No One’s Coming: The Rogue Heroes Our Government Turns to When There’s Nowhere Else to Turn

by Kevin Hazzard

From the award-winning author of American Sirens and A Thousand Naked Strangers comes a real-life thriller about the most daring rescue in air-medical history. As contagions spring up around the world, this story of outbreaks and the people who fight them resonates more than ever.

JULY 2014. Two American medical volunteers who joined the fight against the deadliest Ebola outbreak in world history have gotten infected. The virus kills in just over a week and they’re trapped in a hot zone with the clock ticking. If there’s going to be a rescue it has to happen now.

The very notion of getting the patients out is a radical and dangerous idea. Bringing them home might cause an outbreak of Ebola here in the US. No one’s certain if it can or should be done or if they’ll even survive the flight. In fact, the only thing anyone can agree on is that there’s just one group of people resourceful enough (or crazy enough) to pull this off. Thousands of miles away and deep in the north Georgia mountains, a phone rings at Phoenix Air. US government calling with another impossible mission.

Kevin Hazzard chronicles the ten frantic days that followed that phone call, dropping readers into the center of a first-of-its-kind international rescue. Phoenix Air, an eccentric band of engineers, pilots, and doctors with a reputation for doing things nobody else could, would become a lifeline to the world. Terrifying, fascinating, and inspiring, No One’s Coming is a story of selfless heroes on both sides of the Atlantic who overcome the apathy and resistance of their own governments and communities, risking their lives to save others—once again proving that ordinary people are capable of overcoming the most extraordinary of problems.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Medical, Politics, Contemporary, Book Club

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2026

About the author

Kevin Hazzard worked as a paramedic from 2004 to 2013, primarily at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. His freelance journalism has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Marietta Daily Journal, Creative Loafing, and Paste. He is the author of a novel, Sleeping Dogs, and A Thousand Naked Strangers. He and his family live in Hermosa Beach, California.

~http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sara Temba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got on my radar with a gushing recommendation on my favorite book podcast, Sarah's Bookshelves Live. I was able to snag a copy of the audiobook on Libby on its publication day and devoured the book in a few days.
This book had a lot going for it - the length was quite succinct for narrative nonfiction (just over 8 hours), the audiobook narrator was excellent and while it was very much a plot driven book I loved how the author highlighted and made you care about the various people in the story. The team in Liberia, the airline engineers, pilots, nurses and doctors were all so brave and skilled. It was "competence porn" at it's finest.
So granted, in the summer of 2014 I had a 1 year old and a 5 year old but I was pretty alarmed that I have no recollection of any of this. I definitely remember the ebola outbreak but these flights? No. Perhaps the last 10 years of Trump and Covid have erased my memories. I guess this was a positive in that I had no idea how this book was going progress which kept the tension high. it was all I could do to not Google about it. 😂
The book ended on such a touching high note and I immediately started googling everything. Relieved that only one guy in the book had his profile take an ethical nosedive over the last 12 years (in my opinion, I'll let y'all Google it yourself). The airline and its employees appear to continue to be as awesome as the book makes them out and I loved seeing photos of the planes and isolation pods. The one tiny romance storyline was confirmed as an happy-ever-after by the evidence of an old wedding registry still up on the internet. Warmed my romance reader heart. 🥰😆
Final verdict: 5 easy stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. Highly recommend for fans of
*gripping narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction
*books that take less that 9 hours/mid-300 pages
*competence porn
*Aerospace, infectious disease, healthcare, engineering

I can't wait to read Hazzard's other books!!

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a riveting story about the rescue mission for Ebola survivors Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol in 2014. It is also about Phoenix Air, its founders, and the amazing staff who work for them. Like millions of others, I watched the planes land and listened to the incredible survival story, but never thought about what it took and who it took to bring them home. The book also showed the callousness and inhumanity of so many people who give their opinions out of sheer ignorance. Glad that we have books like this to show us true courage.

[Melodi | booksandchicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

One of my micro genres that I love is disease such as ebola. The spread, containment, and problems within is fascinating as well as devastating. I was very intrigued to give this one a try about getting doctors that were in Liberia and had contracted ebola, back to Atlanta for medical assistance. The book talks a bit about the airplane, Phoenix Air, and the obscure missions it has undertaken over the years. I actually felt like this story could have just been more of a magazine or newspaper article. The story is pretty fascinating but not all that long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the gifted e-arc.

[Jake Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me want to go work for phoenix air. Bad ass

[Leanne Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
What a story, and one that occurred largely in my backyard! This is not only a fascinating book but an inspiring one. Hazzard covers the rescue from Liberia of two American doctors infected with Ebola. The primary focus is on Phoenix Air, the company out of Cartersville, GA who the government calls on for the most dangerous, seemingly impossible missions, and their pilots, doctors, and owners. However, he also introduces us to others involved in this work, including professionals at Emory, Grady, and the CDC, as well as mechanics, mid-level bureaucrats, and military officers whose expertise and bravery make these kinds of missions possible. This is super fast paced and entertaining and truly a story not to be missed.

[Lorien Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating inside account of the rescue mission to evacuate 2 American physicians who contracted Ebola in ground zero.

[Anne Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a big nonfiction reader, particularly narrative nonfiction, but this story and its incredibly high reviews, made me want to give it a try. This was fascinating! This is probably the first book I’ve read in which I understood when people say “nonfiction that reads like fiction.” This is a story I knew nothing about and frankly didn’t have much interest in, but the way in which the story was presented and the details unveiled had me absolutely hooked. I learned so much about contagious diseases like Ebola, medical aviation, and the importance of empathy in everything. Couldn’t recommend it more.

[britt_brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the air med crews who evacuated Ebola patients when no one else dared to. True heroism. Major takeaway: if we don’t send medics to treat these diseases, the diseases will run absolutely rampant through those countries and beyond. Fascinating.

Shout out to Sarah’s Book Shelves Live (pod) for the rec!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like nonfiction that reads like a thriller, this book is for you. It will likely be one of my favorites of the year.

It tells the story of the rescue of two American doctors during the 2014 Ebola crisis—but more importantly, it highlights a company and its people who stepped up to do what no one else would. Their actions were widely criticized and even protested, yet they moved forward because they knew it was the right thing to do.

In a world that is increasingly politicized, this story is a powerful reminder of something that has long defined the United States: the commitment to bring its people home, even when it’s difficult or unpopular.

[Rachel Regal · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

📖 In a sentence: When two American medical missionaries contract Ebola while working at a clinic in Liberia, a small, largely unknown U.S. company steps in to figure out how to bring them home, sparking massive public and ethical controversy.

👀 What kept me turning the pages: Short chapters and engaging writing that genuinely reads like fiction.

🔥 What stood out: I was in a serious reading slump and picked this up as a break from fiction, and it completely worked. I was hooked almost immediately. The author keeps the pacing tight without getting lost in technical details, and gives just enough background on the people involved to make the story feel human without slowing it down. It raises a lot of fascinating ethical and societal questions about disease containment, public fear, political risk, and what it means to intervene when there’s no precedent. Fast, thriller-adjacent, and perfect for book club discussion.

⚠️ What didn’t quite land: Honestly, very little. I finished with a lot of curiosity and ended up Googling more details afterward, but I wouldn’t count that against the book- it probably would’ve hurt the pacing if everything were spelled out on the page.

🎯 Recommendation: A great pick for readers who like nonfiction that reads like fiction, enjoy grappling with medical and ethical dilemmas, and love stories about ordinary people stepping up to do extraordinary things.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[John Hewlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so first off. 4 stars. It was a fast pace thrilling ride. Very entertaining read. Here's the rub on this though; I viewed it through a different lens than most readers because I am both a biologist that focuses on infectious diseases and I am also a professional pilot. There were some inaccuracies on the aviation side with some misuse of terminology... And there's no way a chunk of Uranium was pinging geiger counters in Bangor 6 miles out. In fact in reality if the geiger counter were pinging from across the airport even, the pilots etc would have gotten a lifetime dose on their transatlantic crossing... That just didn't happen. Second, it was getting a little Richard Preston-ish on the epidemiology side at times.

BUT.... these little things do not in any way change what was done. etc. It's an amazing story and Kevin Hazzard is a great writer.

[Ayla Huhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2014, the US- or more technically a small flight company the US government desperately reached out to- flew home two Americans sick with Ebola. The virus at that time had a mortality rate of 90%. A simple byline, which this book fleshes out to be the most insane story I’ve read all year.

I can’t believe I’m saying it, but this book made me feel patriotic- albeit for a select group of people 12 years ago. Everyone should read the story 100000%.

I am also deeply impressed at the dedication of healthcare workers in Africa taking care of very sick contagious people day in a day out. Truly, nothing is more impressive to me.

[Zehava (Joyce) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of the people reviewing this book on Goodreads, I found this book when Sarah from Sarah’s Bookshelves Live raved about it on her podcast. Sarah is particularly good at highlighting lesser known books that she loves and giving them a lot of publicity.
This book is an extremely propulsive true story about one small private aircraft company and its employees, who were willing to put their lives on the line to save American health care workers infected with the Ebola virus in West Africa. The way the book highlighted the stories of the individuals, down to the smallest details of their lives, reminded me a lot of The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graff, which is definitely one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. This book is for anyone that loves a true story that is as gripping as any thriller and just as hard to put down.

[Heather Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
Phoenix Air is an airline like no other. A band of eccentric, cowboy-esque group of pilots, engineers, and medical personnel, willing to take on the jobs no one else will. The more dangerous the task, the quicker they put up their hand to volunteer. But when they are asked to rescue American medical volunteers who have contracted the deadly Ebola virus during their service in Liberia, they are tasked with maybe the most impossible rescue yet.

This is a fast-paced, propulsive narrative non-fiction that reads like a thriller. From the inception and adventures to the minute-by-minute rescue where the deadliest disease is running rampant, you can't get enough of this story. Nail-biting, page-turning, cleaning out the junk drawer so you can listen to one more hour! It makes you ask if what they were doing was right. If you were brave enough to do. And what makes up a person who selflessly gives of themselves for the safety of others? A top book of the year so far, and more people need to read it.

[Emily Loomis Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. I was all in every word and in the end I even cried, dammit.
I appreciated that the author clearly addressing the racial disparities in healthcare, even if it was brief, and will definitely consider reading his other works like “American Sirens” about the first black paramedics.
I was disappointed to find out (in a Google search) that one of the “heroes” in this book, William Walters, went on to support Trump’s immigration policies, but I guess that speaks to the complexity of humans and politics.

[Yuting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does not work for me. The social commentary parts that I like pops up sporadically in the audiobook and last for less than 10min, then the “boring” journal of technical/medical/bureaucratic procedures comes back.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Sarah Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting. I was in and out of Uganda between two Ebola out breaks during 2012 and honestly had no clue as to the severity of it. This book is so well written; I couldn’t stop listening.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Logan Kedzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At face value, this is a rip-roaring adventure book of hard men doing impossible things for the impossibility of it. Here, a band of pirates turned pilots decide to start flying explosives because everyone else is doing it wrong, which develops into a business model of doing the impossible. And when Ebola strikes Liberia, and puts two of our boys (n.b. - one is a girl) in danger from the deadly virus, its this oddball crew of risk-loving flyers who have the tools and the grit to go into the face of danger and try to effect a transit of the sick medical staff to the United States, where they might - might - get sufficient treatment to survive the incurable disease.

It starts like America **** Yeah: the Novelization. And it is. Until the Americans show up. Not those Americans, the other Americans. The xenophobic NIMBYs who want nothing to do with our protagonists, who know nothing of the place of heroism or sacrifice, who shirk from wielding untested technology to save lives. Who can do nothing but post on social media and rubberneck. Lily-livered weaklings like...like...an Air Force Colonel.

And if there is a critical flaw in the book, it is here. The opposition to the project is framed as a nameless mass, with the phrase "Greek chorus" invoked repeatedly. There are only three (to my count) persons named out of the opposition. Most of the time it is afforded anonymity, with unsourced quotes allegedly coming from social media or newspaper editorials. To name and shame would have been nice, but more precisely the lack of any investigation of the opposition makes this not really history or journalism, and more of a screenplay precis. That it is a magazine article worth of material stretched to book length by the inclusion of every side story that relates to the people doing the Monrovia Job affirms this: there are even romance subplots. But look, it is a blast to read, so big whatever.

But at conclusion of the book, which pointedly subverts the subtitle in that they all quit unless they get government backing, is the cruel trick of this history. Though the book continues with the story unto today, and what they did during the COVID pandemic, this book represents a singular moment of American excellence never to be repeated. The current administration has dismantled USAID, kneecapped the CDC, withdrawn from the WHO. All the conditions that would create the situation in the first place do not exist.

It is a book about American Excellence that turns into a proof of its opposite, in that we have not affirmed the Big Damn Heroes of Phoenix Air and instead decided that the anonymous tweeters were the ones who were right, and proven weakness of the U.S. moral character. I did not expect that out of my real life adventures novel.

My thanks to the author, Kevin Hazzard, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, for making the ARC available to me.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional! Fun! Unbelievable!

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this book 1/3rd of the way through. Absolute slog of a book that could have been a long article. Feels overly dramatized to be bad ass, but not enough meat on the bones to justify almost 300 pages long. 130 pages in the mission hasn’t even started yet. Not for me

[Matthew Picchietti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between this book and Sirens, Hazzard is moving up my favorite non fiction author list in record time. He's entering Michael Lewis and Mary Roach and Jon Krakauer territory.

[Amy Sunshine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to #GrandCentralPublishing and #NetGalley for the DRC of #NoOnesComing. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a fascinating "truth is stranger than fiction" story about a small company in Georgia that built their business on being willing to transport anyone and anything to/from anywhere. The story really centers around the mission that made them infamous - the medical evacuation of two US healthcare workers from Liberia at the beginning of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The success of the ebola medivacs made similar evacs possible in the early days of covid.

Hazzard does a great job of capturing the mentality of the people who take on such daring rescues while also highlighting the dedication and selflessness of the people who choose to do what needs to be done. It's an eye opening account of what goes on behind the scenes when things start to fall apart. I'll continue to look for stories from this author.

[Meg C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I suggested this for my husband to read. He read it in a day and immediately told me I had to read it as well!! What a story!! This is for readers who like flying stories, medical stories, and especially stories about people being competent and committed to their job.

Told with both humor and respect for all those involved, this book will restore your faith in What We Can Do. And before you're worried it might be too dark, peppered throughout the book are "there I was" stories from Phoenix that are almost unbelievable!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating and at times jaw-dropping book tells the story of two American volunteer medical workers caught up in the incredibly deadly 2014 Ebola epidemic in Liberia, and the history and ingenuity of the aviation company that was contracted to evacuate them after they test positive for the virus and are at death's door within days. The account of the illness is harrowing, and the hurdles surmounted and red tape surmounted by the eccentric and maverick types working for Phoenix Air to plan and pull off this rescue within a matter of days is pretty amazing.

I think the author of this book set out to write page-turning narrative nonfiction, and I think he absolutely achieved it with the way he writes in short chapters, alternates between the two storylines - the health declines of Kent and Nancy in Liberia, and the rush to get an evacuation plan in place with the Phoenix crew - and keeps to just the necessary details (in contrast to the Patrick Radden Keefe book I just read, which had soooo many names to keep track of!). And he makes the main players in the story feel like quite the characters (probably not that hard to do with some of the Phoenix Air people especially, with their unique individual backgrounds). What comes along with this though is that sometimes it feels a tad melodramatic and feels like it's bordering on hero worship. Having a spouse who is a doctor, I got the sense that he found some of the medical stuff, written in a way that keeps a lay audience feeling like it's a page turner, a tad overblown, and that he thought his former pilot colleague would find some of the aviation stuff to be the same way. But there's no denying it's an engaging read and a unique topic. And even more timely in a world where epidemics/pandemics are much more in our consciousness and experience versus when this story was happening in 2014, where there's currently an active ebola outbreak again, and where (horrifyingly, for the people who are suffering and dying because of it, and for our own health and safety in light of possible pandemic) US-AID has been dismantled and the CDC/US public health approach is a joke.

As for who I'd recommend this to - a pretty broad audience! Totally a dad book recommendation as father's day approaches, or for anyone who is into narrative nonfiction or even someone who is into medical dramas. Also probably of interest for fans of books like Everything Is Tuberculosis or Mountains Beyond Mountains that take an epidemiology or public health topic and give the history but also personalize it in terms of introducing us to some of the people dedicating their lives to making a difference in this area. Definitely held my attention on audio too.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phoenix Air is a unique company based on its business culture and clientele. Their cargo has included hazardous materials such as nuclear weapons and smallpox; environmental cargo like a beached beluga whale being sent to a permanent home; and precious cargo in their air ambulance service.

Employees are hired because they fit the corporate mold, but the corporate mold is something like of course we can do that. And then figuring out how to do it. Phoenix Air values individuals for their knowledge and innovation, as well as their calm and reasoning response to problem-solving. When two critically ill Ebola patients need to be transported from Liberia to the U.S., the State Department turned to Phoenix Air. Phoenix Air became the pioneers for the equipment and protocols put in place for transporting Ebola patients.

I remembered the story, and I remember thinking at the time that I understand why the two Americans wanted to return to their families, yet I also remember thinking you don’t bring the zombie apocalypse to a place that doesn’t have zombies. Everyone in the book seemed to think it’s the right thing to do, and I wanted them to show me. While everything worked out in the end and Ebola didn’t contaminate the Americas, I’m not so sure I would have voted for this operation to proceed. The equipment was thoroughly tested, but it had never been used. The PPE materials came from Home Depot and were put together on the fly. The timeframe for setting up protocols and learning them was short. The Phoenix Air medical workers practiced until they were exhausted but still couldn’t get it right. The two Ebola patients were also medical workers who had followed protocol, yet they still contracted Ebola. Equally chilling was the decision not to have a mandatory quarantine period unless there was a known exposure. Again, the two Ebola patients didn’t have a known exposure, yet they still contracted Ebola. Equally troubling was no one quite knew how to go about decontamination.

Well, as we know, disaster was averted and the zombie apocalypse was postponed. But there are a lot of issues that make you think about who makes up the rules, and how much is based on science or common sense, and how much is political and authoritarian nonsense.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure a book could be more perfect for me. Ebola? Yes, bring it on! LOL. In all seriousness, I've long been fascinated by infectious diseases and pandemics (which made Covid all the scarier), a reading trait I inherited from my mom. Then, I became a public health and health care writer and read more and more about such terrifying cases.

This book is unique in that you think it's about Ebola, but in reality it's about just what the title tells you: the unique and strange private airline that takes on clients other airlines (and sometimes the U.S. government) are too scared to get involved with.

The beginning of the book recounts the wild, often hilarious, story of how Phoenix Air came to be, followed by the unspooling of the beginning of the very unfunny, horrifying Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014. The author somehow makes us laugh at the madcap and brash Phoenix stories — you'd be forgiven if you thought they were too outlandish to be true, but they are indeed true — while gasping in fear at the spread of Ebola, even though we know it was 2014 and the outbreak eventually subsided. The switch in emotions and vibes is somehow not jarring.

By the time Phoenix Air is called upon to bring two very sick Ebola-stricken American health care workers home to the States, you understand, believe in, and are rooting for the Phoenix Air team of misfits who found their place.

I remember when this happened in 2014, and I remember thinking how wonderful it was that our government was bringing these Americans home to try to save their lives. But in reading the book, I understand now how terrifying and controversial that truly was — and the U.S. government certainly didn't want to send its own planes and teams and be on the hook. Imagine if Ebola had spread here; it would have been because Americans intentionally brought it here "only" to save two lives. What a disaster and horrifying, deadly pandemic that could have been. Thankfully Ebola is not that contagious; it's spread through bodily fluids and is not airborne. It's the horrifying symptoms and grisly death that magnifies its attention.

I read this book in 24 hours. I truly had difficulty putting it down, mesmerized by the story and the riveting details and stories of the heroes in Liberia, the heroic and sick doctors, and the Phoenix Air team.

[Alvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kevin Hazzard’s No One’s Coming is undeniably compelling narrative nonfiction, but Part One significantly damages the book’s credibility by treating nuclear security topics with the logic and tone of a geopolitical thriller rather than with technical accuracy. The sections discussing Libya, “suitcase nukes,” and highly enriched uranium repeatedly blur the line between undeveloped nuclear ambitions, radioactive material, and actual deployable nuclear weapons. In reality, Libya’s nuclear program was comparatively immature and heavily dependent on imported centrifuge technology through the A.Q. Khan network. The country never fielded a functioning nuclear weapon, and much of the uranium associated with Libya over the years consisted of natural uranium ore concentrate (“yellowcake”), depleted uranium, or safeguarded research reactor fuel—not loose portable atomic bombs. Even the genuine HEU removed from Libya in 2009 was research-reactor fuel under international monitoring, not some hidden arsenal of operational warheads.

That distinction matters, because the book repeatedly treats the mere presence of uranium as though it were synonymous with an imminent nuclear threat. By invoking the mythology of “suitcase nukes” and collapsing together natural uranium, depleted uranium, HEU, and actual nuclear weapons, the narrative creates suspense at the expense of precision. For readers with even modest familiarity with proliferation issues, those exaggerations cast doubt on the reliability of the rest of the book as well. The frustrating part is that the real story never needed embellishment: Phoenix Air’s operations during Ebola and other crises were already extraordinary. Instead, the sensationalized nuclear material in Part One makes the book feel less like disciplined investigative nonfiction and more like post-Cold War fear mythology dressed up as reportage.