Product Description

In 1917, Western Front, Ypres, a soldier wakes up in a damp, dark basement. He can't get out. He is covered in mud. His skin is badly burned. And he can't remember anything. But his nightmare doesn't end there. He is tried and found guilty of cowardice, impersonating a fellow soldier and theft. He can barely speak, let alone defend himself. As the verdict is passed and he learns that the death sentence awaits him, he remembers two things: that he took something from a dead man in the trenches, and that the name his accusers have been calling him is not his. With time slipping away, Chris Ransom must try to remember the events that have led him to this moment, so that he can clear his name and save himself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2635 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Synopsis
In 1917, Western Front, Ypres, a soldier wakes up in a damp, dark basement. He can't get out. He is covered in mud. His skin is badly burned. And he can't remember anything. But his nightmare doesn't end there. He is tried and found guilty of cowardice, impersonating a fellow soldier and theft. He can barely speak, let alone defend himself. As the verdict is passed and he learns that the death sentence awaits him, he remembers two things: that he took something from a dead man in the trenches, and that the name his accusers have been calling him is not his. With time slipping away, Chris Ransom must try to remember the events that have led him to this moment, so that he can clear his name and save himself.

About the Author
Chris Ryan was born near Newcastle in 1961. He joined the SAS in 1984. During his ten years in the service he took part in many dangerous missions, some of them in secret. He was also Sniper Team Commander of the anti-terrorist team. During the Gulf War, Chris was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq - three colleagues were killed and four captured. This was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS and, as a result, Chris was awarded the Military Medal. During his last two years in the service he selected and trained recruits. Chris wrote about his experiences in the bestseller The One That Got Away which was adapted as a film. He has written many other bestsellers, including Greed, Blackout and Ultimate Weapon. Chris Ryan's SAS Fitness Book and Chris Ryan's Ultimate Survival Guide can be bought from bookshops. Chris Ryan also writes the Code Red and Alpha Force books for younger readers. Chris is currently working as a bodyguard in America.

Customer Reviews

Get your kids to read this
I bought this for my twin boys to read but found myself at a loose end one Sunday evening. In total it took me an hour to read but don't let that put you off. It is designed primarily to get children into reading again. This book does it fantastically well. Don't expect a literary masterpiece (it is only 92 pages long) As the old saying goes though "it does exactly what it says on the tin". If you are buying a couple of books for yourself then consider adding this to your basket to get something for your children. A bargain price under 2 pounds which you may well recoup by going over the minimum spend to qualify for free postage effectively making it free.

Short, snappy and above all a damn good read!
Barcode: 9780099522348

I read the first half of this book over the course of a lunch break and then the second half in the evening about a week later and with the book finished, I was left with just one overriding thought - my God, that was good!

This is the first book of Christopher Ryan's I've read and I think it serves as an ideal introduction to his style. There's a matter of fact nature to his words that comes across as immensely assuring - crucial in conveying the military details that form the crux of his novels. What makes this novella so intriguing is the way it begins with the protagonist completely unsure of who he is. Thus, as he gradually re-discovers his memories, you are learning at the same rate as him - following through his eyes.

As we learn more of this character - who initially in his ambiguity is hard to sympathise with - we find out just why he's ended up in this dank prison cell, the valour and courage that revolve around the part he played in the war and ultimately why what is happening to him is so completely unjust. It is a story of morals, the battle between and right and wrong within one's own mind which is often turns out to be far more troublesome than the physical war that surrounds you.

Chris Ryan paints a gritty, intense and realistic portrait of the war and anyone who's been to see the battlefields in France and Belgium will understand just how high the stakes were and just how completely all-consuming the war was. To the people who fought, the countryside itself and there in the memories of all those who survived, to carry with them for the rest of their lives.

This book is simple, yet at the same time intricate - an overriding theme that appears to evolve in any piece of literature dealing with the war. On the surface, things seem so clear cut and obvious, yet if you take the time and effort to look deeper, there is so much more to see. In `One Good Turn', this realisation is more prevalent than ever and by the time the dramatic ending comes round, you will see why. Full of emotion, full of life - a top book all round and at such a great price too, well worth reading!