"Alex Blum was a good kid, a popular high school hockey star from a tight-knit Colorado family. He had one goal in life: endure a brutally difficult selection program, become a U.S. Army Ranger, and fight terrorists for his country. He poured everything into achieving his dream. In the first hours of his final leave before deployment to Iraq, Alex was supposed to fly home to see his family and beloved girlfriend. Instead, he got into his car with two fellow soldiers and two strangers, drove to a local bank in Tacoma, and committed armed robbery. The question that haunted the Blum family was: Why? Why would he ruin his life in such a spectacularly foolish way? At first, Alex insisted he thought the robbery was just another exercise in the famously daunting Ranger program. His attorney presented a case based on the theory that the Ranger indoctrination mirrored that of a cult. In the hopes of helping both Alex and his splintering family, Ben Blum, Alex's first cousin, delved into these mysteries, growing closer to Alex in the process. Ben began to question not only Alex, but the influence of his superior, Luke Elliot Sommer, the man who planned the robbery. A charismatic combat veteran, Sommer's manipulative tendencies combined with a magnetic personality pulled Ben into a relationship that put his loyalties to the test"--Provided by publisher.

The golem of Tacoma -- Sort of a happy/sad deal -- Basic -- Amurican bank robber -- One fine day at Battalion -- Yes, Specialist Sommer -- Those who are versed in the sciences -- Something you would see out of a movie -- Federal vacation -- The prodigy of Peachland -- Soldier -- Interrogation -- Freedom fighter -- The fourth man -- The good person -- The b-word -- Just an inexplicable event -- The complexities -- The phabulous Phils -- Getting real -- Real real -- The dungeon master -- When bad people do good things -- Space Station summer -- Total data -- The Sommer factor -- Force of personality -- The lady in the striped shirt -- The p-word -- Probably something I'll never understand -- Freedom -- Matrix of lies -- Birth of a bank robber -- The rest of us.