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War Torn #2
Battle Lines
The casualties of war aren't only on the battlefield...
Coming back from war is never easy, as Sergeant Dave Henley's platoon discovers all too quickly when they return from Afghanistan. Home can be an equally searing battlefield.
When they are summoned back to Helmand to protect the US team destroying the opium crop, it is almost a relief to the soldiers, if not to their wives, girlfriends and families who are turned inside out once more by their men's sudden departure.
And now danger lurks around every corner - for Dave's team who must learn new skills to survive, and their loved ones in England, whose lives be ripped apart by equally deadly weapons - blind prejudice, acid jealousy, ugly rumour.
Coming back from war is never easy, as Sergeant Dave Henley's platoon discovers all too quickly when they return from Afghanistan. Home can be an equally searing battlefield.
When they are summoned back to Helmand to protect the US team destroying the opium crop, it is almost a relief to the soldiers, if not to their wives, girlfriends and families who are turned inside out once more by their men's sudden departure.
And now danger lurks around every corner - for Dave's team who must learn new skills to survive, and their loved ones in England, whose lives be ripped apart by equally deadly weapons - blind prejudice, acid jealousy, ugly rumour.
432 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2011
19 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Andy McNab
205 books1,168 followersAndy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 23, 2017
I enjoyed this novel and read it quite quickly, as it engaged my attention thoroughly.
While there is an extensive cast of characters, the two key protagonists are Sergeant Dave Henley and his wife Jenny. Their parallel narrative strands hold the story together.
Recently returned from serving in Afghanistan, Dave and his unit are posted back to Helmund Province when the situation there escalates. Jenny and her army wife friends are ambivalent - they dislike the inappropriate behaviour and sullen moods of their repatriated husbands, but also hate the idea of them returning to this difficult theatre of war. The soldiers have similar resentful feelings about their families and domestic life back home.
The feelings of discontent between Jenny and Dave are exacerbated when she takes a job working for a retired Army general, who makes quite a lot of demands on her time. The rumour mill at the Army base where the personnel and their wives reside soon turns nasty, accusing her of being unfaithful to her husband, who is overseas doing his valiant bit for the free world. Nasty, bitchy stuff, and it made me think very poorly of the secondary characters in this novel. I thought the portrayal of the army wives was vicious.
Yet it made me wonder if this kind of bitchiness really does exist in those hot-house environments, where army staff and their families are living cheek by jowl with each other. Author Andy McKay, a much-decorated veteran of the Gulf War, has an enviable reputation for the veracity of his stories about contemporary army life and the conditions of modern warfare in hostile settings like Helmund Province.
The scenes of the platoon members on patrol and under enemy fire were genuinely tense and scary to read. I could not put the book down at certain stages, so keen was I to ensure the chaps were safe in the face of that most reviled of enemies, the Taliban. But there are many light moments, particularly the blokey banter around the army base, which provides some relief from the tension of this well-written, well-structured novel. It reads well, despite some obvious cliches and flat patches.
McNab and co-author Kym Jordan toss in some meaty moral issues and contemporary social problems at various points in the story. How do soldiers maimed in battle cope back in civilian life? Do you risk everyone's life and rush in to save a wounded mate, or do you wait for reinforcements? How should you conduct yourself professionally in the field when your commanding officer is a selfish, ignorant twat? All grist to the mill...
I did have one frustration with this novel. The text is littered with acronyms, product names and military items which meant absolutely nothing to me. What's a MERT or a T4? GPMG? RPG? Bergen? Barma? "Hello Zero Alpha and Charlie One Zero, this is Charlie One One. At this location I have a CMT Class 1. I will now move from here to your grid ref with Vallons to give assistance.". Clearly it is designed to evoke immediate recognition among those readers with experience of these things. For me it was a minor turn off.
While there is an extensive cast of characters, the two key protagonists are Sergeant Dave Henley and his wife Jenny. Their parallel narrative strands hold the story together.
Recently returned from serving in Afghanistan, Dave and his unit are posted back to Helmund Province when the situation there escalates. Jenny and her army wife friends are ambivalent - they dislike the inappropriate behaviour and sullen moods of their repatriated husbands, but also hate the idea of them returning to this difficult theatre of war. The soldiers have similar resentful feelings about their families and domestic life back home.
The feelings of discontent between Jenny and Dave are exacerbated when she takes a job working for a retired Army general, who makes quite a lot of demands on her time. The rumour mill at the Army base where the personnel and their wives reside soon turns nasty, accusing her of being unfaithful to her husband, who is overseas doing his valiant bit for the free world. Nasty, bitchy stuff, and it made me think very poorly of the secondary characters in this novel. I thought the portrayal of the army wives was vicious.
Yet it made me wonder if this kind of bitchiness really does exist in those hot-house environments, where army staff and their families are living cheek by jowl with each other. Author Andy McKay, a much-decorated veteran of the Gulf War, has an enviable reputation for the veracity of his stories about contemporary army life and the conditions of modern warfare in hostile settings like Helmund Province.
The scenes of the platoon members on patrol and under enemy fire were genuinely tense and scary to read. I could not put the book down at certain stages, so keen was I to ensure the chaps were safe in the face of that most reviled of enemies, the Taliban. But there are many light moments, particularly the blokey banter around the army base, which provides some relief from the tension of this well-written, well-structured novel. It reads well, despite some obvious cliches and flat patches.
McNab and co-author Kym Jordan toss in some meaty moral issues and contemporary social problems at various points in the story. How do soldiers maimed in battle cope back in civilian life? Do you risk everyone's life and rush in to save a wounded mate, or do you wait for reinforcements? How should you conduct yourself professionally in the field when your commanding officer is a selfish, ignorant twat? All grist to the mill...
I did have one frustration with this novel. The text is littered with acronyms, product names and military items which meant absolutely nothing to me. What's a MERT or a T4? GPMG? RPG? Bergen? Barma? "Hello Zero Alpha and Charlie One Zero, this is Charlie One One. At this location I have a CMT Class 1. I will now move from here to your grid ref with Vallons to give assistance.". Clearly it is designed to evoke immediate recognition among those readers with experience of these things. For me it was a minor turn off.
July 25, 2013
I have read a lot of Andy McNab's books and loved every one - from his own exceptional military experiences through to his gripping novels. I skipped a few in order to read this book first, just to see how well he managed (with the assistance of Kym Jordan) to deal with a military story line, incorporating integral stories about the wives, girlfriends and families 'back home' and the effect military life has on them. I can only say that he managed it exceptionally well and the back-stories were equally as gripping as the front line plot, this time set in Afghanistan. Whilst completely fictional, I suspect there is some underlying truth to the trauma and loneliness (and gossip) that attends loved ones left at home. Andy McNab just gets better and better.
July 7, 2013
After reading the first book out of the two-'War Torn', I expected very good things from Battle Lines. And that's what I got. I loved this book from start to finish. Swapping between the men on the frontlines and the families left behind, it makes for a very good read which I couldn't put down. Great book!
February 15, 2013
although not a book for everyone I loved it from the very first word to the last. For me one of the best book if not the best from Andy McNab.
Will be reading it again at some point.
Will be reading it again at some point.
September 20, 2023
As a big fan of the genre and author, I felt this was an OK book. The 2 excellent main characters in Dave and Jenny really do hold the attention well which is an achievement in itself as there are far too many dry and dull pages in the substantial middle.
The story starts well with certain good insights into the work/home/post war issues of British Army personnel and the families. However, it then sags for too long into the frankly boring domestic storyline of this particular groups lives.
Luckily it then picks up the pace very well in the final fifth and there is a satisfying though slightly sensible/predictable finale.
The set up of the Brit troops sent to start covering newly vacated USA bases should have allowed for much more meaty battle action and heroics. That type of writing is without doubt the forte of the author, and is quite easily seen in this book.
The story starts well with certain good insights into the work/home/post war issues of British Army personnel and the families. However, it then sags for too long into the frankly boring domestic storyline of this particular groups lives.
Luckily it then picks up the pace very well in the final fifth and there is a satisfying though slightly sensible/predictable finale.
The set up of the Brit troops sent to start covering newly vacated USA bases should have allowed for much more meaty battle action and heroics. That type of writing is without doubt the forte of the author, and is quite easily seen in this book.
February 17, 2019
I wasn't sure at first, gossipy misunderstood family drama one minute and Taliban the next...
The storyline grew on me, and only represents the realities of men in the services and their families.
Think and question.
The storyline grew on me, and only represents the realities of men in the services and their families.
Think and question.
February 7, 2020
Decent book but if you don't have an army background some of the terms do get confusing. It showcases the life of an army platoon, how they miss it when they are at home and how much they hate it when at war.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2020
This is my second book by Andy McNab, having read War Torn #1. A great cast of characters. A little odd for me being from the USA, and reading about a British Military unit. Some of the terms and slang take some adjustment. However, I thought the story was excellent.
November 5, 2017
A gripping storyline.
March 21, 2020
A good read, highly recommend
April 7, 2020
Brilliant read!
September 11, 2023
2nd book in the series showed the hardships of war and the people left behind ,excellent read
January 30, 2025
Another excellent read
March 21, 2020
It was a literally a battle on two fronts. Not only was there war on the frontline, but there was a domestic war between the families waiting for their men to come. It was initially interesting (at least at the start), then extremely boring in the middle with a comical and semi-thrilling ending. It was not a great read and it didn't warrant over 500 pages to 'thrill' us. Apparently, Mr. McNab has written better (Bravo Two Zero comes to mind), but this was not one of them.
For for some five star classic war fiction, which there is an abundance, you could try any of the following: "The Sympathiser", Viet Thanh Ngyuen (2015); "A Narrow Road to the Deep North", Richard Flanagan (2014); "A Book Thief", Markus Zusak (2007); Alan Furst's, "A Polish Officer" (1995), ”Snow Falling on Cedars", David Guterson (1995), "Slaughter House Five", Kurt Vonnegut (1969), "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller (1961) and "The Quiet American", Graham Greene (1955). Not this one. 1 Star.
For a much better read you could try any of the following military stories that this person has read in the last couple of years.
These were: Richard Flanagan's, "A Narrow Road to the Deep North".
Andrew O'Hagan's, "Illuminations", which was about how our normal lives are any but normal, particularly for an officer returning from Helmand Province in Afghanistan; This person could easily compare, "Battle Lines" with "Illuminations" and say that in "Illuminations" , “It's a measure of O'Hagan's compassion that after balancing these stories of war and family - braving the battlefield and braving the passing of time - the ultimate note is hopeful and almost gentle, of something that seems real and vital.” ―Lucy Daniel, The Telegraph.
Andrew Salmon's, "Scorched Earth, Black Snow" ~ An account of the early years of the Korean War predominately in 1950. These were all excellent reads. "Battle Lines" was not.
For for some five star classic war fiction, which there is an abundance, you could try any of the following: "The Sympathiser", Viet Thanh Ngyuen (2015); "A Narrow Road to the Deep North", Richard Flanagan (2014); "A Book Thief", Markus Zusak (2007); Alan Furst's, "A Polish Officer" (1995), ”Snow Falling on Cedars", David Guterson (1995), "Slaughter House Five", Kurt Vonnegut (1969), "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller (1961) and "The Quiet American", Graham Greene (1955). Not this one. 1 Star.
For a much better read you could try any of the following military stories that this person has read in the last couple of years.
These were: Richard Flanagan's, "A Narrow Road to the Deep North".
Andrew O'Hagan's, "Illuminations", which was about how our normal lives are any but normal, particularly for an officer returning from Helmand Province in Afghanistan; This person could easily compare, "Battle Lines" with "Illuminations" and say that in "Illuminations" , “It's a measure of O'Hagan's compassion that after balancing these stories of war and family - braving the battlefield and braving the passing of time - the ultimate note is hopeful and almost gentle, of something that seems real and vital.” ―Lucy Daniel, The Telegraph.
Andrew Salmon's, "Scorched Earth, Black Snow" ~ An account of the early years of the Korean War predominately in 1950. These were all excellent reads. "Battle Lines" was not.
August 26, 2014
Most of the books and movies I read and watch are usually connected to wars and action, because since I was a young child my Grandpa who was a martial artist and served in the militia spent a lot of time with me watching movies and playing chess, both Chinese and regular chess. His knowledge of the game passed over to me many of the tactics and strategies that are involved, and his application of chess into his life taught me many things. Mahjong is another thing he taught me, which involves calculations as well as tactics and the element of confidentiality and always having a backup. Thought it might seem to be going off topic, it isn't, because everything that he taught me builds up to my preoccupation with war and action movies because of the amount of strategy and order that they contain, for example, a recent movie that I watched was Seal Team Six, which talks about the capture of Osama Bin Laden, it goes into great detail about the plan and the execution of those actions, it was very organised and timed perfectly.
This is what I wanted to talk about in this book, the amount of detail that is put into the depiction of British soldiers in Afghanistan. More often than not, movies fail to depict the true events that happened when they are based upon a true story. For example, Rescue Dawn, a movie set in the Vietnam War, has many fallacies. However, this novel, written by a former SAS soldier and has been given one of the military's highest honours is able to bring this novel to life. This book is praised by many as one of few that they have been able to identify with, whether they are part of the military or not. The language here is very effective in forming the connection between the reader and the narrative.
This is what I wanted to talk about in this book, the amount of detail that is put into the depiction of British soldiers in Afghanistan. More often than not, movies fail to depict the true events that happened when they are based upon a true story. For example, Rescue Dawn, a movie set in the Vietnam War, has many fallacies. However, this novel, written by a former SAS soldier and has been given one of the military's highest honours is able to bring this novel to life. This book is praised by many as one of few that they have been able to identify with, whether they are part of the military or not. The language here is very effective in forming the connection between the reader and the narrative.
September 26, 2012
Andy McNab has the credentials for writing books about the military - he is a decorated ex-solider who saw action in Northern Ireland and later in the Gulf War. He's now an established writer, perhaps best kown for the Nick Stone thrillers.
Battle Lines, written by McNab with Kym Jordan, is the first novel I've read by this author. The story deals with a platoon of British soldiers who return from active duty in Afghanistan only to be sent back there almost immediately to deal with a crisis. There are really two elements in the story: the fall-out for partners and families at home in the UK and the nail-biting action sequences on the battlefield.
A different reader would probably rate Battle Lines more highly than I've done with my three stars. The Afghanistan sequences have pace and tension and McNab writes convincing male characters. The relationships between the soldiers are very believable and we feel for the characters. What didn't work so well for me was the story line involving the wife of protagonist Sergeant Dave Henley, who becomes a victim of malicious gossip back home while he's away. This story has the potential to be quite powerful but the female characters come across as a bit cliched, as do the situations, so I was never quite absorbed by this element of the book.
My overall verdict: Battle Lines is a capably written novel, and will keep you amused on a long plane trip. But if you want something that really delves into the impact of deployments on military families, including deeper insight into the emotional cost for soldiers and their partners, read The Soldier's Wife by Joanna Trollope instead.
Battle Lines, written by McNab with Kym Jordan, is the first novel I've read by this author. The story deals with a platoon of British soldiers who return from active duty in Afghanistan only to be sent back there almost immediately to deal with a crisis. There are really two elements in the story: the fall-out for partners and families at home in the UK and the nail-biting action sequences on the battlefield.
A different reader would probably rate Battle Lines more highly than I've done with my three stars. The Afghanistan sequences have pace and tension and McNab writes convincing male characters. The relationships between the soldiers are very believable and we feel for the characters. What didn't work so well for me was the story line involving the wife of protagonist Sergeant Dave Henley, who becomes a victim of malicious gossip back home while he's away. This story has the potential to be quite powerful but the female characters come across as a bit cliched, as do the situations, so I was never quite absorbed by this element of the book.
My overall verdict: Battle Lines is a capably written novel, and will keep you amused on a long plane trip. But if you want something that really delves into the impact of deployments on military families, including deeper insight into the emotional cost for soldiers and their partners, read The Soldier's Wife by Joanna Trollope instead.
June 13, 2013
Ik vind dit een zeer goed boek.
Ik heb altijd al van de stijl van "oorlogsschrijvers" zoals Andy McNab, Chris Ryan, Tom Clancy en Michael DiMercurio gehouden.
En in deze samenwerking van Andy McNab word door Kym Jordan een meer vrouwelijke verhaallijn aan het boek toegevoegd waardoor je niet altijd word gebombardeerd door actie en de technische termen die bij dit soort oorlogsboeken gepaard gaaan. Het verhaaal zelf speelt zich af in Afghanistan waardoor het geheel ook een meer actueel tintje krijgt. De voorloper Afghanistan Missie staat op mijn to-read lijstje.
Ik heb altijd al van de stijl van "oorlogsschrijvers" zoals Andy McNab, Chris Ryan, Tom Clancy en Michael DiMercurio gehouden.
En in deze samenwerking van Andy McNab word door Kym Jordan een meer vrouwelijke verhaallijn aan het boek toegevoegd waardoor je niet altijd word gebombardeerd door actie en de technische termen die bij dit soort oorlogsboeken gepaard gaaan. Het verhaaal zelf speelt zich af in Afghanistan waardoor het geheel ook een meer actueel tintje krijgt. De voorloper Afghanistan Missie staat op mijn to-read lijstje.
April 26, 2014
This book really gave a flavour of the damage caused to a relationship between a soldier on the frontline and their family at home. I found the chapter made up of letters from the frontline and home heartbreaking, Dave and Jenny's feelings for and frustrations with each other, communications and other people really come across. This didn’t detract from the gritty action thriller that McNab is know for, the chapters on the frontline are as action packed as any of his novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
January 15, 2015
I started reading this and thought I had maybe read it before, as I got further into it I realised this was a new book but either Chris Ryan/Andy McNab has definately written a previous book which is similar in relation it focuses on the serving soldiers partners back home and how they deal with their partners being away on tour. I took a while to finish this book but that was due to me being busy but the actual book was very enjoyable and was an easy read. I found the way the book showcased the effect a wounded soldier has on his family and his own mental health to be very interesting.
June 4, 2016
This was my first time reading an Andy McNab book and i loved it! I couldn't put this book down.
The style of narrative was really effective, it allowed me to seeing the effects of war on the soldiers and their family. The story was so well written that i found myself becoming attached to a character within a few pages.
The plot was very realistic and a knowledge of modern warfare is not needed to understand this book.
This is 100% in my top 5 favorite books and i can't wait to read more of McNabs work
The style of narrative was really effective, it allowed me to seeing the effects of war on the soldiers and their family. The story was so well written that i found myself becoming attached to a character within a few pages.
The plot was very realistic and a knowledge of modern warfare is not needed to understand this book.
This is 100% in my top 5 favorite books and i can't wait to read more of McNabs work
March 16, 2013
Didn't think I would like this as much as I did as I was expecting an action packed war story (which usually doesn't interest me much), however, this book is more about the relationships between the soldiers and their loved ones which is a little more my style. Three and a half stars.
November 7, 2014
Loved this book, a great follow up to War Torn...talk about a book you can't put down, Battle Lines got so intense that I had to put it down and stop reading for a few minutes...never done that before..Highly Recommended...Best to read War Torn first.
January 25, 2015
Taut as Andy McNab books can be.
December 17, 2015
not too bad enjoyed
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August 1, 2012The author of Bravo Two Zero writes that the casualties of war arent only on the battlefield.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews