An account of life on the frontline by a young soldier from Berkhamsted hits book shops today.

Patrick Hennessey, 27, penned "The Junior Officers' Reading Club: Killing Time and Fighting Wars" after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and becoming the youngest captain in the British army.

Described by Christopher Hart in the Sunday Times as "a powerful, compelling and unapologetic memoir of a young soldier's life", the book recalls Hennessey's five-year military career, from training at Sandhurst to taking on the Taliban.

Hennessey grew up in Berkhamsted and attended Berkhamsted School before reading English at Balliol College, Oxford. He joined the army in January 2004, at the age of 22.

He wrote an article about his military experiences which prompted a literary scout to approach him about writing a full memoir.

Several publishing houses then entered into their own bidding battle to win the rights to "The Junior Officers' Reading Club".

Hennessey said: "It's not part of the culture of a soldier to speak out about what they do. I feel I can represent a bit of that. I can check in with my boys about what they think I should mention.

"I don't think there has been much written from the view of a young soldier in the bottom class."

Hennessey has now left the army and is studying to become a barrister.

"The Junior Officers' Reading Club" is published today by Allen Lane, and is available from Amazon.