From the author of Homicide! and One Shot – One Kill comes this harrowing peek into the lives of cops that have had to cross the line of duty into the line of fire by using deadly force to neutralize the threat of criminals.

It is the single most terrifying moment in a cop’s life: when instinct, adrenaline, utter fear, and extraordinary courage come together. A moment when a pound of pressure exerted on a trigger is all that separates the killing from being killed.

Here are the dramatic true stories of the police officers that have made that split-second decision. In Shoot to Kill¸ officers share the nightmares of staring into the darkest corners of the American psyche after making that one life-or-death decision.