Escape from Baghdad: First Time Was For the Money, This Time It's Personal [Hardcover]

'A genuinely terrifying insight into how execution squads now stalk Baghdad targeting people who helped the coalition forces ... An encounter with a suicide bomber is truly harrowing but Ashcroft somehow manages to blend stark realism with gallows humour ... Edge of the seat stuff'
--News of the World

'Readers who like big guns and adrenaline-buzzed adventure will love the second outing for Ashcroft and co-writer Clifford Thurlow ... Nuggets of political insight are woven through this page-turning adventure that is head and shoulders above the other military memoirs hitting the shelves'
--London Lite

The true and gripping story of James Ashcroft's audacious return to war-torn Iraq to save his friend

In Making a Killing - James Ashcroft's first book - his escape from death at the hands of insurgents in Iraq was thanks to the bravery of his interpreter and friend, Sammy, a Sunni ex-Iraqi air force pilot. Now, a call for help means Ash must take a break from chasing pirates in West Africa and return to the chaos of war-torn Baghdad. Abandoned by the occupying Coalition Forces and at the mercy of the Shia-dominated Iraqi police, Sammy and his family face certain death unless Ash and his crack team can get in and quickly rescue them.

Escape from Baghdad is a gripping account of real life and death on the ground in Iraq. From secretly acquiring weapons on the black market, to dodging the fearsome death squads that roam the streets and the suicide bombers that wreak havoc on a daily basis, this is the story of a vulnerable family adrift in the chaos of war, where the only thing that can be relied upon is the bond between former brothers-in-arms.

And this time, these guns-for-hire who come with a hefty price-tag aren't even being paid. This time, it's personal.

In Making a Killing - James Ashcroft's first book - his escape from death at the hands of insurgents in Iraq was thanks to the bravery of his interpreter and friend, Sammy, a Sunni ex-Iraqi air force pilot. Now, a call for help means Ash must take a break from chasing pirates in West Africa and return to the chaos of war-torn Baghdad. Abandoned by the occupying Coalition Forces and at the mercy of the Shia-dominated Iraqi police, Sammy and his family face certain death unless Ash and his crack team can get in and quickly rescue them.

Escape from Baghdad is a gripping account of real life and death on the ground in Iraq. From secretly acquiring weapons on the black market, to dodging the fearsome death squads that roam the streets and the suicide bombers that wreak havoc on a daily basis, this is the story of a vulnerable family adrift in the chaos of war, where the only thing that can be relied upon is the bond between former brothers-in-arms.

And this time, these guns-for-hire who come with a hefty price-tag aren't even being paid. This time, it's personal.

Praise for Making a Killing

'This diary of death and destruction radiates not just personality, but that elusive, lyrical honesty the existentialists used to call 'authenticity'' Andy Martin, Daily Telegraph

James Ashcroft is a former British Infantry Captain who served in West Belfast and Yugoslavia, and trained with various elite US Army and Marine Units. Since leaving the army James has spent twelve years as a security and risk consultant to multi-national clients and high net worth individuals around the world. He worked as a private security contractor in Iraq from September 2003 to May 2005, and is the author of Making A Killing, 2006.