ARA Review by JohnParten of The Warramunga's War

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JohnParten
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ARA Review by JohnParten of The Warramunga's War

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[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Warramunga's War.]
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4 out of 5 stars
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Title: "The Warramunga's War"
My Rating 4 out of 5

After reading the first few pages of several books I stumbled across this work by Greg Kater. The introductory scene describes an Australian soldier pinned down in the rocks with bullets whistling around him. Immediate action! This beginning was sufficient to entice me to read on and eventually make the purchase. The work is a world war two story that initially unfolds in Egypt and then, in the second half of the book, relocates to Australia.

Once the starting skirmish is over, circumstances lead the two main characters, Jamie and Jacko, to become the first members of an Australian spy team based in Cairo. It is not long before they build up a network of contacts in Egypt, and indeed, identify other enemy organisations working in and around Cairo. As the story continues, we learn that someone, most likely amongst the allies, is raping and killing women in the vicinity. Not only must the duo manipulate and quash other spy factions, but they are also tasked with attempting to ascertain and capture the murderer. The months pass by operating in Cairo, until the retreat of the German army from Egypt facilitates the need for the duo to be redeployed to Darwin, Australia. Here they soon end up following the case of another series of female murders. A long journey through dust and grime, with more atrocities reported on the trail, only serves to strengthen their resolve. They suspect this is the same killer and expert trackers are needed. Encounters with bushmen, wild outposts, aborigines and even family members lead to the final confrontation in the outback at some caves near Halls Creek.

This is a book of two halves, the first half in Egypt seems to have numerous short scenes as chapters, contrasting with fewer, but more lengthy Australian chapters in the second half. Personally, I prefer the first half of the book. Vivid descriptions of the female spies and their courage, along with a certain amount of local knowledge and terminology from the author all add to the realism. Adding the murder scenes, without revealing the identity of the culprit keeps the reader in suspense. However, perhaps some details did not seem quite right to me. The use of the radio transmitters are fine, but I struggle to believe that codebooks were used by german spies to communicate with General Rommel when the enigma machine was already established. If that were the case, then a brief justification, such as lack of spare parts etc might suffice. I also found some of the language to be unrealistic. For example, would a hardened soldier say "What a bugga! Excuse my French!" ~ I don't think so. We also learn that Jamie and Jacko are very quick to introduce all the members of their spy cell to new recruits, whereas I would expect spy rings to act with greater caution.

There is also a little touch of romance in the story, but not too much so this was to my taste.

The second half set in Australia continues to impress with detailed local knowledge. Characterisations and scene settings are good. Sometimes, outback bar owners will not sell beer to aborigines. There are also various phrases such as "fair dinkum!" that add to the realism. At one point Jamie, who happens to have a guitar, composes a song. The author bravely includes a graphic to show the stave and notes for the ditty. Alas, I have to make the following comments, assuming normal music notation applies to Australian songs: First, the beats to the bar need to conform to the time signature. Second, if this is guitar music then we need to see the chords intended. Nonetheless, as a musician, I was still pleasantly amused.

I liked the little trick that Jamie uses on three of the gang members and I could see that working in real life.

In summary, a good story line, perhaps some more attention to detail needed, the first half better than the second. My score of 4 reflects that I have found some issues with the manuscript, but overall a good read in my opinion.

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