The vast expansion of commercial and politicised warfare - in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq - is examined in this enthralling, highly controversial book. The freelance soldier, whether fighting for money or an adopted case, has always been a fascinating but little understood phenomenon. Never more so than now. For some, the mercenary is heroic; for those who do not know the euphoria of surviving a battle, he is a bloodthirsty killer. Tony Geraghty's book reveals the truth about their lives.