Early in 1946, former army officer, Jamie Munro, and his half-Aboriginal friend and colleague, Jack 'Jacko' O'Brien, who head the Commonwealth Investigation Service in Darwin, are called on to assist in the rescue of Colonel John Cook, a senior operative of MI6, who has been kidnapped by bandits and taken into the jungles of Malaya. Jamie and Jacko had worked in intelligence operations with Colonel Cook during the desert campaign in North Africa in the Second World War, as the Afrika Corps threatened Egypt. With Jacko's ...
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Early in 1946, former army officer, Jamie Munro, and his half-Aboriginal friend and colleague, Jack 'Jacko' O'Brien, who head the Commonwealth Investigation Service in Darwin, are called on to assist in the rescue of Colonel John Cook, a senior operative of MI6, who has been kidnapped by bandits and taken into the jungles of Malaya. Jamie and Jacko had worked in intelligence operations with Colonel Cook during the desert campaign in North Africa in the Second World War, as the Afrika Corps threatened Egypt. With Jacko's half-sister, Sarah, a full-blood Aborigine from Tennant Creek, they arrive in Kuala Lumpur to find that they not only have to contend with the impenetrable jungle of the Malay peninsula, but also with a murderous and subversive organisation of Fascist criminals whose aim is to disrupt the creation of the Malayan Union by the British Military Authority, set to take place on 1st of April 1946, foment an uprising and take over control of the country. All the inherent bushcraft skills of the Warramunga are needed to rescue Colonel Cook as well as prevent catastrophic mayhem on the Malayan peninsula. This is the third book in the Warramunga trilogy.
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Jack "Jacko" O'Brien and Jamie Munro have a challenging mission ahead of them. The two have been tasked with rescuing a top MI6 operative who has been taken hostage by a criminal gang. The operative's name is Colonel John Cook. O'Brien and Munro go back in the day. They worked together on many missions and even captured targets together. They have extraordinary skills, given their experiences during World War II. The task at hand may seem simple, but the people involved in the rescue mission of Colonel Cook have to prepare for any danger they have to face in the jungles of Malaya, where Cook has been kidnapped.
Greg Kater takes you across the Malayan jungle and terrain as we follow Jacko and his friends as they go after a dangerous criminal organization. Reading about the tactics they use, how they strategize and how they deal with adversaries was a great experience. Even with the skills Jamie Munro possesses due to his service in the military, the journey to combat the criminal organization is not easy. The gangs are prepared to face Munro and his team. It is not just the men who are resourceful in this mission, Sarah, a full Aborigine from Tennant Creek, and also a half-sister to Jack Obrien helps the team on their mission.
The team's time in Kuala Lumpur is adventurous. Wit and physical strength are essential for them to achieve their goals. Skills of the Warramunga is a compelling thriller that takes you through different exotic landscapes and treacherous terrain. You vividly experience every action on the ground through the author's eloquent words. I like how the author introduced the conflict at the beginning of the book. The description gives one a back story and the context of the struggle. The urge to read more increases as the action in the plot intensifies.
Skills of the Warramunga is an edge of your seat thriller. The author is exceptional with plot pacing and character creation. The characters in the book are firm and fun to follow. I enjoyed their conversations and how they bonded over disputes and other issues. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy military thrillers and action stories.
Ann
Dec 24, 2018
The war has ended but peace has not begun
Skills of the Warramunga is another fantastic work of historical fiction by author Greg Kater, and the third book in the series following Jamie Munro and 'the Warramunga', Jacko O'Brien. We join our CIS investigators less than a year after the end of the Second World War, when a new mission takes them to the dense jungles of Malaya. Colonel John Cook, a senior operative working for MI6, whom Jamie and Jacko knew during the war, has been kidnapped. Emotional ties abound in this new adventure as Jacko's full-blood Aboriginal sister, Sarah, comes along to add new skills to the test in searching for their fallen comrade.
Reading the three books of the Warramunga series in such a short space of time has been a fantastic experience. I hope there will be more in the future as this intriguing setting on the other side of the world has really opened up post-war history for me in a brand-new way. Greg Kater writes with a clearly well-researched style, but his description and dialogue are never dull because of it. The heat of the jungle and the dangers of Kuala Lumpur in 1946 come to life in such an incredibly vivid way, and I really enjoyed the inclusion of Sarah as a main component to the plot. Skills of the Warramunga is a novel not to be missed.
