The Cape Raider is an excellent WWII story about minesweepers off the coast of South Africa.
Although I’ve read many fiction and non-fictional stories about about events during the second world war, minesweeping was a first for me.
The book opens with Jack at Dunkirk and the disaster that took place there. Then it’s off to South Africa where the Allies were preparing sea defences.
It’s here Jack joins a brand new fleet of minesweepers and is captain of the Gannet; a converted Norwegian whaler.
The author provides a gripping account of what it must have been like on these cramped boats during wartime. This includes bloody battles with a German sea raider, and a terrific storm that engulfs the fleet.
What I liked about this book especially were the many story strands interwoven into the book but not distracting from the main story. For instance, Jack’s romance, the sailors on shore leave, his father, his mother’s death and the injuries suffered at Dunkirk.
All in all, this is an excellent read and justly deserves five stars. This book was provided to me by Sapere Books in return for a genuine review.
