It had it’s moments

Complex details of technical specifics but not a great deal of story or at least characters that leapt out from the page. I got the feeling Frederick Forsyth had to meet contract conditions and churned this out. I really like his books usually and found this a hard one to get into as I think the narrator did too as his phrasing was sometimes amiss. Others might really enjoy this with it’s details but it wasn’t anywhere close to his best for me.

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Not bad but not his best

I'm a fan of Frederick Forsyth but, while enjoyable, this is not up to his highest standards. It does give the listener an excellent insight into the astronomic margins produced by illicit drug trafficking and the premise of taking out drug cartels by destroying them economically is a good one. However once the action is up and running, so to speak, the narrative seems to slow and lack pace. The ending suffers from being predictable and unconvincing. But it's an easy listen and the narration is good, without being outstanding. If you like Mr Forsyth you won't be disappointed but you won't be 'wowed' either.

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Coiled and sprung

Vintage Forsyth, full of detail which adds to verisimilitude but sometimes gets in the way og narrative thrust. A great plot which we know from the outset is doomed and so t was but Oh, the chance that was missed. Forsyth clearly considers the death of scum as a price worth paying whislt the liberal press and establishment will currently prevent such a cull.
Enjoyable though uncomfortable at times.

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Another great Forsyth

If you liked Forsyth before, you'll like this one.
A 'could well be possible' and capturing story.

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An audacious premise was mirrored by reality!

This story had all of the right ingredients you’d expect in a Fredrick Forsyth book, information and detailed shared informatively, without being boring and going in to finite details, to progress the reader through the story and plot.
The twist in this story is the incredible perception of the writer; not only did he 'identify' a solution to the 'problem' of drugs, including the politics but not long after reading this, President Trump toyed with one of the principle ideas in this book, only for the President of Mexico to ask him to refrain from the course of action.
However it is on the table and something so dynamic for many of the reason outlined in this story.
Performance by John Chancer is great but he really ought to stay away from non-US accents, he simply cannot do them. It doesn't take away from his performing ability though.

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Great story just could be true

A great story which is actually credible except no politician would have the courage to follow it through. The reader was excellent.

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Forsyth back on form

I was disappointed by the author's previous book, The Afgan, which I felt was inferior in plotting to his many excellent thrillers that I've enjoyed in the past. The Cobra has more in common with the latter, though the theme is very different. In past books the quarry has usually been a political figure or regime, whereas in this book the adversary is the cocaine drugs trade based in Columbia. As with other books by the author there's a lot of detail about aircraft, guns, bombs and admiring references to the SAS and its US equivalent. Women hardly figure: it's real 'boys own stuff', yet, surprisingly, as a woman I enjoy these books. The technological detail gives a sense of authenticity and usually it's not so overdone as to be boring.
It's an intriguing story that starts in the present day, with obvious references to President Obama and PM David Cameron, though they are never mentioned, and carries on into the future for a couple of years. A retired spy is coaxed out of retirement and given leave, and an enormous budget, to create an audacious plan to destroy the network of the cocaine trade fanning out from South America into the USA and Europe. Real and fictitious characters are interwoven in this pacy thriller with some surprises along the way that I won't spoil by describing. The author has obviously done a great deal of research into the drugs trade and it is a chilling story of corruption, vicious violence fueled by the gigantic profits to be made between the crop in the jungle to the streets of the West.
It's interesting how the fall of Communism has caused the likes of Forsyth and Le Carre to find other adversaries for their 'heros' to tackle.

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52 people found this helpful

Action packed and intelligent thriller

It’s a long time since I read a Frederick Forsyth novel and I was interested to see whether he’s kept up with the times. He certainly has. This is an edge of your seat thriller. Bang on with political themes, intercontinental methods of drug trafficking and controls. Narration throughout is excellent. Well paced and easy on the ear. The yarn is complex with Lenny of twists along the way and a real kick ass ending. Brilliant and going to catch up on more Forsyth titles I’ve missed.

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7 people found this helpful

A wonderful listen

This is a perfect Forsyth. It was great and I needed to know what was going to happen. More Forsyth audio for me

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Great concept, Great start. Mediocre middle.

I have been well entertained for the most part, disappointing towards the end, almost seemed as though there was a target to be achieved in terms of word count. Could have been better.

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