I was drawn to this book at a dusty little bookstore. The cover utilized the famous image taken by French photographer Jean-Louise Atlan. I’d seen it before as a general image, often with a caption praising the aesthetics of rolled sleeves, M81 Woodland camouflage, and the evergreen-cool of an M16A2/M203 combo.

The links of rounds acting as a belt for the man in the doorway adds to the mystique.

The book tells a story of an operation that didn’t live up to the slick style in terms of execution and planning. Mark Adkin, one of the last British District Officers in the Caribbean, played an ancillary role in the invasion. His impartial analysis as a third party national allows him to carefully detail the operation without the responsibility to protect the American military ego, nor sugarcoat the Grenadian political leadup to the invasion.

This book is thorough. I tend to skim many parts of non-fiction, but Mark’s style had me dug into each sentence on the page. This is an exhaustive history book, to be sure, but the writing style is not dusty nor free from judgement.

The book itself is in great condition. No pages are stained, no pages are dog-eared. The spine and binding are strong, the cover is not rolled at the corners. The cover sleeve has seen better days. There is staining on the front and back alike, the corners are wrinkled and battered – but not torn. The edges of the pages have some markings.

This is a first edition, copyright and print of 1989. I’ve been hesitant to list this book, as I’m not sure I’ll come across this cover again except at quite an expense. However, after reading it, I felt compelled to have someone else to discuss it with.