The Cobra

Perhaps if I had read the book and not listened to it in the audio version, I would have liked it better. I found it hard to give it my full attention and often drifted away, lost in my own thoughts. With 11 CD's devoting a significant portion of the disc to explanation, it became overwhelming and difficult to remain engaged. I found it tedious, at times, since it had too much detail and explanation, as it attempted to describe every aspect of the drug cartel and its methods and every minute detail of the effort to destroy it. It lacked in action because it was steeped in detail. The book begins in Washington DC. The President and the First Lady are hosting a small dinner reception and one waitress is reduced to tears while working; Is is soon learned that her grandson has just died and his death is related to cocaine. When the President learns this he becomes disturbed and decides to begin an investigation into drug trafficking in an attempt to stop it, once and for all. Consequently, he requests a report on the cocaine industry and hires John Devereaux, the Cobra, to conduct a clandestine, top secret effort to destroy the industry. (The President is a man of color which leads one to believe it is based on Obama; also, one of the code names is Michelle and his adviser is a man closely resembling Rahm Emanuel, in personality) When riots erupt, as the effort nears a successful fruition and drugs disappear from the streets, the White House decides to end it despite its success, and the agent is highly disappointed. He believes his government, that he had devoted his life to, risked his lift to protect, had now betrayed him. There is somewhat of a surprise ending which may or may not disappoint the readers, depending on how involved they become with the novel. For me, the end could not come too soon.

I liked the depth of the plot and the ideas that went into the story, though I found the storytelling to be rather dry at times. Nonetheless, a good read.

You never know what's going to happen next, and when you think you do BAM there's a twist. Very Enjoyable.