At the height of the Troubles, a young American Special Forces soldier must find and stop his vengeful former comrade-in-arms before he carries out a devastating terrorist strike for the IRA. Once friends, they are now pawns on opposite sides of an ugly war.

It is the height of the Troubles and Northern Ireland lies under a shadow…

When Neil Fitzpatrick, a rogue Green Beret soldier, is recruited by the Irish Republican Army to help prepare a terrorist attack, Paul Stavros, his former teammate, is sent to stop him and bring him home alive. Fitzpatrick, the American son of an Irish rebel who was forced to flee his birthplace, is a Special Forces demolitions expert. Fitzpatrick knows his trade and has a personal agenda with the IRA.

Alarm bells erupt when the US government learns that Fitzpatrick has gone over to the IRA. The American public can’t find out that one of its elite soldiers is involved in terrorism and the US government won’t rely on the British to find him. They need someone who knows Fitzpatrick and how he operates. Who better than one of his former teammates?

Paul Stavros is also a Special Forces veteran. He knows little of the Irish Troubles but is about to learn. What he does know is how to fix problems and Neil has just become his biggest headache. But before Stavros can go operational, he must endure an arduous and hazardous selection process to be accepted by the joint SAS-intelligence cell that will back him up. The British aren’t happy with Stavros on their turf; they’d rather do the job themselves—quickly, cleanly, and terminally.

Once, Fitzpatrick and Stavros were comrades and friends. Now they are pawns on opposite sides of an ugly war where all is fair and no one is innocent. The British want to kill one, the IRA wants to kill the other. It’s a race to see who will be first.

"Set in Ireland during the height of the Troubles, Direct Legacy is a fast-paced game of cat and mouse involving special forces operators, IRA terrorists and a rogue US soldier. It is intense, riveting and exciting in equal measure. It conjures up the electric atmosphere of those dark days to produce a fascinating tale of adventure, betrayal and death on a windswept island."

"Stejskal does a good job maintaining suspense..."

"Immersive and spellbinding, Direct Legacy brings to life the violence and heroism of the Troubles and the nature of friendship, loyalty, and war. James Stejskal expertly blends CIA tradecraft and Special Forces tactics with a well-drawn cast of characters and a propulsive adventure story. Impossible to put down - it will leave a mark."

It was fascinating to see how James’ US Special Forces and intelligence experience was applied to the ‘Troubles’ over in Ireland and Northern Ireland and he tells the story of Stavros & Fitzpatrick with great authenticity. The book is packed with tradecraft and very realistic descriptions of intelligence operations wrapped up in a real page turner, with great dialogue and compelling characters."         

“A riveting read… author and military/CIA veteran James Stejskal is demonstrated to be among that elite number of writers who can turn out a narrative driven tale of historical thriller that fully engages the reader from first page to last.”