A Drake-like effort: I'm going by memory because I read this years ago. I was moved to write this because, looking for more in the series, I discovered that nobody had written a review of this one.

From the title of my review, you might gather that I think this is similar in style to David Drake's work. I do indeed - if you like Drake you'll like this. You could probably transplant the story wholesale to the "Hammers Slammers" universe.

The title character is a young man from a distinguished family on a world that makes its living by selling their services as mercenaries. Similar in principle to Dickenson's Dorsai, but with a twist - the Metsadans are essentially transplanted Isrealis, with the reputation of the IDF carrying over. BTW, I'm not Jewish, but as a student of military history I can say that the IDF is probably man-for-man very near if not at the top in military skill. The Metsadan Mercenary Corps is the IDF-in-space, and for a nominal fee they'll fight for you...

Our hero's problem is that he is a coward. The story finds him in his first contract, in service of an apparent Italian colony against some other ethnicity on the same planet (I forget who they were - it isn't very important to the story). He disgraces himself in his first action, but his influential relatives manage to avoid his being cashiered by assigning him to "advise"/command a unit of decidely non-elite locals. The story is about how he deals with the twin challenges of his own fear and his unenthusiastic subordinates.

Anyway, it stuck in my head enough that I not only remember it but was searching for a sequel - so if you like military science fiction of the "gritty" sort, I recommend it.