As a journalist in television news John McCarthy was sent on his first foreign assignment to Beirut in 1986 aged twenty-nine. His career was abruptly cut short by militiamen who kidnapped and held him captive for five and a half years.Since his release he has written four books prior to this one - Some Other Rainbow (with Jill Morrell), about his hostage years, Island Race (with Sandi Toksvig), an account of their circumnavigation of Britain, Between Extremes (with Brian Keenan), a journey through Chile and his latest, A Ghost Upon Your Path. He continues to work in both radio and television.