Discover the secret missions behind America's greatest conflicts. Danny Manion has been fighting his entire life. Sometimes with his fists. Sometimes with his words. But when his actions finally land him in real trouble, he can't fight the judge who offers him a choice: jail... or the army. Turns out there's a perfect place for him in the US military: the Studies and Observation Group (SOG), an elite volunteer-only task force comprised of US Air Force Commandos, Army Green Berets, Navy SEALS, and even a CIA agent or two. With the SOG's focus on covert action and psychological warfare, Danny is guaranteed an unusual tour of duty, and a hugely dangerous one. Fortunately, the very same qualities that got him in trouble at home make him a natural-born commando in a secret war. Even if almost nobody knows he's there. National Book Award finalist Chris Lynch begins a new, explosive fiction series based on the real-life, top-secret history of US black ops.

"All the sizzle, chaos, noise and scariness of war is clay in the hands of ace storyteller Lynch." -Kirkus Reviews for the World War II series The First Special Service Force is an elite commando unit composed of American and Canadian troops. From the start, the Force is intended to go where other soldiers won't. The call for volunteers specifically singles out lumberjacks, hunters, prospectors, and game wardens as ideal candidates. And their training is anything but "basic," including intense lessons in parachuting, hand-to-hand combat, skiing, rock climbing, and adaptation to cold climates. One tight group of young men have made a point of carrying The Commando Pocket Manual with them everywhere. They build a unified little community around it, a text to guide them through the war. As this team travels through Germany, taking down Nazis as they go, they also carry calling cards to leave behind. The stickers read, in German, "The worst is yet to come."