Most Popular Books by Kevin Maurer

Mark Owen is a pseudonym for Matt Bissonnette.

A Special Forces soldier sacrifices everything to achieve one victory in America’s forever war in Afghanistan. When Charlie, an American Special Forces soldier, finds out the Taliban is trying to sell a Soviet suitcase nuke to Al-Qaeda, he enlists his former interpreter-turned-contractor Ahmed Wali to help recover it. But Wali—one of the “good” Afghans—has his own problems. The first is with the local warlord, Jan, who is trying to drive him out of business; the second is with his uncle, Razaq, whose ties to the Taliban jeopardize his ability to work with the Americans. As Charlie and Wali—with the help of Felix, a morally fluid but pragmatic CIA officer—work to get the suitcase nuke off the battlefield, Air Force Tech Sgt. Canterbury starts to investigate Wali’s business. Canterbury is convinced Wali is a bad guy and arrests him for working with the Taliban. The arrest sends the whole operation awry and forces Charlie and Felix to work in the moral gray areas in order to achieve their objectives. The Good Afghan is an exploration of identity, politics, and the story of the Afghan war and America’s nation-building experiment gone wrong.

In a remote, enemy-held valley in Afghanistan, a Special Forces team planned to scale a steep mountain to surprise and capture a terrorist leader. But before they found the target, the target found them… The team was caught in a deadly ambush that not only threatened their lives, but the entire mission. The elite soldiers fought huddled for hours on a small rock ledge as rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire rained down on them. With total disregard for their own safety, they tended to their wounded and kept fighting to stay alive. When the battle finally ended, ten soldiers had earned Silver Stars—the Army’s third highest award for combat valor. It was the most Silver Stars awarded to any unit in one battle since Vietnam. Based on dozens of interviews with those who were there, No Way Out is a compelling narrative of an epic battle that not only tested the soldiers’ mettle but serves as a cautionary tale. Be careful what you ask a soldier to do because they will die trying to accomplish their mission.

From Kevin Maurer—the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning coauthor of No Easy Day—comes the true story of a World War II bomber pilot who survived twenty-five missions in Damn Lucky, “an epic, thrillingly written, utterly immersive account of a very lucky, incredible survivor of the war in the skies to defeat Hitler” (New York Times bestselling author Alex Kershaw). “We were young citizen-soldiers, terribly naive and gullible about what we would be confronted with in the air war over Europe and the profound effect it would have upon every fiber of our being for the rest of our lives. We were all afraid, but it was beyond our power to quit. We volunteered for the service and, once trained and overseas, felt we had no choice but to fulfill the mission assigned. My hope is that this book honors the men with whom I served by telling the truth about what it took to climb into the cold blue and fight for our lives over and over again.” —John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Major, USAF (Ret.) 100th Bomb Group (H) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a world away from John Luckadoo’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. But when the Japanese attacked the American naval base on December 7, 1941, he didn’t hesitate to join the military. Trained as a pilot with the United States Air Force, Second Lieutenant Luckadoo was assigned to the 100th Bomb Group stationed in Thorpe Abbotts, England. Between June and October 1943, he flew B-17 Flying Fortresses over France and Germany on bombing runs devised to destroy the Nazi war machine. With a shrapnel torn Bible in his flight jacket pocket and his girlfriend’s silk stocking around his neck like a scarf as talismans, Luckadoo piloted through Luftwaffe machine-gun fire and antiaircraft flak while enduring subzero temperatures to complete twenty-five missions and his combat service. The average bomber crew rarely survived after eight to twelve missions. Knowing far too many airmen who wouldn’t be returning home, Luckadoo closed off his emotions and focused on his tasks to finish his tour of duty one moment at a time, realizing his success was more about being lucky than being skilled. Drawn from Luckadoo’s firsthand accounts, acclaimed war correspondent Kevin Maurer shares his extraordinary tale from war to peacetime, uncovering astonishing feats of bravery during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history, and presenting an incredible portrait of a young man’s coming-of-age during the world’s most devastating war.

The explosive New York Times bestselling memoir of a Muslim American FBI agent fighting terror from the inside. A longtime undercover agent, Tamer Elnoury joined an elite counterterrorism unit after September 11, 2001. Its express purpose was to gain the trust of terrorists whose goals were to take out as many Americans in as public and devastating a way as possible. It was a furious race against the clock for Elnoury and his unit to stop them before they could implement their plans. Yet the techniques were as old as time: listen, record, and prove terrorist intent. It''s no secret that federal agencies have waged a broad, global war against terror, through and after the war in Afghanistan. But for the first time, in this memoir, an active Muslim American federal agent reveals his experience infiltrating and bringing down a terror cell in North America. Due to his ongoing work for the FBI, Elnoury writes under a pseudonym. An Arabic-speaking Muslim American, a patriot, a hero: To many Americans, it will be a revelation that he and his team even existed, let alone the vital and dangerous work they have done keeping all Americans safe.

Mark Owen''s instant #1 New York Times bestseller, No Easy Day: The First-hand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden (Penguin, 2013), focused on the high-profile targets and headline-grabbing chapters of the author''s 13 years as a Navy Seal. His follow-up, No Hero, is an account of Owen''s most personally meaningful missions, missions that never made headlines, including the moments in which he learned the most about himself and his teammates in both success and failure.

An insider''s tour of the U.S. military''s secret Remotely Piloted Aircraft program discusses how drones work and their potential for neutralizing security threats.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day comes an insightful, inside look at the Green Berets—a legendary corps of soldiers whose exploits made military history. But now, its very identity and role as a fighting force may be forever changed. Until the war in Iraq, Special Forces were the military’s counterinsurgency experts. Their specialty was going behind enemy lines and training insurgent forces. In Afghanistan, they toppled the Taliban by transforming Northern Alliance fighters into cohesive units. But since that time, Special Forces units have focused on offensive raids. With time running short, the Green Berets have now gone back to their roots. Award-winning journalist Kevin Maurer traveled with a Special Forces team in Afghanistan, finding out firsthand the inside story of the lives of this elite group of highly trained soldiers. He witnessed the intense brotherhood, the rigorous selection process, and the arduous training that makes them the best on the battlefield. Here, Maurer delivers a compelling account of modern warfare and of a fighting force that is doing everything in its power to achieve victory.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of No Easy Day comes a thrilling World War II story of the American airborne soldiers who captured a Japanese-held island fortress “Rock Force is a beautifully told story of war: the friendships, the courage and despair, and the terror... One of the most exciting books ever written about the Pacific War.”—Mitch Weiss, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Countdown 1945 In late December 1941, General Douglas MacArthur, caught off guard by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, is forced to retreat to Corregidor, a jagged, rocky island fortress at the mouth of Manila Bay. Months later, under orders from the president, the general is whisked away in the dark of night, leaving his troops to their fate. It is a bitter pill for a fiercely proud warrior who has always protected his men. He famously declares "I shall return," but the humiliation of Corregidor haunts him, even earning him the derisive nickname "Dugout Doug." In early 1945, MacArthur returns to the Philippines, his eyes firmly fixed on Corregidor. To take back the island, he calls on the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, a highly trained veteran airborne unit. Their mission is to jump onto the island—hemmed in by sheer cliffs, pockmarked by bomb craters, bristling with deadly spiky broken tree trunks—and wrest it from some 6,700 Japanese defenders who await, fully armed and ready to fight to the death. Drawn from firsthand accounts and personal interviews with the battle''s surviving veterans, acclaimed war correspondent and bestselling author Kevin Maurer delves into this extraordinary tale, uncovering astonishing accounts of bravery and heroism during an epic, yet largely forgotten, clash of the Pacific War. Here is an intimate story of uncommon soldiers showing uncommon courage and winning, through blood and sacrifice, the redemption of General MacArthur.

One of the most critical battles of the Afghan War is now revealed as never before. Lions of Kandahar is an inside account from the unique perspective of an active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces commander. As then-Captain Rusty Bradley he began his third tour of duty in southern Afghanistan in 2006, the Taliban were poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. This is the story of a two-week battle that raged in scorching heat over a territory the size of Rhode Island.--From publisher description.

"Richardson never pulls his punches in these vivid descriptions." --Publishers Weekly Caught in the Chinese counterattack at Unsan-one of the deadliest American battles of the Cold War Era-Colonel Bill Richardson led an Alamo like defense of the few survivors before being taken prisoner. The North Koreans marched them through sub-zero weather without food, shelter, or medical attention to the area known as Death Valley. Enduring torture designed to break the mind and body, Richardson remained strong enough to lead his fellow prisoners in resistance, sabotage, and new plans for escape. Valleys of Death is a stirring story of survival and determination, an intimate look at the soldiers who fought America''s first battle of the cold war in the unvarnished words of one of their own.

Darque destinies! Master Darque ? the sadistic lord of death and resurrection ? yearns to be free once again, but first he must fight for his life. Darque is a target, his powers are weak, and his enemies know it. Now, Darque?s own former pupil and Ninjak?s ruthless arch-nemesis ? the lethal assassin known as Roku ? has gathered the Shadow Seven together again for the sole purpose of putting Darque down for good. And the only thing holding their uneasy alliance together is a mysterious benefactor from the shadows? someone who also goes by the name Darque?Everything has led to this? Out of the ashes of BOOK OF DEATH, Ninjak and Master Darque will collide in a punishing circle of death, destruction and hellfire! Join New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE) and blistering artists Marc Laming (Planet Hulk) and Stephen Segovia (UNITY) here for a steel-hardened jumping-on point that will leave Valiant?s seven-time Harvey Award-nominated series forever scarred! Collecting NINJAK #22?27.

Tales from across the landscape of SECRET WARS! Is Lady Kate of 1602 the notorious Hawkeye Bandit? Can enslaved mutants overthrow Khonshu? Kraven hunts, Matt Murdock cooks, Wolverine investigates and Doc Samson tries to bring sanity to a land of Hulks! The Punisher and Iron Fist! Night Nurse! MILL-E: the model citizen! Plus: Fights, fights, fights! A Doctor Strange-possessed Frank Castle against the New Fantastic Four! Cowboy Deadpool and Devil Dinosaur! Silver Surfer vs. Maestro! Wolverine vs. Wolverines! All the M.O.D.O.K.s! The Agents of Atlas rebel against Baron Zemo! And pity poor Howard the Human, trapped in an anthropomorphic animal realm he never made! Collecting SECRET WARS JOURNAL #1-5, SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD #1-4, HOWARD THE HUMAN #1 and SECRET WARS: AGENTS OF ATLAS #1.

The hunt for Ernesto “Che” Guevera was one of the first successful U.S. Special Forces missions in history. Using government reports and documents, as well as eyewitness accounts, Hunting Che tells the untold story of how the infamous revolutionary was captured—a mission later duplicated in Afghanistan and Iraq. As one of the architects of the Cuban Revolution, Guevera had become famous for supporting and organizing similar insurgencies in Africa and Latin America. When he turned his attention to Bolivia in 1967, the Pentagon made a decision: Che had to be stopped. Major Ralph “Pappy” Shelton was called upon to lead the mission. Much was unknown about Che’s force in Bolivia, and the stakes were high. With a handpicked team of Green Berets, Shelton turned Bolivian peasants into a trained fighting and intelligence-gathering force. Hunting Che follows Shelton’s American team and the newly formed Bolivian Rangers through the hunt to Che’s eventual capture and execution. With the White House and the Pentagon monitoring every move, Shelton and his team helped prevent another Communist threat from taking root in the West. INCLUDES PHOTOS

New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY) is joined by a cast of Valiant all-stars ? including Diego Bernard (X-O MANOWAR), Khari Evans (IMPERIUM), Stephen Segovia (WAR MOTHER), and more ? for the final, nerve-shattering, deluxe, oversized hardcover collecting the multiple Harvey Award-nominated series that Nerdist calls ?truly stellar?! Colin King, the elite MI-6 intelligence operative codenamed Ninjak, has confronted his past. He?s survived the gauntlet of the Shadow Seven. He?s walked into the Deadside and returned a changed man. Now his greatest trial yet will come to pass as the ruthless assassin called Roku returns to lay siege to Ninjak?s present and future by destroying his life from the inside out ? and only the death of Colin King will stop her. Collecting NINJAK #14?27, NINJAK #0, and BOOK OF DEATH: THE FALL OF NINJAK #1, along with 20+ pages of rarely seen art and extras.

Snakebite! He?s fought the Shadow Seven, journeyed to the Deadside, and bested death itself, but MI-6?s top superspy has never tested his limits like this! When Ninjak is assigned to the Middle East for a seemingly simple extraction, this once-routine mission will quickly turns south when the laws of nature are turned upside down?and mutated soldiers bearing the animalistic abilities of nature?s deadly predators strike from the shadows! Now, Ninjak must hone his lethal skills and channel his inner warrior like never before?or end up at the bottom of the food chain!

It''s a compendious collection of companion stories, spinning directly out of Marvel''s newest blockbuster event, AXIS! As the Red Skull broadcasts hate across the globe, can the Avengers and X-Men quell the madness? Or will they be swept up in it? New world disorder is the name of the game as the Skull''s havoc touches every mind on the planet - and the heroes'' cure proves worse than the disease! Heroes go bad! Villains go good! And Thor goes...on a bender? Now, shock follows shock as Dr. Strange struggles against his hate, She-Hulk breaks the law, Sandman reaches out to help a friend in prison, Kitty Pryde robs a bank, and Nightcrawler decides to avenge the death of Wolverine...by hunting down Sabretooth! Experience the inverted world of the Marvel Universe like never before! Collecting AXIS: Revolutions #1-4.

Den 1 maj 2011 stormade en amerikansk specialstyrka huset i Pakistan där Usama bin Ladin befann sig. Ett ögonblick senare var han död. En av soldaterna som deltog i operationen var Matt Bissonette som under pseudonymen Mark Owen skrivit boken Ingen lätt dag. Owen var gruppchef under Operation Neptune Spear i Abbottabad i Pakistan den militärinstats som resulterade i Usama bin Ladins död. Han var en av de första som tog sig in på tredje våningen i terroristens gömställe och han bevittnade där bin Ladins död. I Ingen lätt dag ger Mark Owen sin bild av hur det hela gick till. Läsaren följer honom och de övriga tjugotre SEAL-soldaterna i den handplockade gruppen när de tränar inför uppdraget. Berättelsen, som slutar med bin Ladins död, är en viktig pusselbit i vår moderna historia. Den börjar med en helikopterkrasch (som Owen med knapp nöd överlever)och beskriver detaljerat skeendet fram till anropet som meddelar världen att terroristledaren är död. Mark Owen var i många år medlem i United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, mer känt som SEAL Team Six. Som SEAL-soldat deltog han i hundratals uppdrag över hela världen, bland annat den spektakulära fritagningen av kapten Richard Phillips på Indiska oceanen 2009, men också i många andra som inte tidigare kommit till allmänhetens kännedom. I Ingen lätt dag låter han läsaren ta del av livet på slagfältet och redogör för hur elitsoldaterna väljs ut och tränas inför sina uppdrag. Mark Owen berättar också om hur soldaterna i SEAL förväntas prestera på toppen av sin fysiska och mentala förmåga. Med sinne för detaljer beskriver han elitstyrkans många uppdrag och ger en mycket levande bild av hur gruppen formats efter den 11 september 2001. Mark Owen vill med sin bok hedra de soldater som deltagit i kampen mot terrorismen. Alla namn i boken har ändrats för att skydda identiteterna på alla iblandade. Namnet Mark Owen är en pseudonym och det var författarens avsikt att även hålla sin egen identitet hemlig. Efter det att boken kom ut avslöjades emellertid hans verkliga identitet av amerikanska Fox News och författaren trädde fram i bl.a. tv-programmet 60-minutes. Mark Owens medförfattare Kevin Maurer har rapporterat om militära specialstyrkor i nio år. Han har rest som inbäddad tillsammans med specialstyrkorna i Afghanistan sex gånger, tillbringat en månad hos specialenheter i Östafrika 2006 och rest som inbäddad tillsammans med amerikanska styrkor i Irak och Haiti. Han har skrivit fyra böcker, varav flera om specialstyrkor.

Bereit zum Kampf – ein Elitesoldat enthüllt, was wirklich zählt Mission erfüllt war ein Millionenerfolg. Aber Mark Owen war nicht nur dabei, als Osama bin Laden starb, er nahm während seiner 13 Jahre als Navy SEAL an über 100 wichtigen Einsätzen teil. Zum ersten Mal bietet Owen jetzt exklusive Einblicke in den Alltag eines Navy SEALs und enthüllt, wie er zum Teamleiter einer der besten Elitetruppen der Welt wurde: dem SEAL Team 6. Spannend, packend, aufsehenerregend! Nach wie vor sind unendlich viele Legenden in Umlauf über die Navy SEALs – Grund genug für Mark Owen, erstmals von seinen zutiefst persönlichen Erfahrungen und von den vielen Missionen jenseits der Schlagzeilen zu erzählen: »Mit Kein Held für einen Tag möchte ich die persönliche Seite des Krieges zeigen, die Herausforderungen, Entbehrungen und alles, was ich während meiner Zeit als Navy SEAL fürs Leben lernte. Als SEALs sind wir dazu angehalten, diese Werte und alles, was wir gelernt haben, weiterzugeben, damit andere das Gleiche für die nächste Generation tun können. Mit Kein Held für einen Tag möchte ich dies auch für meine Leser tun.« Von der Härte der Trainings bis zum Einsatz auf dem Schlachtfeld: Mark Owen nimmt uns mit in den Alltag eines Navy SEALs – Kampfgeist, Teamgeist, Nervenkitzel hautnah!

Un día difícil es el relato en primera persona de la operación que condujo a la muerte de Osama bin Laden. Un testimonio que difiere en muchos aspectos del que dio al público el gobierno de los Estados Unidos; por el que el autor está amenazado de un proceso por revelación de secretos, y que le ha convertido en el objetivo más buscado por el terrorismo islámico. La narración de esta aventura real resulta fascinante, pero hay mucho más en estas memorias del miembro del SEAL Team Six que se esconde tras el nombre de Mark Owen: hay toda la vida de un hombre que, después de dejar su tranquilo medio familiar en Alaska, emprendió la dura tarea de formación necesaria para integrarse en la más arriesgada de las fuerzas especiales, lo que le llevó a participar en operaciones memorables, como el rescate del capitán Phillips, capturado por los piratas de Somalia, y en muchas otras que nunca llegaron al conocimiento del público. Resulta, además, un anticipo de lo que van a ser las formas de guerra en un futuro inmediato.

Mark Owen protagonizó la misión de los SEAL Team Six que mataron a Osama bin Laden, y la relató después, con un éxito extraordinario, en Un día difícil. Este nuevo libro suyo, No hay héroes, nos sumerge en la experiencia de las nuevas formas de la guerra: de las operaciones especiales planeadas a partir de las informaciones de los «drones» no tripulados, realizadas en rápidos despliegues, de una intensidad que sólo se puede soportar con un entrenamiento extraordinario. Sus protagonistas no son héroes, sino hombres que han recibido una preparación especial y que han aprendido a actuar en equipo. Owen no pretende narrar hazañas bélicas, sino aproximarnos a la experiencia íntima de los combatientes, de sus luchas y dificultades personales. Los relatos que nos ofrece de las acciones vividas por él y por su equipo tienen una verdad y una fuerza como muy pocas veces se ha visto en la literatura de guerra. Una veracidad que explica que el gobierno norteamericano haya secuestrado este libro y le haya impuesto algunos recorte.

2004, Afghanistan. Aux commandes de son drone Predator, le pilote Mark McCurley est certain d''avoir Ben Laden dans sa ligne de mire – le doigt sur la détente, il attend l''ordre de tirer. 2004, Irak. Des troupes américaines en difficulté demandent un soutien aérien – mais cette fois, c''est un drone qui répond à leur appel. 2005, Afghanistan. Une équipe de Navy SEAL disparaît en territoire hostile. La mission des Predator : les retrouver. 2006, Irak. Un pilote de drone ajuste son tir contre le chef d''Al-Qaïda, Moussab al-Zarqaoui – soudain, tout dérape. 2011, Yémen. Le terroriste Anwar al-Awlaki doit être traqué et éliminé. Dans chacune de ces opérations, les drones ont été en première ligne, et Mark McCurley était aux commandes d''un appareil ou à la tête de l''intervention. Hunter Killer nous raconte cette guerre pas comme les autres de l''intérieur. Avec Mark McCurley, nous sommes derrière la console de pilotage, dans l''adrénaline des frappes, au coeur d''une guerre technologique entre ciel et terre. MARK MCCURLEY, officier de l''armée de l''air américaine, a occupé un poste de haut rang dans la guerre des drones contre le terrorisme de 2003 à 2013. KEVIN MAURER, journaliste, a co-signé deux récits de guerre, Ce jour-là (Le Seuil, 2012) et No Hero (Le Seuil, 2014), avec le Navy SEAL Mark Owen. Traduit de l''anglais (États-Unis) par Emmanuel Pailler

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The gripping true story of the undercover agent risking his life to fight terrorism Their aim was to kill as many people as possible. His mission was to stop them. A terrorist plot to kill hundreds of innocent people. An undercover agent posing as a wealthy Al-Qaeda sympathiser. A race against time to gain the terrorists'' trust and bring them down. Before it''s too late... In the aftermath of 9/11, long-time undercover FBI agent Tamer Elnoury joined an elite counterterrorism unit. Its mission- to infiltrate terror cells, gain detailed knowledge of their networks and bring them successfully to justice. Writing under a pseudonym, Tamer Elnoury here tells the hair-raising true story of life undercover, risking his life to keep us safe.

Frank Castle levou sua guerra ao crime para Los Angeles e encarou a gangue internacional conhecida como Dos Soles e, de alguma forma, se tornou o novo alvo do Comando Selvagem. Agora, caçado e ferido, o Justiceiro é capturado por um narcotraficante da Costa Rica e precisa trabalhar com um médico das Forças Especiais para escapar de seu cativeiro. Outros encontros inusitados marcam o futuro de Castle, tendo pela frente um confronto com Ossos Cruzados, com ajuda da vingadora Viúva-Negra. (Punisher 7-12 e Black Widow 9)

''Não Há Dia Fácil'' é um retrato da vida das equipes do Seal e um relato da Operação Lança de Netuno, realizada em 1o de maio de 2011, que resultou na morte do terrorista Osama Bin Laden. Desde a pane no helicóptero Black Hawk - que quase fez com que a missão fosse abortada - até o comunicado pelo rádio via satélite confirmando que o alvo estava morto, a operação dos vinte e quatro Seal na propriedade secreta de Bin Laden deve ser recontada em detalhes. Das ruas de Badgá ao resgate do capitão Richard Phillips no Oceano Índico; das montanhas ao leste de Cabul ao terceiro andar do esconderijo de Osama Bin Laden em Abbottabad, no Paquistão, ''Não Há Dia Fácil'' coloca o leitor dentro da tropa de elite Equipe Seis do Seal.