The Golden Hour: The hour immediately following traumatic injury in which
medical treatment to prevent irreversible internal damage and optimize the chance of survival
is most effective.
SEAL team Polaris is on a reconnaissance mission high in the Hindu Kush
mountains of Afghanistan when they're led into an ambush. The A-10 fighter providing
close-air support is shot down and Air Force pararescue jumpers, dispatched to extract
the downed pilot, also suffer heavy fire.
As the clock ticks and casualties mount, the PJs join forces with Polaris β facing subzero
temperatures, formidable terrain, and entrenched enemies β to rescue the missing pilot
and get them all home.
"Guerra's knowledge of combat operations is noteworthyβhis account of troop movements, chains of command, and even the equipment creates an atmosphere of authenticity. The violence erupts with extraordinary narrative force. And in plain but powerful prose, the author depicts the fleeting opportunity soldiers have in the field for meaningful introspection and the practical necessity to absorb trauma quickly: "Aiden realized he was referring to the guy he'd killed. He hadn't given the matter a second thought; he was solely concerned with Josiah. He reflected on it for a half-second, and then shelved it away forever.
A grippingly realistic rendering of military combat." β Kirkus Reviews