Dirty Deeds Done Cheap

Northern Iraq, 2004 a lawless region of rock, sand scrub and warring factions, so dangerous the regular coalition armies were reluctant to put their soldiers in harm's way up there. Enter the 'civilian contractors': private armies in all but name, with state of the art funding, equipment and training, packing immense firepower and staffed by veterans of the world's elite forces. Working in small groups alongside the US Army, men from all corners of the globe volunteered to risk their lives day after day fighting someone else's war and all for a few bucks and a suntan... One of these mercenaries was Peter Mercer. An ex-Royal Marine and former member of the navy's elite SBS, Peter's been to some pretty hot places but even he didn't know what to expect. Sprinkling his story with incredibly candid anecdotes encompassing the adrenaline of battle, and reflecting on the humour and absurdity of life on the frontline, Peter Mercer takes us on an unforgettable journey through the dangerous backstreets of 21st century Iraq, and reveals that the realities of the ongoing War on Terror are not all that they seem.

Peter Mercer spent eight years in the Royal Marines and SBS before entering the deadly killing grounds of Northern Iraq while working as a hired gun for a private security contractor. This is his second book.