The Cobra

Writers such as Lee Child may be brand names these days, but the name of Frederick Forsyth is something special in terms of conveying a certain kind of thriller to the reader. The technical brilliance of his debut The Day of the Jackal (with its forensically researched documentary style) virtually changed the face of the modern thriller, and its follow-up, the almost equally compelling The Odessa File (dealing with the still all-too-current themes of the Arab-Israeli conflict and chemical weapons), demonstrated that Forsyth had forged a very individual style. Subsequently, The Dogs of War utilised the author's own African experiences, and his take on the ruthlessness of mercenaries and the corrupt states that employed them made for some blistering reading – that book was topical at the time, and has remained so. Frederick Forsyth admirers are aware that he can't attain Olympian heights with every trip to the post, but know that he is always worth our attention. As is the case with his new book, The Cobra, a globe-trotting thriller that evokes memories of the author's vintage work. Cultivated ex-CIA man Paul Devereux is handed a tough assignment: write finis to the lethal activities of the worst of the drug barons, and inflict damage on an industry that is worth billions per annum. He is given unlimited resources: money, weapons and manpower, and his ace-in-the-hole is the tough Calvin Dexter, who becomes executive officer of the new Project Cobra. It's a highly dangerous business for everyone involved, and the team Devereux puts together is obliged to match in ruthlessness their pitiless drug-dealing opponents.