A Soldier's Duty

"This gripping thriller pulls you in regardless of whether or not you know anything about the U.S. military. Readers familiar with its culture will recognize it here. Those who aren’t will learn something important on every page."
— W.E.B. Griffin, bestselling author of The Corps, Badge of Honor, The Brotherhood of War, and the Men at
War series

"Tom Ricks brings the information warfare and new weapons technology of today’s military into the human conflict which confronts officers and NCO’s dealing with the meanings of duty, honor and country. This novel, A Soldier’s Duty, has an important message for today’s leaders of all ranks and services."
—General (ret.) Edward C. Meyer, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1979-1983

"A powerful, prophetic page-turner. A huge tell-it-like-it-is thriller of a novel that captures the U.S. Military’s pain and frustration in the 21st century. Epic story telling that’s as exciting as it is suspenseful."
—David H. Hackworth, Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired and author of the bestselling book About Face

"Thomas E. Ricks has written a fast-paced, disturbing and probable story about the fragile moral fiber that binds our armed forces. Personal ambition confused with duty, information warfare manipulating loyalties, political influence degrading readiness….A Soldier’s Duty will seem very real to those who have served."
—Major General David Grange, US Army (ret.), former commander, 1st Infantry Division

"In the spirit of Seven Days in May, Washington Post reporter Tom Ricks applies his formidable writing talents and familiarity with today’s military to a conspiratorial page-turner that highlights the military’s hotly debated role in contemporary American politics."
—Colonel Richard Hart Sinnreich (US Army, ret)

"In A Soldier’s Duty, Tom Ricks weaves timeless themes of soldiering-duty, loyalty, honor-with today’s-headline concerns about technology, the post-Cold War world, and our national squeamishness about the Pax Americana we created and cannot now let go. Lots of people write about technology; Ricks writes about how technology changes the way real people think and live. Lots of people write about military hardware and uniforms and doctrine; Tom Ricks does all that, but wraps it in a great story that gets to what is in the soldier’s heart. This book will do more than entertain; it will make readers question their most basic assumptions about what holds the Republic together."
—Ed Ruggero, author of Duty First: West Point and the Making of American Leaders

"The author’s remarkable inside knowledge of today’s military is evident on every page…this provocative novel is bound to be widely popular."
—Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and bestselling author Ralph Peters

"Tom Ricks has done a masterful job with his first novel. His knowledge of the military, vast experience, and association with military organizations, and keen insights into the military culture clearly come out in this superb book."
—General Anthony Zinni, U.S.M.C. (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Central Command