous writings, West's prose has a haunting quality. His tale of brave men left to fight alone should be read by all involved in Allied peacekeeping operations. Could a president confront this situation? Yes indeed. Would he act wisely? We may one day find out.

Thomas E. Ricks

author of "Making the Corps" and "A Soldier's Duty," and military correspondent for "The Washington Post"

Bing West knows Marines, and what they talk and worry about, and he offers up an adventurous slice of life in today's corps, where small wars in obscure corners of the world are once again a daily mission for thousands of Marines and other U.S. military personnel. Great storytelling about the U.S. military in 2002 from someone who knows his business.

Vince Flynn

author of "Executive Power" and "Separation of Power"

"The Pepperdogs" is a riveting thriller filled with the details only a military and government insider could provide. Bing West knows his stuff, and his debut is top-notch.

Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor

coauthor of "The Generals' War" and former military correspondent for "The New York Times"

About the Author

Bing West served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Reagan administration. He was a member of force recon team Primness, which ambushed a North Vietnamese battalion thus initiating Operation Stingray, whose behind-the-lines tactics are the backdrop for The Pepperdogs. His nonfiction book The Village (Pocket Books) has received high praise for describing close combat. He was a lead CNN military analyst during Desert Storm. Three generations of Wests have served in Marine infantry and his firm, GAMA Corporation, conducts combat training for the Marine Corps. He lives in Newport, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Contact him at www.westwrite.com and www.pepperdogs.com.