The best black ops memoirs

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a NYT and international bestselling author, with the movie rights to one of my books purchased by Vin Diesel. My books have been translated into 13 languages, and I’ve published with three of the Big Five publishers: Simon and Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette UK. My writing has been called “action packed…harrowing…adrenaline laced” by The New York Times. I wasn’t a SEAL, but I completed Hell Week, qualified as a pistol and rifle expert, blew up stuff, and practiced small-unit tactics during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. Secretly, I’m a dark chocolate thief.


I wrote...

Seal Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper

By Stephen Templin, Howard E. Wasdin,

Book cover of Seal Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper

What is my book about?

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency.

In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes listeners deep inside the world of Navy SEALs and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL - the toughest and longest military training in the world.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

Stephen Templin Why did I love this book?

Mark Owen gives a rare look into his career as an assaulter in the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six—the men at the tip of the spear who killed the most notorious terrorist ever. Rich in detail, the reader lands with the Team in Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan in the darkness and busts through his door. Owen’s story grabs you tightly and doesn’t let go—a thrilling read and one for the history books.

By Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked No Easy Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE GRIPPING FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT OF BIN LADEN'S EXECUTION

For the first time, read the first-hand account of the planning and execution of the extraordinary mission to kill the terrorist mastermind.

No Easy Day puts readers inside the elite, handpicked twenty-four-man team known as SEAL Team Six as they train for the most important mission of their lives.

From the crash of the Black Hawk helicopter that threatened the mission with disaster, to the radio call confirming their target was dead, the SEAL team raid on bin Laden's secret HQ is recounted in nail-biting second-by-second detail.

Team leader Mark Owen takes…


Book cover of American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

Stephen Templin Why did I love this book?

Nicknamed al Shaitan, “The Devil,” by his enemies, US Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle takes out 109 insurgents in Iraq. The reader journeys with Kyle from shooting in Texas to sniping in Fallujah. He gives valuable insights into weapons, urban sniping, and fighting insurgents—while telling his incredible story. Adrenaline runs high, but tragedy and strain strike hard. Intensely personal, his memoir is unputdownable.  

By Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked American Sniper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle tells the story of his legendary career, from 1999-2009, during which time he recorded the most confirmed sniper kills (officially a record 155, though the real number is even much higher) in the history of the United States military, any branch, from 1776 to present. Nicknamed The Legend by his fellow SEALS, Kyle's service in Iraq and Afghanistan earned him seven medals for bravery, including two Silver Stars. With the pacing of thriller, "American Sniper" vividly recounts Chief Kyle's experiences at key battles, including the March on Baghdad (beginning of Iraq War), Fallujah, Ramadi,…


Book cover of Ghost Target

Stephen Templin Why did I love this book?

Army Special Operations Direct Action Sniper Nick Irving hunts for “The Chechnian” in Afghanistan in this action-packed memoir of war, comradery, and sacrifice. The reader endures sniper training before deploying to Afghanistan. Irving’s numerous insights into sniping at night in mountainous terrain blend smoothly with his priceless memoir. On each hit, we feel him push aside his excitement and fear to take that next critical killing shot…

By Nicholas Irving, A. J. Tata,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghost Target as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An explosive, no-holds-barred thriller by New York Times bestselling author and star of Fox TV’s American Grit Nicholas Irving

Vick “The Reaper” Harwood is an esteemed sniper with a record kill count―33 kills in 90 days―when he is wounded at war. Now back in the U.S. with little memory of what happened, Harwood is eager to put the past behind him. He finds work training Special Forces snipers in Fort Bragg and enters a promising relationship with an Olympic medalist named Jackie. But his sixth sense tells him that something about his new life is not right.

“Will ensnare readers…


Book cover of See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism

Stephen Templin Why did I love this book?

Top CIA case officer Robert Baer takes us on missions with him to destroy terrorist networks in the Middle East. For most of the book he operates fast and furious—until he runs into a different kind of enemy—CIA political correctness, careerism, and more. His book strikes home the importance of spies with boots on the ground and how technical gizmos and doodads can’t replace that. Suspenseful and spooky, this memoir will haunt the reader long after turning the last page. 

By Robert Baer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked See No Evil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

See No Evil is the astonishing and controversial memoir from one of the CIA's top field officers of the past quarter century. Robert Baer recounts his career as a ground soldier in the CIA's war on terrorism, running agents in the back alleys of the Middle East, with blistering honesty. He paints a chilling picture of how terrorism works on the inside and provides compelling evidence about how Washington sabotaged the CIA's efforts to root out the world's deadliest terrorists. See No Evil is an unprecedented examination of the roots of modern terrorism and the CIA's failure to acknowledge and…


Book cover of Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills

Stephen Templin Why did I love this book?

This isn’t actually a memoir, but it reads like one. In the Vietnam War, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock hunts and is hunted. With him, the reader stalks a Viet Cong general, a sniper, and others through the jungles and mountains of Southeast Asia. The North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam put a bounty on Hathcock, calling him the “White Feather.” It’s difficult to imagine today’s American snipers or black ops without the influence of this man. His story is legendary.

By Charles Henderson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Marine Sniper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The explosive true story of Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a legendary Marine sniper in the Vietnam War.

There have been many Marines. There have been many marksmen. But there has only been one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.

He stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines-on their own ground. And each time, he emerged from the jungle having done his duty. His record is one of the finest in military history, with ninety-three confirmed kills.

This is the story of a simple man who endured incredible dangers and hardships for his country and his Corps. These are the missions that have made Carlos…


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Aggressor

By FX Holden,

Book cover of Aggressor

FX Holden Author Of Aggressor

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former journalist and intelligence officer turned writer, so I seek out authenticity in my reading, especially when it comes to war stories. I look for fiction from people who have been there or know how to listen to those who have, and be their voice. When I write, I always put together a team of veterans and specialists in their fields to challenge my work and make sure I get it right, too!

FX's book list on war stories you probably haven’t read yet

What is my book about?

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced, it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run the Chinese blockade to deliver it?

Aggressor is the first novel in a gripping action series about a future war in the Pacific, seen through the eyes of soldiers, sailors, civilians, and aviators on all sides. Featuring technologies that are on the drawing board today and could be fielded in the near future, Aggressor is the page-turning military technothriller you have been waiting for!

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in snipers, commandos, and soldiers?

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