Appetite For Risk
A fast-paced action thriller inspired by real events in the aftermath of the Iraq War.
With Saddam Hussein deposed and an entire country in need of rebuilding, former Royal Marine John Pierce hears the siren call of adventure and opportunity. His fledgling UK business is struggling to support his young family and he has connections in the Iraqi capital – fate seems to point one way.
In early 2004, Pierce rolls the dice when he jumps into a taxi in Jordan and heads for the turmoil of postwar Baghdad to grab a share of the reconstruction gold rush. But when Iraq spirals into the hell of a full-blown insurgency, he must rely on his wits and his local friends if he’s to evade the rampant bloodshed.
As the action rolls across the blood-stained Iraqi landscape and embraces London’s seedy underbelly, Pierce tangles with the authorities at home and finds himself thrust into the heart of British and American covert operations against Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Having set out with little more than ambitious goals and an appetite for risk, can a determined ex-bootneck survive the mounting chaos unscathed and succeed in hitting the jackpot?
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading this book, though I felt was part autobiographical and part fiction.
The descriptions of the Iraq landscapes made me want to visit, almost like it was a tourist destination. Though I know from news reports that it is anything but.
Pierce is chasing his next big jackpot and Iraq seems like the ideal place to explore leaving his loving wife and children at home while he chases a pipe dream. Managing to get himself tangled up in a terrorist plot, that he has no choice but to help the secret service catch there man.
One bit that I think summed up Pierce’s life style completely is at the end, when he is like right my job here is done, I need to get to a meeting.
With Jack’s background and knowledge of the forces and their landscape I am sure he still has plenty more stories to tell, and I look forward to reading / hearing more.
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There is even a cool video promo on YouTube for the book, see it HERE
Jack Leavers is a former Royal Marine with over thirty-years’ experience working in the military, private security, corporate investigations, maritime counter-piracy, and risk management. His varied career has included numerous deployments to conflict zones around the world such as Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, trouble spots in Africa, and the Somali pirate-infested waters of the Indian Ocean.
A Story About A Girl 
Many thanks, Claire, for making the time to read and review Appetite for Risk at fairly short notice. It’s great to hear you enjoyed reading it. As for any holiday plans, Kurdistan in the north is a tourist destination for many Iraqis. It’s also largely safe for Westerners, but visitors do have need to boost their insurance cover – just in case.
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