It is unprecedented for a sitting head of state to write a memoir as revelatory, detailed and gripping as In the Line of Fire. Here, for the first time, readers can get a first-hand view of the war on terror in its central theatre. President Musharraf details the manhunts for Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and their top lieutenants, complete with harrowing cat-and-mouse games, informants, interceptions, and bloody firefights.

Musharraf's life has mirrored that of his country, ever since Pakistan's creation, when he was a four-year-old boy. His and Pakistan's stories are dramatic, fateful, and crucial to the entire world.