Haunted by Heroes - by Eric Blehm (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Haunted by Heroes is the powerful follow-up to The New York Times bestseller Fearless, honoring the fallen SEAL Team 6 operators whose voices first brought Adam Brown's story to life. Revealing a shocking untold chapter behind the Extortion 17 tragedy as well as unreported details from the Captain Phillips rescue, Haunted by Heroes is a diligently researched account of some of the greatest warriors this country has to offer.

In May 2011, just days before SEAL Team 6's daring raid into Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, New York Times bestselling author Eric Blehm was approached to write the story of an unknown Navy SEAL from the top-secret unit. His name was Adam Brown, and according to a teammate, he was ". . . the one SEAL from our command who deserves a book."

What began as the biography of an extraordinary life became an unexpected deep dive into a brotherhood of elite warriors. Guardedly, Adam's SEAL teammates led Blehm into their hidden world--not to tell their own stories but to honor their fallen brother and fulfill his final request: that his full story be told. Not his heroics but his addiction, his failures, and the long, hard road to redemption.

From remote training grounds in Alaska to the coastline of Virginia Beach, these men shared with Blehm the reality of their profession: maritime hostage rescues, knife fights with pirates, and high-risk missions targeting the world's most dangerous enemies. Above all, they shared what it means to be a protector, to confront evil with violence . . . then return home to ordinary life, mowing the lawn and lighting candles on a birthday cake in a room full of toddlers.

Seven weeks later, nearly all of the men from Adam's squadron who shared their memories with Blehm were called back into action. Without hesitation, they boarded a CH-47 Chinook helicopter--call sign Extortion 17--and rushed into battle to reinforce troops engaged with the enemy in the Tangi Valley of Afghanistan. Minutes later, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the aircraft.

All thirty-eight aboard were killed.

In the wake of that tragedy, Fearless was released and went on to touch the hearts of millions of readers around the world. But for Blehm, the story did not end there. The men who had fought so hard to bring Adam home and to preserve his legacy had stories of their own--stories left untold. Unfinished.

A raw and gritty memorial wrapped inside a heartrending memoir, Haunted by Heroes returns to those men, honoring their lives, their sacrifice, and the brotherhood that bound them together, ensuring that their voices, like Adam's, will not be forgotten.

Review Quotes

"As the FBI liaison officer to the Joint Special Operations Command from 2008 to 2011, I witnessed several of the events depicted in Haunted by Heroes, including the hijacking of the sailing vessel Quest. I can personally attest to the remarkable accuracy of Eric Blehm's account, so much so that I found myself transported back in time as I read his words. The way he brings these warriors and the dangerous world in which they operated so vividly to life is nothing short of brilliant."

--Eddie Deck, supervisory special agent, FBI (Ret.), president, XMARK Group

"Eric Blehm hooked me with the knife fight: Navy SEALs vs. Somali pirates on a yacht during a hostage crisis . . . but his discovery of a crucial missing chapter behind the Extortion 17 tragedy was a gut punch. Immersive reporting at its finest."
--Adam Makos, New York Times best-selling author of A Higher Call

"Outstanding! There's nothing out there like this--the story arc from Fearless to Haunted by Heroes is wildly unique and had me riveted from page one.

It's not only an insightful look into the love between brothers-in-arms but also a deeply personal memoir from an author who was unexpectedly pulled into a world very few outsiders gain access to. My friends come alive again within these pages--and so they die again as well. Eric Blehm captured their essence, our culture, and the enduring weight of sacrifice with remarkable authenticity. America needs to read this."

--Captain Bradley Geary, US Navy SEAL (Ret.), teammate of Adam Brown and the men of Extortion 17, author of Hard Mind, Soft Heart

About the Author

Eric Blehm is the award-winning author of The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers Fearless and The Only Thing Worth Dying For. His book The Last Season won the National Outdoor Book Award and was named by Outside magazine as one of the top ten ". . . greatest adventure biographies ever written."

Blehm is known for his deeply reported, immersive narratives that bring readers inside hard-to-access worlds--whether he's embedded with elite military units, tracking a missing wilderness ranger in the High Sierra, or following individuals driven to the outer edges of risk, endurance, and belief. His work is defined by rare access, meticulous reporting, and a commitment to telling the full human story behind extraordinary lives.

His book Fearless tells the heartrending and inspiring story of Navy SEAL Adam Brown, while Legend chronicles the heroism of Green Beret Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez during the Vietnam War. In The Darkest White, Blehm returned to his mountain roots to tell the gripping story of snowboarding pioneer Craig Kelly and his death in the Durrand Glacier avalanche. In a rave review for the New York Times Book Review, Simon Winchester said, " . . . this is probably the most unremittingly exciting book of nonfiction I have come across in years."

With Haunted by Heroes, Blehm returns to the story that began with Fearless, turning his focus to the men who helped bring Adam Brown's life to light: elite members of SEAL Team 6 who shared their stories--not for recognition but to honor a fallen brother--and who were later killed in one of the deadliest single-day losses of the war in Afghanistan. The book reflects Blehm's enduring commitment to telling the stories behind the story--and to honoring those who lived them.

Blehm lives in north San Diego County with his wife and their three children.