The Finish: The killing of Osama bin Laden

There wasn't a meeting when someone didn't mention Black Hawk Down . - A senior Obama administration official, as quoted in The New York Times, 02/05/2011 From Mark Bowden, internationally bestselling and acclaimed author of Black Hawk Down and the preeminent chronicler of the actions of the US military and special forces writing today, comes an intensely gripping account of the hunt for and elimination of Osama bin Laden. With unprecedented access to key sources and his great gift for storytelling, Bowden takes us inside the rooms where decisions were made and where the action unfolded. The story focuses on bin Laden, who maintained a steady stream of despairing correspondence in hiding in the year before his death, and on President Obama, perceived by many as an anti-war candidate because of his opposition to the Iraq War, whose evolving views and enormous responsibilities have turned him into one of the most determined warriors to ever inhabit the White House. It details the rapid evolution of war-fighting methods over the last decade, as American special forces and intelligence agencies have adapted to fight non-state enemies like Al-Qaeda, and how they came together seamlessly in May 2011 to kill the world's most notorious terrorist. Tracing the operation in blow-by-blow detail, Bowden's book is an unrivaled account of the most high-profile special forces operation ever to have been undertaken, and a page-turning narrative of how the man behind 9/11 was finally brought to justice.

About the Author :
Mark Bowden is the author of seven books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and now writes for Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other magazines. His most recent book is Worm: The First Digital World War.

Review :
Mark Bowden comes to this story with impressive credentials... How the Americans finally got their man is an extraordinary tale and Bowden does it justice. A gripping book about a gripping operation... So rich with detail I didn't know. One of the most gripping and authoritative accounts of combat ever written. The reader can visualize the action, smell the dust and sweat and the reek of explosives, and even enter into the exultation, fear, rage, pain, confusion, and exhaustion of the combatants. . . Because he was able to interview survivors on both sides relatively soon after the action, Bowden's story has a vitality and freshness usually lacking in accounts of combat.