Well written and told story about a hard and difficult topic.
Anyone that is interested in this book, should pick it up!
Its worth a read!

Good first-hand telling of how things actually are in the SBS. Very readable. A little disappointing that what is covered is not recent.

I have read quite a few military memoirs including several written by former members of Special Forces (although those others were American units such as the Navy Seals). The training for these special forces seems akin to the British SBS described in this book. It is always interesting to read about the incredibly grueling training required to achieve full status in these units. Some of it seems almost superhuman. These are incredibly focused strong people.
The author writes in an engaging style, forthright with occasional elements of humour. His experiences are very interesting and quite often informative. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who is interested in the subject material.
Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for providing me with a copy for my honest review.

First Into Action by Duncan Falconer
This was an enjoyable, informative and delightful read. I picked it up in the morning and had finished it by nightfall - always a sign of a good read.
The author was a member of the Special Boat Service one of Britain’s special forces and the lesser known of the other rather more famous one, the Special Air Service or SAS. Therein lies a tale as the author seeks to put the record straight in recording tales of derring-do by the SBS. Feats that were seemingly wrongly attributed to the SAS. As the book nears its conclusion I have to say Falconer somewhat labours this message of his leaving me with an uneasy feeling. A feeling that it is such a shame that two highly effective branches of the Armed Forces seem to have a history of jealousy between them. It is not a healthy rivalry but real naked jealousy.
That does not mar the enjoyment of the book. The author deals vividly with the tough Marine Commando training and the even tougher SBS training.
He then moves on to action in the field and most of that is in Northern Ireland in the days of the Troubles when he was an operative attached to 14th Int. That detachment was made up of clandestine operatives drawn from all branches of the Armed Forces.
Yes, there is plenty of drama in this book but it also has its hilarious moments. I particularly loved the operative in NI who was educationally challenged but determined to increase his word power. He did this by learning one new word a week and inserting that word into conversations in an incongruous fashion. I found it funny to read one such example when this operative suddenly described a pair of IRA terrorists as “insouciant bastards.”
It is a well-written book. Falconer wields his pen as deftly as he used to wield his MP5. His is an easy style but he draws you into the story absorbing the reader into the scene and making them feel they know the characters. I like the way he rarely uses acronyms preferring to give the reader the full nomenclature then inserting an acronym thereafter. In any event there is a glossary of military terms and acronyms for the uninitiated [Note to publisher - the glossary did not fit the page in the Kindle version]. It comes as no surprise to me that this book has been used by the author to write his debut novel and I am given to understand it will be turned into a motion picture. That is no surprise because the heroics and some of the stories in this book are made for the big screen.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in military history or any kind of book involving the deeds of special forces.
Thank you Duncan Falconer and Thistle Publishing for the fresh release of this book.
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Duncan Falconer, and Thistle Publishing. I was under no obligation to review it. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Duncan Falconer has some interesting bio and work-related details to offer in this book.

I enjoyed this book, having read several about the inside life of a military man. This does not disappoint.
There are a lot of anecdotes and historical facts, not to mention operations and other things that go wrong.
What comes over in this modest, but well-written account is the sheer fitness and can-do attitude of the marines.

First-hand military memoir giving an insight into modern SF operations