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.

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. It's the 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. As contagions spring up around the world, this story of outbreaks and the people who fight them resonates more than ever.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Thriller

327 pages, Kindle Edition

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

[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.

[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!!

[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.

[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.

[Jake Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction book reads like a thriller - a slow burn one at that. The book details the rescue of two American workers in Monrovia, Sierra Leone, who contracted Ebola and were transported home in 2014.

This is the story too of a daring aviation company, Phoenix Air, who dared to risk everything to bring two very sick but contagious people. The history of the company and the daring men who created it is so fascinating. As to transporting sick people, the usual policy was to leave them where they were. The CDC at that time didn’t think was right so they worked with Phoenix to devise a way to get these Americans home. Then this Ebola crisis (2014-2016). Since the CDC is located near Emory, their hospital created an isolation ward and was ready to accept the infected Americans.

Both Americans were at death’s before their recuse. They were given an experimental medication, ZMAPP, which helped them immensely. The flights (two, one for each of the sick workers) took a lot of preparation and lack of fear on the part of the flight and medical crews. As the books, wild stories about terrorists trying to steal Ebola to infect the world popped.

I was glad these people got home and that the federal government at that time was willing to help them home. In today’s world they would have left to die

[Merkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 5
No One's Coming reads like a science fiction movie. Which is both commendable and terrifying given that it is non-fiction. It was a really interesting look at the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the process created to bring infected care workers back to the US. I think that while there are many details surrounding the disease, the process developed to bring an infected person back into the US without infecting others, and the steps that are taken in all environments to prevent the spread there is never time where this isn't interesting or where it reads like a textbook just spouting information at you. I know that can be a hard balance to find in a non-fiction book. It felt like there were parallels to Covid-19 that were being drawn and then to discover that the same processes developed for Ebola were later used during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a compelling read and I feel like I learned something.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 2014

I well remember watching the news daily, following the progress on a Texas doctor, and a fellow American nurse, who had gone to Liberia to help those dying from the Ebola virus and contracted the virus themselves. Dying a horrible death, some brave pilots and doctors willing to fly a rescue mission there on Phoenix Air, boldly went into the "mouth of the lion's den" to rescue them if possible.

Seeing what they faced looked hopeless, but they were determined to succeed. I don't recall the part about the brave rescuers as much as I was praying for Kent and Nancy who had Ebola and were in quarantine.

So much of this story was familiar and the part that I didn't know about, the Phoenix Air team, was quite interesting to me. I also enjoyed hearing about the roles Samaritan's Purse and Doctors Without Borders played in this story and we support both of these organizations. I'm always amazed at those who face a mission that has never been done before and succeeded.

[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!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s about this small aviation company that takes on all the crazy dangerous jobs no one else wants.

And somehow, because they just never say no, they end up right in the middle of the Ebola crisis.

But the best part is the people. You’ve got pilots and doctors just stepping up and doing what needs to be done, while everyone else is kinda hesitating.

It really makes you think about who actually shows up when things get serious.

“Implicit in any rescue is the unavoidable fact that the worst has already occurred."

“No one is coming. It’s up to us."

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fast-paced, riveting read. I remember when this Ebola outbreak happened, and reading in the news about two Americans who had contracted the virus and were coming home with it. The author kept the writing tight and easily shifted between the different characters in the book, to tell a full scope story of the events unfolding in West Africa and the various people and personalities that came together for this dangerous mission.

[Mark Parrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read - could have EASILY put it down in one sitting. Less about the stellar writing (although the writing was great) and more about the great job Hazzard does giving you a window into these sky cowboys’ minds. Stories like this kinda pour molten steel into your spine and remind you that sometimes the answer is to HTFU and get your job done.

[Carole Beach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent non-fiction account of the July 2014 flights from the U.S. to Liberia to Emory Hospital in Atlanta to retrieve two U.S. doctors who have come down with Ebola. I found it to be very interesting and exciting, with good explanations of the science and the air-skills and the diplomacy needed to pull this off. Nice short chapters.

[Anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

No One's Coming is riveting nonfiction about a small aviation company in Georgia that successfully evacuated two American medical workers in 2014 at the start of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Hazzard does a great job exploring many aspects of the story while keeping a page-turning narrative throughout.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Kevin Hazzard's book "A Thousand Naked Strangers," I was excited to see he had a new book releasing. This nonfiction book takes us back to the days of the Ebola outbreak in Africa and the volunteers that saved lives either by rescuing or doctoring. The storytelling was excellent and I was engaged throughout the book. I look forward to Kevin Hazzard's future releases.

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring read that offers a renewal of hope for those in medicine. It’s a timely reminder to do the right thing despite the challenges and noise of the field. I found myself constantly reflecting on my own COVID-era experiences and discovered a little bit of healing as a result. It's easy to come away truly moved by the team behind the Phoenix missions.

[Sidra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like a Michael Crichton book brought to life, with events that really happened. The book focuses on what it takes to help control disease outbreaks, specifically what happened during the Ebola outbreak. These types of books are always a little tough to read right now, because whatever rag tag team existed then, you know things have gotten worse now.

[Robin Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting! I got a bit bogged down in the technicalities of modifications to the planes, etc., but it was fascinating. Also - a glimpse at how brave those on the front lines were with these epidemics - Ebola and then COVID.

[gail stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The importance of doing the right thing.

We live in a world where it is all to easy to look the other way or give in to fear. A great telling of the people who stand up and do their best .

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4+] This is an edge-of-your-seat, thrilling true story about American heroes. No One's Coming is the story of doctors who risked everything to treat Ebola patients in Liberia, only to fall ill themselves, and the airline that brought them home. Read it!

[Ali Cardone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hazzard takes a while providing background info and setting the stage, but once that is done, this book is impossible to put down.

[Art Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

devoured the whole book in one night, these guys are so incredible and the author made the story supremely readable.

[Martha Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unbelievable true story of what it means to help your fellow man when the going gets tough.