Firstborn (May 2004) Published by Wilhouette

This is a great book.  This is the story of Jason Trayhern.  Jason is the son of Morgan Trayhern, who heads up a supersecret organization that employs mercenaries which are hired for top-secret organizations by the government.  Jason's family has a long tradition of attending a military academy and serving in the military.  Due to a scandal at the naval academy, Jason has failed to live up to tradiiton.  In addition, because his father's mercenery company, Perseus, set-out to destroy South-American drug cartels when Jason was a child, he was kidnapped and treated brutally at the age of 6.  Although later rescued, he has grown to a bitter young man who resents his father and all authority figures.

 Now a Chief Warrant Officer and Apache helicopter combat pilot, Jason has made enough mistakes that he has to tow the line from this point forward.  It is then that he meets his new in-command pilot Annie Dazen.  Annie is an Apache and is very spiritual in her approach to life. The book takes Annie and Jason from Kentucky to Afghanistan.  It also takes Jason, with Annie's help throug a great deal of emotional changes.

 This is a great read.  One of McKenna's best books.  There are some interesting metaphysical and spiritual parts to it.  Might be good to read "Morgan's Son" by McKenna first.