Books by Eric Halstead

In Chapter 10: “All Left Behind,” Shane Alexander is forced to confront the cost of survival in the aftermath of a devastating attack. As NATO quick reaction forces flood the scene and medics fight to save the wounded, Shane moves on autopilot—blood on his hands, guilt in his chest, and the weight of every choice he made on that ridgeline pressing down on him.
Haunted by Loran’s death and surrounded by shattered lives, Shane does what soldiers are trained to do: keep moving, keep working, keep the perimeter secure. But when command arrives and he’s ordered to surrender his weapon and report for questioning, the line between hero and suspect blurs suddenly.
Will Shane be honored for stopping a massacre—or blamed for everything that went wrong?

Chapter 9, "The Arms of a Friend," powerfully illustrates the chaos of war and the profound impact it has on both soldiers and civilians. Through the harrowing experiences of Shane and Loran, we witness the stark realities of conflict, underscoring the themes of bravery, sacrifice, and the deep bonds of friendship in the face of tragedy.

Chapter 8 drops us into a tense winter morning at an eastern checkpoint in post-war Balkans. Shane and his squad work a “routine” market day—checking IDs, reading body language, and trying to separate real threats from nervous civilians. From jumpy teenagers and quiet smugglers to exhausted mothers and men who might have been enemies not long ago, every passerby is a judgment call. Ethnic tensions simmer beneath the surface, the market hums with life, and the soldiers’ nerves stretch thin as they scan not just the crowd, but the ridgeline above—where unseen figures watch them back. This chapter is about the slow burn of peacekeeping: the monotony, the moral gray areas, and the split-second instincts that keep everyone alive. If you enjoy grounded military fiction with tight tension and rich character work, you’ll want to stick around for this one.

Chapter 7 drops Shane and his unit onto a frozen Bosnian highway, where every pothole could be a landmine and every smile might hide a trigger. As the convoy rolls toward Kiseljak, the soldiers trade jokes to keep the fear at bay while Staff Sergeant Laughlin lays down brutal truths about kids used as weapons, civilians walking through minefields on Humvee tracks, and enemies who look just like friends. Through Shane’s eyes, we see a country split apart—burned mosques, shattered churches, flags marking shifting front lines—and a fragile peace held together by sandbags, checkpoints, and suspicion. By the time they reach town and take over NATO’s market patrols, Shane has learned the rule that will define everything: trust no one, assume nothing, and never let your guard down—because on this road, one wrong assumption is all it takes to die.

Chapter 6 – Rules of Engagement
The unit’s first real mission finally arrives: market security in the tense Bosnian town of Kiseljak. Inside a freezing briefing tent at Camp Eagle, Captain Mitchell and Sergeant Fitzpatrick lay out the harsh reality of peacekeeping—strict rules of engagement, simmering ethnic hatred, and credible intel that Bosnian Serb extremists may be planning an attack on the crowded market.
As Fitzpatrick walks the soldiers through the brutal recent history of Bosnia, he makes one thing clear: one bad decision could ignite a bloodbath, and nobody is coming to save them if they cross the line. Off-duty, Shane and his fire team share beers, backstories, and dreams of home, trying to stay human on the eve of deployment

Chapter 5: Camp Eagle – Bosnia, 1997. Shane Alexander touches down in war-torn Sarajevo expecting the familiar comfort of his M16… and instead is handed the M249 SAW, a 30-pound beast that will define his role — and his survival.
As his unit settles into Camp Eagle, the uneasy quiet of a “peacekeeping” mission hangs over the frozen Balkans. Burned-out villages, minefields, and civilians caught between gratitude and resentment paint a stark picture of a war that’s supposedly over — but never really ended.
Under the watchful eyes of seasoned leaders like Staff Sergeant Laughlin and Sergeant Fitzpatrick, Shane is pushed hard to master the SAW. Every malfunction drill, every live-fire burst on the range is a reminder: if he hesitates, his squad pays the price.
Around late-night fires, the veterans trade stories — of loss, dark humor, and the fragile line between duty and survival. Shane listens more than he talks, slowly realizing that Bosnia will change him in ways he can’t yet see.
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