Synopses & Reviews
When Lieutenant Gavin Kelly's recon platoon swims ashore a Mogadishu beach under the glare of hundreds of news camera lights, it is an appropriately surreal beginning to Operation Restore Hope. This modern war is vastly different from the battles Kelly's father and grandfather fought and from the young lieutenant's own experience during Operation Desert Storm. Minutes after the Marines' celebrated landing, one of Kelly's men kills an armed Somali bodyguard. The circumstances of the killing are unclear and Kelly finds himself in the center of a maelstrom. He must act quickly to deflect a vociferous outcry from members of the international press corps, censure by his Marine superiors, and the possibility of losing the loyalty of his men -- particularly two enlisted leaders in the platoon who have vouched for the necessity of the kill.
Thus begins Sharkman Six, a stinging morality tale in which Kelly is torn between his men, his confusing mission, and the international rules of engagement he has sworn to uphold. As his platoon descends into the lawless, violent underbelly of Somalia, Lieutenant Kelly must determine his own values -- and allegiances -- in a country where murders are commonplace and constant.
With heart-pounding, intricate military detail, rapier wit, and stunning verisimilitude, Sharkman Six speaks to the violent urges lurking in us all and the lengths to which we will go to control them. In Gavin Kelly, West has created an authentic, sympathetic, and wholly compromised young officer of war who will put you in mind of the best of military heroes and antiheroes.
Review
Kirkus ReviewsWest recounts with tragic wit the war in Somalia, with every metallic snick of a machine-gun bolt authentic and in place...The rounds are singing off Clancy's helmet.
Review
Jeffery Deaver
author of The Blue Nowhere and The Empty Chair
A great book, impossible to put down...Author West puts us right in the middle of the action in this harrowing portrayal of the complexities of war as seen through the eyes of a complex soldier.
Review
Mark Burnett
creator and executive producer of Survivor
A superb war book -- absorbing and deeply expressed. Owen West really puts you inside the minds of the Marines on the front lines.
Review
Andrew Huebner
author of American by Blood
A strong debut. Owen West's breakneck, fast-paced style commands the reader's attention from the first scene. His characters remain men in a world where the new order and modern weaponry would reduce them to mere drones. Sharkman Six crackles with intensity.
Review
Washington Times A grunt's-eye view that captur[es] the sights, smells, and feel of the mean streets of Mogadishu.
Review
Jeffery Deaver A great book, impossible to put down....West puts us right in the middle of the action.
Synopsis
When his recon platoon lands on a Mogadishu beach under the glare of hundreds of news cameras, Lieutenant Gavin Kelly knows that his mission of mercy -- Operation Restore Hope -- is going to be anything but by the book. His doubts prove true after one of his men kills an armed Somali who may have been a newsperson's bodyguard, touching off an international incident that has the press corps howling, his Marine superiors evading, and his men losing faith in their cause, their honor, and their lieutenant. Through a morass of death, decay, and political lies, the slowly disintegrating platoon descends into the lawless, violent underbelly of Somalia -- where Kelly must finally confront his values, loyalties, and his own soul in a land where murder is a way of life....
With heart-pounding action, intricate military detail and rapier wit, Owen West has written a gritty, modern war novel that speaks to the violence lurking within us all -- and the lengths to which we will go to control it.
About the Author
Owen West is a former Marine major who has served two combat tours in Iraq. He joined the Marine Corps after graduating from Harvard. He departed after six years as an infantry officer to attend Stanford Business School, where he was president of his class. West then joined Goldman, Sachs as an energy trader and is currently a managing director of the firm. His first novel, Sharkman Six (Simon and Schuster, 2001) won the Boyd literary award for best military novel. His second novel, Four Days to Veracruz, (Simon and Schuster, 2003) debuted when he was in Iraq. He has written articles on military affairs and adventure sports for Playboy, Naval Institute Proceedings, Men’s Journal, The Weekly Standard, The National Review, The Marine Corps Gazette, Topic, and Popular Mechanics. West is a frequent contributor to Slate and has authored several opinion pieces for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. In 2005, he won the Marine Corps Leadership Essay Contest. He is the co-author of the screenplay adaptation of No True Glory: The Battle For Fallujah (Bantam, 2005). He lives in New York City.