Opening Sentence:The dog was a German shepherd, about two years old, big and woolly but still goofy like a pup.
Synopsis:David Everett – renegade soldier, outlaw, fugitive and, at one time, Australia’s most wanted man – always liked a bit of action. Here, for the first time, he tells his remarkable story.

A far-from-strapping lad from Tasmania, Dave proved everybody wrong by passing the gruelling selection course to join the SAS. Unsatisfied by the Regiment, he left to take up the cause of the oppressed Karen people of Burma, becoming a seasoned jungle-fighter in the process.

On his return to Australia, Dave became every government’s worst nightmare: a highly skilled special-forces soldier on a crime spree. On a mission to raise funds for the Karen, he kidnapped people from their homes, robbed movie theatres and plotted some of the most audacious crimes ever conceived in Australia. At the hight of his infamy every police officer in the country was on the lookout for him, while the tabloid press fuelled the public’s fear of a trained killer gone crazy.

Dave was blown up, shot at, starved, bashed, interrogated, tortured and locked in solitary confinement, but nothing diminished his wild streak. While serving his jail sentence, he had time to reflect. In Shadow Warrior, he tells his story with unflinching honesty and larrikin wit.
Genre:Autobiography
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:436
BCID:xxx-6299105
ISBN:978-0-7181-0497-9
Year:2008
Format:Paperback
Comments:Shadow Warrior is written in a relaxed, conversational style that is very easy on the eyes. The story of how David Everett went from one of the militaries elite to Australia’s most wanted is an interesting one. Each step was a logical progression from the one before until he found himself on the run from the law and out of contact with his family and friends.

While I found some of the war chapters a little repetitive (war is like that sometimes), the plight of the Karen is a sad indictment of Australia’s political and social conscience. One can forgive David much of his behaviour with the knowledge of the reasoning behind it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and informative book to read and the reader is left feeling sympathetic to David’s plight. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.

Related articles

• The SAS: a very special force (telegraph.co.uk)
• Special Forces: 600 Support Posts To Go (news.sky.com)
• Minicab driver’s sex assault on SAS wife (thesun.co.uk)

Categories: Impressions

Tags: australia, australian, autobiography, books, Burma, david everett, German Shepherd Dog, history, memoirs, military, non-fiction, Police officer, sas, Shadow Warrior, Tasmania, true crime