The Longest Kill: The Story of Maverick 41, One of the World's Greatest Snipers

by Craig Harrison Narrated by Joe Jameson

Overview

It takes a tough mindset to be a successful sniper, to be able to dig in for days on your own as you wait for your target, to stay calm on a battlefield when you yourself have become the target the enemy most wants to take out. Craig Harrison has what it takes, and in November 2009 in Afghanistan, under intense pressure, he saved the lives of his comrades with the longest confirmed sniper kill-2,475 meters.



In this unflinching autobiography, Craig catapults us into the heat of the action as he describes his active service in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and gives heart-stopping accounts of his sniper ops as he fought for his life on the rooftops of Basra and the barren hills of Helmand province.



Craig was blown up by an IED in Afghanistan and left battling severe PTSD. After his identity was revealed in the press he also had to cope with al Qaeda threats against him and his family. For Craig, the price of heroism has been devastatingly high.



Powerful and compelling, The Longest Kill is a must-listen for fans of military memoirs.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/07/2015
British sniper Harrison recounts his tours of duty in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, addressing his record-breaking kill shot and battle with PTSD, in this breathless memoir. Though fond of target shooting as a youth, Harrison’s love of horses won out when he applied to join the British Army, opting for the cavalry. Much like this book, his career got off to a wobbly start: his temper, affinity for fighting, and penchant for unapproved absences irked his supervising officers. Still, he was dispatched to the Balkans, witnessing his share of carnage before returning home and ending his army career. He rejoined just as Britain invaded Iraq, where his marksmanship skills were greatly needed. Harrison’s narrative starts to flow smoothly as he relates his sniper training and the shock of his first kill. Providing an immersive experience for readers, he recalls with clarity the tension of numerous missions and the toll exacted on the soldiers. In the final chapters, Harrison describes his integration back into society, which was hampered by PTSD, and by the release his personal information to the media by the military—a colossal mistake that left him and his family vulnerable to violent threats. Harrison’s harrowing story should serve as a cautionary tale of the perils soldiers face on the battlefield and at home. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

"For military buffs, particularly those who read Chris Kyle and Scott McEwan'sAmerican Sniper and The Reaper by Nicholas Irving and Gary Brozek." - Library Journal

"Providing an immersive experience for readers, [Harrison] recalls with clarity the tension of numerous missions and the toll exacted on the soldiers." - Publishers Weekly

“For any sniper, being able to place a projectile on a target at distance in combat can be a challenging task. There are a ton of factors that need to be taken into account for long distance shooting in order to achieve impact. For fellow sniper Craig Harrison, he truly went above and beyond and took the sniper's craft to a whole new high: placing a round on his targets at a distance exceeding a mile and a half (2475 m) while operating in the Helmand Provence, Afghanistan—a place I know all too well. It was an amazing shot that any sniper would be proud of andThe Longest Kill is an amazing account of his impressive career.” —Nicholas Irving, former special operations sniper and New York Times bestselling author of The Reaper

former special operations sniper and New York Time Nicholas Irving

For any sniper, being able to place a projectile on a target at distance in combat can be a challenging task. There are a ton of factors that need to be taken into account for long distance shooting in order to achieve impact. For fellow sniper Craig Harrison, he truly went above and beyond and took the sniper's craft to a whole new high: placing a round on his targets at a distance exceeding a mile and a half (2475 m) while operating in the Helmand Provence, Afghanistan--a place I know all too well. It was an amazing shot that any sniper would be proud of andThe Longest Kill is an amazing account of his impressive career.

Library Journal

11/15/2015
Despite the title, which refers to a successful shot that measured at 2,475 meters, this autobiography by British soldier Harrison—who was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan—covers his early life (brutal), enlistment (rough), deployments (challenging), and marriage (redeeming). Harrison is a foul-mouthed, violent, unapologetic fighter who did his job well and took much pleasure in becoming an expert in his field. While not always gifted with empathy, Harrison nevertheless dwells on the self-destructive intimacy of killing: the sniper must track a target, get a very close look at the person, and see the effect of the bullet splashing brains into the dirt. After Afghanistan, Harrison suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), exacerbated by the army inadvertently releasing his identity to the media, which led to abuse and threats from many sources. His first-person narrative style is littered with profanity and graphic depictions of violent death. VERDICT Harrison presents a different view of military life from American servicemen in similar sniper books. For military buffs, particularly those who read Chris Kyle and Scott McEwen's American Sniper and The Reaper by Nicholas Irving and Gary Brozek.—Edwin Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS

Kirkus Reviews

2015-11-19
Gritty combat memoir by an elite British sniper. Harrison's memoir focuses on the technical aspects of high-level gunfighting, as battle-tested during his multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He opens with a tense encounter in Afghanistan, setting up the shot that would earn a world record for a long-distance kill, then downshifts into recounting his hardscrabble, dreary childhood. Things pick up for Harrison and readers when he signs on at age 16 with the British Household Cavalry. He learned about the ugly realities of war during a posting in the Balkans, where he bore witness to Serbian war crimes, and then a tour of Iraq that "had come close to breaking me." Instead, in 2006, he pestered his way into sniper school: "I just kept asking—literally for years—until I ground them down." As in the United States, the training is grueling, yet Harrison persevered, winning top student. His new skills served him well in 2007, he notes, when "I was back for another tour in the shithole that was Iraq." Promoted to command after his first Afghanistan tour, the author documents frequent ambushes and grisly combat tableaux in both theaters: "There wasn't much logic or background explained to us. We were like ‘rent-a-muscle.' " He notes that a certain coldbloodedness is essential for the sniper: "Due to the magnification of the scope, you do tend to see the person you are about to shoot." Even after being wounded by an IED, Harrison was returned for combat to Afghanistan. He excels at capturing the nitty-gritty of being an operating high-end combat sniper, ably discussing equipment, optics, shooting theory, and stalking tactics. Seeing the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts through the eyes of a British soldier also helps the book stand out. Otherwise, a sense of the author's inner life does not really develop beyond the laconic conservatism one might expect. Will appeal to fans of unapologetically brutal military writing.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170929078
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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