Sgt JP Grimm returns home from Iraq, haunted by his failure to save his best friend and other comrades in arms from a child suicide bomber. That child unfortunately closely resembled his young son, and he was unable to shoot him because of that before the bomb went off. He then descends into the throes of PTSD, nearly destroying himself and his family in the process.

The first three quarters of the book is a harrowing look at the results of untreated PTSD, and it is gut wrenching and, at times, difficult to read. Kudos to Mr. Patchen for really hammering home the devastation caused by this illness. Unfortunately, the last quarter is like reading another book, as civilization is affected by solar electromagnetic discharges caused by a weakening of the Earth’s magnetic shield, leading to a loss of electricity and computer chip based transportation. For me, it just didn’t meld well with the rest of the book even though it acted as a mechanism for JP to save his family, and thus heal himself.

Overall, a very good book, and worth the read for its unflinching look at the effects of PTSD.

My thanks to the author and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.