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One Man In
The Explosive Firsthand Account of the Lone Special-Ops Commando Who Fought Off a Major Terrorist Attack in Kenya
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Table of Contents
About the Book
The gripping and heroic firsthand account—like American Sniper mixed with a real-life version of Die Hard—by an off-duty special forces soldier who battled against a terrorist attack for twenty-two hours, and saved scores of American, Kenyan, and European lives.
After an otherwise ordinary morning of training with his firearms, British SAS soldier Chris Craighead was just beginning to relax in his new home in the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya. Then the phone rang.
It was a friend, a former British soldier. In the background, Chris heard gunfire. The friend gave the address of an upscale DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi’s affluent Westgate neighborhood. He said it was under attack.
Within minutes, Chris was in his pickup truck with his weapons case in the back seat, racing to the scene. For the next twenty-two hours, he relied on his nearly three decades of elite military training to win a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a unit of ethnic Somali terrorists who had already detonated one suicide bomb and were intent on killing as many other people as possible.
Told in white-knuckle, minute-by-minute detail, One Man In is an unforgettable true story of heroism from a special forces soldier who happened to be in the right place at the right time—and decided to act.
After an otherwise ordinary morning of training with his firearms, British SAS soldier Chris Craighead was just beginning to relax in his new home in the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya. Then the phone rang.
It was a friend, a former British soldier. In the background, Chris heard gunfire. The friend gave the address of an upscale DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi’s affluent Westgate neighborhood. He said it was under attack.
Within minutes, Chris was in his pickup truck with his weapons case in the back seat, racing to the scene. For the next twenty-two hours, he relied on his nearly three decades of elite military training to win a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a unit of ethnic Somali terrorists who had already detonated one suicide bomb and were intent on killing as many other people as possible.
Told in white-knuckle, minute-by-minute detail, One Man In is an unforgettable true story of heroism from a special forces soldier who happened to be in the right place at the right time—and decided to act.
Excerpt
Prologue PROLOGUE
Two hand grenades bounced down the stairs, coming toward me.
I darted back into the hallway of the hotel. The six officers from the Kenyan paramilitary police assault squad who had become my adopted team took cover with me. We had been watching the stairs that led to the gym on the seventh floor, where the terrorists were holed up.
The grenades detonated with an earsplitting, mind-numbing crash. Plaster, masonry, and broken glass fell to the floor.
You’ve probably never heard a hand grenade going off. But even outside they’re a lot louder than in the movies. In the confines of an upscale hotel hallway, with hard marble-type floors and concrete ceilings, the noise was deafening. I could feel my eardrums rocking.
I’m used to hearing them in close-quarter combat. But I’d normally be wearing a helmet with ear protection. Not for the first time that night, I wished I’d brought my headgear with me and not left it in the pickup truck.
In addition to the noise, the shock of the detonations was unbelievable. It felt like the explosions were forcing the air out of my lungs. Added to that, these were almost certainly old Chinese-made grenades, with who-knows-what inside them, and the black smoke they released mixed with the dust from all the damaged concrete, plasterwork, and fittings turned the hallway toxic. My eyes streamed and I coughed; the back of my throat was on fire.
The explosions hadn’t caused any injuries among our team, but they were quickly followed by a long volley of automatic fire, with bullets pinging off the floor and embedding themselves in the walls. The AK-47 on automatic is a loud weapon at the best of times. In this setting, it was off the charts.
Fucking hell! was all I could think.
Two hand grenades bounced down the stairs, coming toward me.
I darted back into the hallway of the hotel. The six officers from the Kenyan paramilitary police assault squad who had become my adopted team took cover with me. We had been watching the stairs that led to the gym on the seventh floor, where the terrorists were holed up.
The grenades detonated with an earsplitting, mind-numbing crash. Plaster, masonry, and broken glass fell to the floor.
You’ve probably never heard a hand grenade going off. But even outside they’re a lot louder than in the movies. In the confines of an upscale hotel hallway, with hard marble-type floors and concrete ceilings, the noise was deafening. I could feel my eardrums rocking.
I’m used to hearing them in close-quarter combat. But I’d normally be wearing a helmet with ear protection. Not for the first time that night, I wished I’d brought my headgear with me and not left it in the pickup truck.
In addition to the noise, the shock of the detonations was unbelievable. It felt like the explosions were forcing the air out of my lungs. Added to that, these were almost certainly old Chinese-made grenades, with who-knows-what inside them, and the black smoke they released mixed with the dust from all the damaged concrete, plasterwork, and fittings turned the hallway toxic. My eyes streamed and I coughed; the back of my throat was on fire.
The explosions hadn’t caused any injuries among our team, but they were quickly followed by a long volley of automatic fire, with bullets pinging off the floor and embedding themselves in the walls. The AK-47 on automatic is a loud weapon at the best of times. In this setting, it was off the charts.
Fucking hell! was all I could think.
About the Author
Photograph by Drake Sweet/Bison films
Christian Craighead joined the British Army at sixteen, going on to spend the next twenty-eight years serving in the UK’s most elite units—the Parachute Regiment, Pathfinder Platoon, and ultimately 22 SAS. Renowned for covert reconnaissance, counterterrorism, direct action, and hostage rescue, 22 SAS became the setting for nearly fifteen years of Craighead’s career, during which he took part in more than a thousand high-risk missions across multiple theaters, including Iraq and Afghanistan. After a remarkable career, he retired from active service on September 7, 2020, highly decorated for gallantry, receiving multiple honors, including Britain’s second-highest military award, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. He now lives in the United States.
Product Details
- Publisher: Threshold Editions (September 15, 2026)
- Length: 224 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982177331
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Raves and Reviews
"This is the story we’ve all waited in anticipation to read. Christian stood alone against terror, facing an uncertain fate, and did the right thing when no one else could or would. His actions are a testament to honor, courage and a commitment to protecting the innocent. Every warrior and defender of freedom should read One Man In!"
—JOHNNY "JOEY" JONES, USMC EOD technician, Fox News host, and #1 New York Times bestselling author
"An extraordinary book by an extraordinary man. In One Man In, readers will finally experience the hostage rescue that saved my life, in Christian’s own words. His heroic story shows us what’s possible when a single man is willing to give whatever it takes to stop evil in its tracks."
— MEYLI CHAPIN, DusitD2 survivor and author of Terrorist Attack Girl
"One Man In had me ready to run through a wall after the first chapter. It's a story of extraordinary leadership and bravery from a real-life superhero, and one of the most intense and inspiring books that I have ever read."
—TOM WILSON, NHL player, Stanley Cup champion, and Olympic silver medalist
“This is the rare, unflinching true story of one man who charged toward evil not for glory, but because human beings desperately needed leadership, protection, and someone willing to stand in the gap. A gripping testament to courage under fire that will leave your adrenaline pumping and your faith in humanity renewed.”
— GINA CARANO, mixed martial artist and actress
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