About the Author
Ted Russ is a writer living in the Carolina mountains with his wife, Anna, their dogs, Charlie and Ripple, and a bunch of chickens and bees.
In a distant prior life, he served as an army officer after graduating from West Point. Ted left the military in 2000 with experience as a special operations helicopter pilot and a philosophy degree.
Possessing no marketable skills, he went back to school and got an MBA. His 25 year journey through the business world was winding - from startups to fortune 500s, domestic to expat assignments, general management and sales to M&A.
He discovered writing late in life, publishing his first novel in 2016 and now tries to make a living writing full time.
Exploring themes of friendship, duty, and the complexities of the human experience, Ted’s works span contemporary fiction and thought provoking sci-fi. Readers praise his novels for their gripping narratives, authenticity, and moral depth.
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To honor bonds forged twenty-five years ago at West Point, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Avery leads an illegal mission deep into ISIS-held territory.
An MH-47G Chinook helicopter departs formation in the Iraqi night. The mission is unauthorized. Success is unlikely. But to save a friend, Sam Avery and his crew
of Night Stalkers have prepared for one last flight.
ISIS operatives in Tal Afar, Iraq, have captured American aid worker Henry Stillmont. Avery knows Stillmont as “the Guru,” the West Point squad leader who taught him about brotherhood, loyalty, and when to break the rules as a young cadet twenty-five years ago. Sam will risk his career and his life to save him.
As they near their target, Sam reflects on his time in the crucible of the United States Military Academy. West Point made Sam the leader he is. But his fellow cadets made him the man that he is. The ideals of duty, honor, and country have
echoed throughout his life and drive him and his comrades as they undertake their final and most audacious spirit mission.