GREY WOLF

by Mike Dunn

He is the English Rambo - a soldier clinically trained to kill without remorse. Seemingly indestructible and unaffected by the gore of war, he was hired by the most powerful and feared militia in the world and helped implement a covert CIA assassination programme in Vietnam that claimed nearly 40,000 Viet Cong lives.

‘Grey Wolf’ is the true, brutal and remarkable story of an Englishman who descended into a human abyss but miraculously found salvation through a violent martial art, and the spiritual beliefs of the Northern Cheyenne.

Born in Birmingham, Bob Rose was raised on a Native American reservation. He returned to England a troubled teenager and joined the French Foreign Legion where he became a sniper, assassinating one target after trailing him for six consecutive days.

After serving in the British Army, he went to Vietnam where he endured the horror of mortar attacks and witnessed widespread death and depravity. The slaughter of his closest friend, a US marine, made him think deeply about loss for the first time; he came home plagued by recurring nightmares and battling to understand how he’d become so immune to killing.

Years of work followed for special services across the globe and Grey Wolf’s reputation grew. He became a target for other special forces and was soon cast aside by the same people who had made him kill for a living.

Now retired at him home in the UK Grey Wolf is battling with his inner demons as well as passing on his deadly hand to hand combat skills in teaching classes to deal with the PTSD.

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2017

Reviews

[Samuel Kendrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bob rose comes across as a prideful man to a fault. Evidently not much of a family man, and relishes his early days being conditioned into this 'killing machine' he claims to be. I cannot resonate with this book as his experiences and issues are so far removed from my own.

I take issue with the legitimacy of some excerpts in the book which tarnished any reputation I had for it. There is no chance of maiming somebody, fleeing the UK, only to return to no prison sentence after turning himself in is incredibly dubious and put a lot of self-doubt on his story. From what I was able to research there are no photos of Bob Rose in Vietnam, and him having only one true friend whilst he was out there seems all too convenient that I had doubts about the truthfulness of it.

The book was well written by Mike Dunn. I do not typically read biographies and it was somewhat captivating, albeit a bit unbelievable, up until the Kenpo chapters where his ego was on full display which I found unenjoyable.

[James Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Native American warrior born in Birmingham UK. A veteran of the French Foreign Legion and the British Army. A Brit who fought in the Vietnam War (one of those rare wars the UK sat out of). A master of martial arts. And all the while the spirit of the Grey Wolf watched over him.

Bob Rose has had an interesting life. An extremely full one. A very exciting life but not one i'd like as it's pretty much filled with pain and fear, both his and the people he meets.

I'm honestly not sure what to make of this book. Rose is an unreliable narrator. Or at least we've only got his word for the events in his life. And it's literally an incredible life. And he's pretty much a self confessed war criminal which is not a great look.

[Colin Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another superb read.

Bob has lived through a life of conflict and it couldn’t have been easy sharing his memories but his writing brings his experiences to life in a way that is fluent and vivid.