A BEST-SELLING author is visiting a book store in Grimsby to sign copies of his new novel.
Popular thriller writer and ex-SAS hero Chris Ryan will be visiting Waterstones, in Freshney Place shopping centre, Grimsby, on Monday, September 2.
He will greet fans and sign copies of his latest book, Masters Of War.
The former soldier turned novelist is well-known for his fictional bestsellers Firefight and Strike Back, which was adapted into a TV series.
Masters Of War is a gripping account of the military told from the perspective of a young SAS trouper, and is set to be a popular choice for fans of war fiction and thrillers alike.
The critically-acclaimed author will be at Waterstones from 4pm.
A spokesperson for Waterstones in Grimsby said: "We are thrilled to have Chris with us; not only is he a best-selling fiction novelist, but he is also famed for his teenage fiction and factual military history books too.
"We expect his visit to be very popular with fans and so advise that customers arrive early on the day to avoid disappointment."
Amanda Austin, the centre director at Freshney Place, added: "It's very exciting to have a best-selling author coming to Freshney Place – we're really looking forward to it.
"Chris Ryan is an excellent role model for young people and an inspiration to his fans."
Set amid the Syrian conflict, with an MI6 agent and SAS operative taking centre stage, the new novel is topical for the reader and its ex-SAS author.
Chris said: "When I set out to start this book the current troubles in Syria were just starting out and I have background knowledge of being in the country during the first Gulf War."
During his ten years in the Special Air Services he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team. During the Gulf War, he was the only member of an eight-man mission, Bravo Two Zero, to escape from Iraq.
He explained: "On Thursday, January 31, 1991, a week after the ill-fated Bravo Two Zero patrol had been compromised, I crossed the Iraqi border into Syria. I was the only member of the unit to escape capture alive, but I was in a bad way. I'd been on the run for seven days and nights. I hadn't eaten for six days, or drunk any water for three. I'd also been exposed to nuclear waste and I was hallucinating."
The first Syrian people he encountered were villagers whose kindness helped save him. But moving on from the village he experienced a very different side to life in Syria.
He added: "I had to escape an angry mob who seemed determined to kill me. I found myself in the custody of three low-ranking Syrian police officers who performed a mock execution on me. Having covered about two hundred miles on foot in Iraq, I crossed most of Syria by car before reaching the capital, Damascus.
"There I ended up in the headquarters of the feared Mukhabarat secret police. The very name was enough to terrify the ordinary citizens of Syria, as the Mukhabarat's tortures were notoriously cruel. Syria was a complex, dangerous place for me back in 1991. But now, more than 20 years on, one thing strikes me: it was not nearly so dangerous then as it is now.
"Masters Of War is drawn from experience, and from first-hand knowledge of a country which has become one of the most dangerous and war-torn places on earth."
Exploring the unpredictable world of private military, a young SAS trooper Danny Black is coming to the end of a gruelling tour of duty in North Africa. When an MI6 agent arrives, needing to make contact with Syrian rebel forces and private military contractors, Danny finds himself drawn into a situation where individuals will betray anybody if the price is right. Chris says some of his new book might make uncomfortable reading but gives no apology for that.
He continued: "Conflict is not a glamorous business. It's ugly and violent. I try to keep it as realistic as possible in a storyline."
However, he admits there's a point where his imagination takes over, and agrees that after a life of extreme risk, writing books is a way to live the adventure without the immediate danger.
"The factual element is where it is set and what is going on and then my imagination lets go and runs with it," said Chris.
Masters Of War is released on Thursday in hardback, priced £18.99.
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