It always amazes me what events are taking place in so called peacetime to protect our various countries. In the UK, MI5 and MI6 are of course real organisations and although films like James Bond and TV shows like Spooks are fictional, I always wondered how much truth is actually in them. Code Name:Papa perhaps resembles the SAS in the UK, a team of special forces undertaking covert operations, so the author can't really go into a great deal of detail about his operations. We do, however, get to know about the man they call "Papa" and the sacrifices he made for his country.

John joined the Marines in 1965 and was shipped off to Vietnam to serve his country, whilst there he made life-long friends with Bill and Jake. Both men saved his life: directly in Bill's case as he tackled John to the ground in order to stop him triggering a trip wire, and indirectly in Jake's case after Jake's powerful father helped John get home and out of the Marines after being injured. There was more to Jake's dad than met the eye; he ran a covert organisation of trained personnel who protected their country without drawing attention to themselves. Jake's dad was known as "Papa" and he invited the 3 men to join his organisation, which all 3 of them did. When "Papa" was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he chose John to take over the organisation and John then became known as "Papa".

This isn't a book filled with grisly details of the operations carried out, but more a glimpse into the life of the brave men and women who keep their country, and the world, safe without us knowing. They put themselves in danger and remain anonymous to protect their loved ones but by doing this, they give up the chance of a happy normal life. They can't tell their family what they do or when they'll be home and they end up becoming strangers to their children. For me, Code Name: Papa wasn't just about John's life, but the life he lost. He wasn't there when his wife needed him and he wasn't there to keep his children on the straight and narrow. This is the same for the other recruits and there's a heartbreaking story about Jake and his son, Adam. Their family is their country and they really will do anything to keep it safe.

Sometimes I forgot that this was non-fiction as some of the stories really are quite horrifying, but the writing is fairly clinical so it reads like a debriefing on occasions (she said, he said etc). It must have been quite a journey to put all of this down on paper and I would have liked to have felt a bit more emotion coming through, especially in the more personal family stories. It does, however, prove the authenticity of the book as "Papa" must be detached and unemotional at all times. Certainly an eye-opening book, Code Name:Papa will give you a new dimension to stories you read in the news as sometimes we may only get half of the story.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

After being a police officer and a marine, one would think that John Murray had seen it all when it came to people trying to carry out horrific acts. Yet, he goes on to be the head of the US branch of a top secret organization dedicated to stopping these people.

In this riveting memoir, he takes you on missions with his team of other brave men and women, from within the US and Canada, to crossing international borders. The sacrifices, personal and physical, and the missions are both striking and disheartening. The unusual lifestyle, the camaraderie and the sacrifices John, his family and his team made stood out most to me in this book. Each mission was strange and a few were outright shocking.

I felt for each one of his wives, because I couldn't imagine being in their shoes. They too, sacrificed. And Amy, the ever calm and collected Amy. She seemed like such a rock in the midst of what are some rough times.

I knew about half way through that I wanted to read book 2! I will be recommending this one to friends. ( )