In his second book of memoirs, Liverpool-born Karl Penta once again
lifts the lid on the shady, dangerous, arduous and occasionally
farcical world of the mercenary soldier. Here Penta tells of his
time in the mid-1980s spent fighting for the rebels in Surinam. He
got the job by answering a classified advertisement in the
International Herald Tribune that said, 'MEN WANTED Ex-military
personnel to work abroad.' Penta's story is of a world in which the
violence and hardship of jungle warfare are almost an aside to the
tales of the shifty, shady international war backers, would-be
Rambos, guerrilla forces who believe in voodoo, spies and
counter-spies, arms dealers, fake arms dealers, plane hijacks,
strange hangers-on, film crews and a leader who spends all his time
playing video games. Penta proves his worth in the jungle struggle,
bringing organization, determination and ingenuity to his task,
taking the rebels to the edge of success and himself to an
unwelcome international notoriety. In the end it turns out, perhaps
unsurprisingly, that not everyone is who they seem and there are
many hidden agendas. Throughout it all deceit, betrayal and
corruption are never far away and it is Penta's instinctive lack of
trust in his fellow man that seems to be his best weapon and
certainly the reason for his eventual survival. Penta's
matter-of-fact approach to the violence and brutality that he
encounters and metes out underlines the sense of idiocy that
permeates many of the events. Penta never questions his raison
d'etre as a mercenary, a fact which some may find disturbing, but
it is a position which gives the book much of its energy and sting.
One thing is for sure: having read this memoir, it's unlikely that
you'll feel inspired to apply for any similar Men Wanted
advertisements yourself. (Kirkus UK)
Karl Penta is a tough, wiry Liverpudlian with a Scouser's natural
dark humour. He has served in many of the world's hotspots:
Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Kosovo. It was whilst in Sri Lanka that he
saw an advert for ex-military personnel to work abroad. Soon Penta
found himself in Surinam. His brief: to bring down the government.
Within weeks, the government was on its knees. The twists and turns
of this operation are still going on, but Penta feels it is now
safe to tell the whole story in this book.
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