Product Description
An extraordinary cutting-edge thriller from the New York Times-bestselling grandmaster of international suspense.
Meticulous research, crisp narratives, plots as current as today’s headlines-Frederick Forsyth has helped define the international thriller as we know it. And now he does it again.
What if you had carte blanche to fight evil? Nothing held back, nothing off the table. What would you do? For decades, the world has been fighting th… More >>
This work of fiction was easy to read and it may be because I already had a working knowledge of almost ninety percent of the acronyms used. There is no need to have knowledge of all the acronyms for they are listed in the front of the book and explained as they are used in the narrative. The concept for the novel is rather bold, the president of the United States has decided that cocaine is a clear and present danger to the country; though those exact words are not used. An old school Central Intelligence Agency operative, Paul Deveraux, who was retired from the agency because of his violent yet effective methods is summon to accomplish the task.
From the formulation of the basic desire of the president and with an executive order in hand Mr. Deveraux begins his prep work of building the organization he will need to combat the world cocaine trade and try to stop it. The book does go into detail on this organization building and research performed on the cocaine trade. We the reader are also introduced to the inner workings of the cocaine trade from the inside and can watch the actions and reactions of both sides as the book progresses. The realistic action in the book spans the cocaine using world.
All the above mentioned background is told in great detail and takes about half the book to get us where most readers of action want to be, the actual operation. The reader is privy to the operations as they take place and the cocaine organizations response as these operations to destroy the cocaine industry unfolds. A calculated plan of action with a plot that is easy to read. The background of the inner details we learned earlier about the formation of the anti-drug teams and the drug cartel bear fruits as the story unfolds. A rich yet violent work of fiction that is filled with accurate facts on existing governmental agencies and their capabilities.
Rating: 4 / 5
Being a big fan of Frederick Forsyth since his debut book, The Day of the Jackel, I was looking forward to reading his latest, The Cobra. However, much to my surprise, The Cobra is a major disappointment and, in my opinion, Forsyth’s worst book to-date by far. To Forsyth’s credit, the premise of The Cobra is an interesting and timely one. The premise is that the President of the U.S has decided to destroy the cocaine industry once and for all, and paves the way for a man called The Cobra (who used to run Special Ops for the CIA) to develop and execute a plan to accomplish this assignment. The Cobra is given carte blanche for anything he needs to accomplish this assignment — no boundaries, no rules, no questions asked. Unfortunately, Forsyth’s book reads like a boring, overly detailed chronicle of the events taken to carry out the President’s decision rather than a suspenseful story with good dialogue and well-developed characters. Forsyth wrote The Cobra in a style that is highly narrative, with dialogue kept to a minimum, making the book very slow-paced. And, The Cobra, unlike many of Forsyth’s previous books, is virtually devoid of character development, which contributed to my feeling that I never got to know any of the characters well enough to like or dislike them. I imagine that many of you who read my review and are fans of Frederick Forsyth will be skeptical that this author can write a book as bad as I’m describing. All I can say to you is that I hope you heed my advice and not read The Cobra. I’m sure you have better ways to spend your time and money.
Rating: 1 / 5
A thinking reader’s techno thriller.
I am a bit surprised at the number of negative reviews concerning Frederick Forsyth’s new novel The Cobra. It is a typical well crafted, meticulous Forsyth techno-thriller on how to destroy the huge illicit worldwide cocaine network. Written in the vein of a Tom Clancy novel, Mr. Forsyth spends a great deal of time explaining how the Cobra, a retired CIA agent brought back into service by the President, will destroy the cocaine market, and then sets about doing it. A cerebral kind of story without much overt action but still an amazing read.
There are two kinds of literary action: That which is conjured up by the mind and that which is graphically portrayed through the written word. Frederick Forsyth’s The Cobra is the former. Mr. Forsyth is a master of the tale. Without graphic or gratuitous violence or action, Mr. Forsyth is able through the written word alone bring depth and action to a unique tale that has deviled and perplexed mankind for years: How to stop cocaine drug trafficking. Mr. Forsyth accomplishes this through a logical examination of the cocaine trade and then pinpoints its inherent distribution flaws. Through smart, insightful, deductive writing he then presents an interesting way to disrupt and eventually destroy the cocaine trade through its own inherent corruption. Mr. Forsyth is absolutely brilliant in his reasoning and logic.
The downside is the lack of the graphic action that permeates most action thrillers today. Without that adrenalin rush, many readers are left flat and frustrated as many of the reviews of this fine novel show. If one thinks back to John Le Carre, Ian Fleming, or earlier Frederick Forsyth novels this was how those fine books were written: Building complex plots through limited action using the intellect of the mind. Like the formulistic movies today, most readers need the gratuitous chase scene, hot love making, massive shootouts, a cut throat or two, and the requisite fight scene to deem a novel an action thriller today. So be it, to each his, or her, own. I still enjoy a novel that requires a little work and is enjoyable by presenting a well thought-out plot.
No gratuitous violence, sex, or language. Character development was mediocre at best. As I immensely enjoy novels where the author develops his characters, this novel was not about that. It was about designing a way to stop cocaine trafficking. In that respect Mr. Forsyth accomplished his goal.
I like Frederick Forsyth and highly recommend The Cobra if you want a well thought-out “thinking person’s” suspense thriller. If you want non-stop action this novel will probably bore you to tears. Interesting duel twist at the end that will leave the reader satisfied although a little disturbed by the federal government’s reaction to the collapse of the cocaine market. As always I look forward to the next Forsyth novel.
Rating: 5 / 5
Given Forsyth’s standards, Cobra falls short and is disappointing.
Lots of facts about drugs moving from Colombia throughout the world and I am sure all the facts were researched, but that’s the problem with the book: its a book of facts, not a story or a thriller.
Each “fact” like gangs in Milan, Italy or shipyards in India etc is presented to the readers but there is nothing gripping happening like in his previous thriller books for which he became famous.
Moreover, the book and lead character’s name is “Cobra”, but the story follows Cobra’s deputy, Cal Dexter and the ending is almost anti-climatic.
Mr. Forsyth himself might be disappointed he didn’t spend more time weaving a “story”.
(Coincidentally, I am also reading The Afghan and it lives up much better to the standards set with The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File.)
Rating: 1 / 5
For some reason I had thought Mr. Forsyth had passed away so I was thrilled to find I was mislead. I have been a fan since reading the Dogs of War at about age 13. I read this in one go last night. He created some great characters, great plot etc but the ending reminded me of “No Country For Old Men” which I like to refer to as “No Ending For Anyone” Just like the movie I feel the author couldn’t figure out how to end the book. I won’t spoil it but unlike a normal Forsyth, Clancy, etc ending this one had a character do something that doesn’t make sense at all.
Frankly, you’d be better off reading until about three quarters of the way through, throwing the book in a campfire and enjoy all the different endings you can come up with on your own.
Rating: 3 / 5