A powerful narrative about modern warfare from the perspective of those proverbially boots on the ground.

The men in “The Knife” are highly trained and impressively equipped warriors. They are also brothers and fathers and husbands and sons. They try to do their job, protect each other and stay alive.

They want to do the right thing, but that’s not always easy to figure out. Simple moral issues like whether or not to shoot an unarmed boy aren’t so simple when the wrong call can get everyone killed.

Ritchell does an excellent job of letting the action speak for itself. He doesn’t spoon feed the story and there is no authorial voice telling us what we should feel or believe.

Without melodrama or political posturing, “The Knife” depicts the ugliness of war. Whatever we might believe about the rightness or wrongness of this war or any war, it is a perspective that shouldn’t be ignored.

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This isn't a long book and it took me longer to read it than most books that are the same size. The good parts about it is that it does show a realism to the war that is happening today and it depicts some real people that are in the armed forces. It is not a novel where there are good guys and they always win. It is just realism and showing the harshness of war and what they do.

What I didn't like about the book is the writing style and I think that made it hard for me to read. I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to write onto this review about what I didn't like about it but I just can't think of the words. Maybe as I stew on it for a day or two I can come back with a clear thought.

One thing that bugged me but I didn't include it into my rating score is that the book was 244 pages and it had 7 chapters. I think that they could of included a few more chapters in the book. It had some . . . on the pages for new scenes that they could of started a new chapter. It took 100 pages for chapter 1 to turn into chapter 2.

Overall it would be a good book to read about realism of war and it really isn't a long book and could be finished fairly quick.

I won this book on a giveaway for an honest review. ( )

When the evening news airs stories about our military and how they're fighting for us, hot tears roll down my cheeks. I know it's tough but I've never been there, so I don't REALLY know. This book takes us into a company of men fighting for us in hostile territory and we learn what their life is really like, during off times and during action. I really liked the author's style of writing and loved the cast of characters. Heart-stopping action is punctuated with the sometimes humorous activities during down time. Highly recommend. ( )

A compelling view into relationships during wartime. The emotional bond shared between Special Ops team. Intimate side of this elite group explored in both professional and personal avenues. The ramifications their position causes, the aftermath, the risk, questions of morality visited, innermost feelings presented in a raw and gritty fashion. They are their brothers keeper. Unforgettable read. ( )