Window Above The Porch

By Kevin Costanzi
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: May 29, 2012
Words: 78,436 (approximate)
Language: English

Short description

A joint US and Iraqi “Crisis Reaction Force” has been deployed to conduct a hostage rescue mission for which it was neither created nor trained. Over a 24 hour period, the members of this unit must navigate their personal trajectories between survival and mission, between protecting the innocent and the brutal necessities of war.

Extended description

In and around the Green Zone of Baghdad in the winter of 2005: the insurgency was just beginning to heat up and IEDs were just beginning to take a fearsome toll on coalition troops. The first post invasion elections were being prepared for, the pivotal battle of Fallujah was being planned, the photos depicting the abuses at Abu Ghraib were being leaked, and the struggling Provisional Iraqi Army was being established.

Against this backdrop, a joint US and Iraqi “Crisis Reaction Force” has been deployed to conduct a hostage rescue mission for which it was neither created nor trained. Over a 24 hour period, the members of this unit must navigate their personal trajectories between survival and mission, between protecting the innocent and the brutal necessities of war.

Grant, the Special Forces advisor, unconventional, an outsider, but uniquely talented at what he does. Ra’ad, the Iraqi warrant officer, volcanic, driven, an ill-fitting but key part of the unit. And Conners,.. (Read more) In and around the Green Zone of Baghdad in the winter of 2005: the insurgency was just beginning to heat up and IEDs were just beginning to take a fearsome toll on coalition troops. The first post invasion elections were being prepared for, the pivotal battle of Fallujah was being planned, the photos depicting the abuses at Abu Ghraib were being leaked, and the struggling Provisional Iraqi Army was being established.

Against this backdrop, a joint US and Iraqi “Crisis Reaction Force” has been deployed to conduct a hostage rescue mission for which it was neither created nor trained. Over a 24 hour period, the members of this unit must navigate their personal trajectories between survival and mission, between protecting the innocent and the brutal necessities of war.

Grant, the Special Forces advisor, unconventional, an outsider, but uniquely talented at what he does. Ra’ad, the Iraqi warrant officer, volcanic, driven, an ill-fitting but key part of the unit. And Conners, the CRF’s senior NCO, world weary, revered, but nursing a personal tragedy with which he still must come to terms.

Arrayed against them is a mixed group of insurgents brought together by a chaotic series of accidents. They are led by an unlikely coalition: Angel, a Filipino and former Abu Sayyaf operative who finds himself part of a conflict he barely understands, and who must balance his own core decency with what he must do to look after his men; and Qasem, an Iraqi killer—“an Arab fanatic, quivering with zealous purpose like a plucked guitar string”.

In Window Above the Porch, Kevin Costanzi deftly renders the intensity of this style of warfare while examining what motivates these men—Americans, Iraqis and insurgents—to perform in combat far from home in the midst of morally complicated and life threatening conditions. Balancing the contradictions inherent in those motivations, Costanzi explores though his characters the ambiguous consequences of action, the sacrifice of duty and loyalty, and the nurturing of what is best in soldiers in the face of the demands of their profession.
(Less)

Tags

special forces, hostage rescue, counter insurgency, the war on terror, the iraq war, combat thriller, the green zone

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 10%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

This book has not yet been reviewed.

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: