He has published a number of other novels and two autobiographies in addition to Bravo Two Zero. He has also published a book on psychopathy entitled The Good Psychopath's Guide to Success, claiming that he exhibits many psychopathic traits. [7] [8] Early life [ edit ] When McNab joined the army he was found to have the reading age of an eleven-year-old. Shortly before his seventeenth birthday he read his first book, entitled Janet and John. Speaking in 2019, McNab recalled how "I can vividly remember the sense of pride and achievement I felt. It was meant for primary school children but I didn’t care ... From then on I read anything and everything I could get my hands on." [10] Military career [ edit ] McNab, Andy. "Prologue". Battlefield 3: The Russian. Solomon sat cross-legged on his bed, the disassembled pieces of his US-sourced Colt 45 laid out in front of him. […] Once Dima had been his mentor[,] but Solomon didn't need mentors now. Steven Billy Mitchell CBE , DCM , MM (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former Special Air Service soldier. [1] [2] Overall, this is a good read, it’s intelligent but most importantly it’s very entertaining. If you like political/conspiracy thrillers, then you may enjoy this.

After turning to petty crime and a spell in borstal, he was saved by joining the Army where he learnt to read. He was hired by a woman named Jones who cannot be found on the Internet. Seriously, there must be some photo recognition software somewhere that could give this mystery woman some history. Weeks, Linton (21 August 2014). "Is There Such a Thing as a 'Good Psychopath'?". NPR . Retrieved 8 June 2016. The Iranians closed it down and basically they said America should stop shouting about Iran because their tongue will cut their throat. And this opened up the floodgates of a dam and America could not do anything about it."

McNab assumed his pseudonym while writing Bravo Two Zero. When he appeared on television to promote his books or to act as a special services expert, his face was shadowed to prevent identification. [14] According to the book The Big Breach, by Richard Tomlinson, a renegade MI6 spy, McNab was part of a special training team after the Iraq war, training MI6 recruits in sabotage and guerrilla warfare techniques. McNab says: "There are literally tens of thousands of people out there, often quite young and from developing countries as well, who find these exploits.

From the central bank of El Salvador to a tantalum mine in Rwanda, the Acropolis Museum in Athens to the biggest freeport on the planet in Dubai, enter a world ruled by ones and zeroes and inhabited by people who don't believe in trust. There are some similarities between the new character, Nathan Pike, and his creator. Both are from working-class upbringings and had difficult lives. McNab was abandoned as a newborn baby and found on the steps of a London hospital in a Harrods carrier bag. He was fostered, and later adopted by his foster family. The character of Nathan is so interesting and you really get a good insight into his personality via his growing up years in Newcastle which enables you to understand his motivations. In August 2014, McNab was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue. [21]I’ve been wanting to read an Andy McNab for a while so it’s great to get in at the start of a new series especially as he writes the kind of thrillers I really enjoy. The plot is complex, it needs focus which is a plus for me and there’s quite a bit of technology so I just go with the flow. The novel is lively, the pace is fast, there really isn’t a dull moment in this audacious plot. There’s a bit of everything from crypto currency to mineral extraction to ruthless/benevolent leaders to various bold thefts. Along the route to the end there is a hefty dose of betrayal and treachery with various righting of wrongs. The several strands in the storytelling connect well and it keeps you invested until the end. a b c Hanks, Robert (19 November 2004). "Andy McNab: The hidden face of war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012 . Retrieved 25 October 2011. Andy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland. I’ve had so many lunches with producers over the years, who talk about doing a film. That happens all the time. They say everything’s great, but it’s all waffle. What it boils down to, is how much it’s going to cost and who’s going to be in it.”

Andy McNab was just a name that would fit easily on the cover of Bravo Two Zero,” he reveals. “I thought it would just be the one book, but it’s become a brand. I’ve sold beer as Andy McNab, and I don’t even drink!” Pike was hired to do a job to steal things. The real job is to steal a cryptocurrency passkey so that someone would get billions. The whole premise is a bit odd. I like the setup of a clever boy forced into a job he didn't choose himself. He can’t feel empathy, either. “I can’t recognise facial expressions. People who look sad or happy all look the same to me. Years ago, my wife used to print out the emojis and say, ‘If a face looks like that [sad face], you buy flowers, but if it’s looking like that [smiling], they’re happy’. I had them in my wallet for years. People on the scale of autism have the same problem. He knows how to get into somewhere, to get what he needs and get out without anybody knowing he's been there. Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal during his military career, McNab claims to have been the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he left the SAS in February 1993. [9] Post-military career [ edit ]

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I only realised I was doing it for a living when I became a ‘budget’ author, when the publishers could quantify what they were going to sell.” After leaving the Army, McNab developed and maintained a specialist training course for news crews, journalists and members of non-governmental organisations working in hostile environments. He spent time in Hollywood as a technical weapons adviser and trainer on Michael Mann's film Heat. He was also the technical adviser on the 2005 crime film Dirty. [15] [ bettersourceneeded] It’s part of the cycle. We are going to have major conflicts, on average every 10 years. Conflicts are going on continuously, but with Ukraine, it’s on our doorstep and people look like us. Yet if you look at what’s going on in south Yemen [a civil war, which began in 2014], it’s horrendous.” He famously remains anonymous. You won’t see his face pictured in the media or on TV, unless he’s in the shadows or behind a book. He even says his Wikipedia entry as Steven Billy Mitchell is wrong.

And when he's sprung from a Cambodian prison by a woman calling herself Melody Jones, he's made an offer the likes of which he's never seen before. There’s just such a change now from the world of bank robbers. Why be a bank robber? If you know what you’re doing, you can steal a lot more from the comfort of your own home. CNN LARRY KING LIVE: Larry King Interviews Bob Dole, Max Cleland". CNN.com – Transcripts. 20 November 2001 . Retrieved 14 November 2009.

I haven't read his books... and he wasn't in SAS!

McNab, Andy (22 November 2008). "Andy McNab on the battle that never ends". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 May 2015. He left the SAS in 1993, the year Bravo Two Zero came out, and has since published more than 30 books.