Brief

The untold story of Terence Tangney, a small town milkman turned ruthless soldier. After serving his
duty, he sets off to Rhodesia to seek glory and fortune as a mercenary. In a raw, firsthand account of
his true adventures as a soldier of fortune, he then sets off to South America to serve as a
paramilitary asset working for drug lord Pablo Escobar, just to later join a team of commandos
assigned to hunt and kill the drug lord. Terence’s tale shows the true horrors of war and the tight
camaraderie that bonds warriors, all while giving audiences a bird's-eye perspective of events from a
foot soldier’s point of view.

What We Liked

It’s an unpublished book that hasn’t been read by anyone but Terence Tangney’s widow and TaleFlick;
a manuscript left by the author as a suicide note. He takes audiences along on his larger-than-life
adventures, sparing none of the brutality or action along the way. Always the normal guy in a cast of
misfits, clowns and crazies, his escapades resonate because he’s not the man you’d usually find in
this kind of story. As a keen observer of the mayhem that surrounds him, he’s able to bring to life rich,
memorable characters, offering important details and valuable perspective.
Film: It immediately grabs you and puts you right in the middle of some of the most frightening
wartime action imaginable. This story highlights multiple adventures in exotic and dangerous
locations across the globe. Even as it transits in the gray area between right and wrong, the story has
sex, violence, brotherhood and a cast of characters that are weird, heroic and, in some cases,
psychopathic lunatics.
TV: This epic journey has an anthology with many story lines to explore. There are plenty of
interesting, colorful characters with their own unique back stories, providing emotional drama and
humor. Well known historical figures like Pablo Escobar and the exiled king of Albania also come into
play as these tales of war unfold.

Synopsis

The untold and extraordinary tale of how a nervy and unheroic milkman from Sydney’s Cabramatta
joined a 12-man mercenary hit squad on a globe-crossing covert mission to assassinate Pablo
Escobar, Colombia’s “King of Cocaine” who earned up to $21.9 billion a year at the late-’80s height of
his bloody Medellin cartel narco-terrorist reign.
Much of the action takes place in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, where Tangney is a foreign
fighter for the colonial powers, involved in a guerilla war against Soviet-backed Robert Mugabe and
his rebels. It’s a futile war, where neither side gives a damn about the people living there -- only the
power that comes from winning it. As a result, there are unbelievable and cruel acts performed,
documented from Tangney's perspective. In between it all, as is typical in war-time-abroad scenarios,
much sex and drugs.
With every battle, Whores of War spares no detail in letting the audience know just how horrific even
the smallest battles in the most remote locations can be. There are battles in Africa where you see
the physical destruction of villages being raised and innocent civilians slain alongside the bravery and
heroism. There is much personal accounting of the pain of war, both emotional and physical. The
soldiers find escape in drugs and prostitution but they also find love and deep camaraderie with their
brothers-in-arms.
One of the most arresting parts of the story is how Tangney becomes one of the missionaries
working for Pablo Escobar in Colombia; part of his paramilitary force, looking for communist rebels.
The rebels are moving cocaine and Escobar doesn't want the competition. Tangney spends months
training up fighters who he thinks are going to take down Escobar, when in fact, they are working for
Escobar himself. Tangney comes face-to-face with the most notorious drug kingpin in history. And,
then, in a strange twist, he later finds himself back in Colombia, this time, to find and kill Escobar.

About The Author

Terence Tangney was an ex Australian army infantryman who left his rural Australian life for one of adventure as a mercenary. He chose to live that life and to write this book as part of his journey to discover who he really is and to honor his late father, a decorated WWII hero. In 2006, Terence succumbed to his demons and took his own life. Next to him was his manuscript Whores of War.