Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier by Cesare Giannetti is a great treat for fans of military novels — it is gripping and deeply moving. Nico Corretti is an army captain who is looking forward to his retirement. He is more than happy to return to civilian life and stay close to family and loved ones. But a Russian woman has hinted on his way home that his life might be in danger, and she could be right. Readjusting to civilian life isn’t easy, with unemployment and post service blues. Then he is called by the government and offered a contract abroad. He is plunged into challenges that he never envisaged at the time of the assignment, and risks his life in many ways. After completing this assignment, he comes home to more demands. With a terrorist attack on the US, he is again pulled away from his family. This time, will he be able to make it right to those who lost lives under his command in the Middle East?

This novel represents the soul of a patriot and the perils of a soldier, the dilemmas they live with and the pain that life can never be predictable for them. The characters are rock-solid and they are written into a powerful and compelling background. Cesare Giannetti is a great writer and the prose flows beautifully, gracefully, seductively. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions and marvelled at how the author can capture details in the narrative without sacrificing the plot elements. The story is imbued with realism and the characters with humanity, all of which makes Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier a very believable story.

A man torn between his love of family and duty to his country, Nico Corretti is a soldier whose story epitomizes the thrills and challenges of being a soldier and the author does a great job in exploring the conflict in Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier. In Cesare Giannetti’s novel, the protagonist has just completed a military mission and is returning home to family in the hopes of having quality time with loved ones. Navigating civilian life and making the necessary changes in life, and at a time of peak unemployment, becomes one of the greatest challenges for Nico. But he will quickly find himself torn away from family and sent on a dangerous mission by the government. When all is done and he thinks it could be time to settle down, a terrorist crisis makes him the prime candidate for yet another dangerous mission. This time will he survive the Middle East, a place that is responsible for the deaths of many of the soldiers under his command?

I am not a great fan of military novels, but I deeply enjoyed Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier, especially the steady flow of the narrative, the engrossing streams of consciousness, and the social commentaries which exemplify the author's masterly use of contrast between the two lives of the protagonist — life as a soldier and what it is like as a civilian. The conflict is well-developed and the author’s exceptional exploration of the psychological aspect of the conflict in the protagonist made this book a great read. The narrative features powerful themes like family and war, love and loyalty, and the overall writing is injected with realism, making it easy for readers to relate to the characters. If you love military novels and stories that are beautiful told, then this is a treat you’ll love.