Nicholas Irving

At the onset of his military career, Nicholas Irving went from an unlikely candidate with the Army Rangers, to become one of the greatest snipers in Ranger history. The first African American to serve as a sniper in his battalion, Irving famously became known as “The Reaper,” and his astounding 33 kills over one four-month period in mid-2009, and his record for enemy kills on a single mission, cemented his reputation as one of the great warriors in modern US military history. His reputation as one of the all-time great snipers is such that he has an AR-15 rifle named after him. When his powerful memoir, The Reaper, was published in early 2015 it became a runaway New York Times bestseller. A five-part TV movie based on his life has been optioned by the Weinstein Group with NBC tabbed at a future date to air, and his one of the team leaders in the Fox TV spring hit series, American Grit. And there’s more to come. With the publication of his new book, WAY OF THE REAPER: My Greatest Untold Missions and the Art of Being a Sniper (St. Martin’s Press, on sale August 9, 2016, $27.99), with Gary Brozek, Irving takes the reader further in to his world as a Ranger sniper, recounting his 10 greatest sniper kill missions and providing insight into the art of being a sniper. Through the lens and backdrop of Irving’s ten most significant sniper kills, he takes the reader through the steps of becoming the best in the business. Each of these kills has never before been told and each provides an in-depth look at a new element of achieving success and taking out the enemy. From reconnaissance to intel reports, to weaponry and skill to downright luck, Irving provides a heart-racing narrative of the true stories of “The Reaper’s” most incredible missions. Perhaps the most incredible of all is the amazing kill shot of a human target from over half a mile away, his longest ever. Throughout his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Nick Irving earned every bit of his reputation and nickname. He took down scores of enemy combatants with his sniper rifle and waged deadly firefights with a .50 caliber machine gun. From his use of silent sub-sonic ammunition to mano-a-mano battles with suicide bombers, to being the target of snipers himself, Irving has crafted an amazing career as a warrior. With WAY OF THE REAPER he will place the reader right in the heart of the battles he endured in reality, experiencing the same dangers, horrors and acts of courage that he, as an elite member of the Army 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, went through. Readers will experience the rush of the hunt and the danger that all snipers must face, while learning what it takes to become an elite member of a very special and select community.