The Cobra

By: Frederick Forsyth

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 the drug cartels, and losing, their billions of dollars making them the most powerful and destructive organizations on earth. Until one man is asked to take charge. Paul Devereaux used to run Special Operations for the CIA before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now he can have anything he requires, do anything he thinks necessary. No boundaries, no rules, no questions asked.

The war is on-though who the ultimate winner will be, no one can tell...

©2010 Frederick Forsyth (P)2010 Penguin Audiobooks

Another Good Read by Forsyth

Reading through the other reviews, I do share a number of opinions with other reviewers. Here's my take:

1. Another great Forsyth story. A little slow to start, but once it gets going, it's a nice ride.

2. Don't get the criticisms of the reader. Other than a few mispronounced words, he was fine.

3. While I would agree that it's not Forsyth's best, it is certainly not his worst. It was an enjoyable read, and based on how well Forsyth usually researches his topics, it is likely you'll learn something about the drug smuggling problem in the process of reading. To me, Forsyth's mediocre books are better than other authors' best offerings, so it was worth my time and money.

4. I liked the fact that he used characters from a previous book. I may be wrong, but I don't remember this in previous Forsyth books, and it was a nice touch.

5. I do agree that the ending seemed a bit rushed and while probably realistic, I also would have preferred (as another reviewer stated) a "happier, but less realistic ending".

All said - don't shy away from this one. If this is your first venture into Forsyth's novels, I'd recommend you read "The Day of the Jackal" or "Avenger" first.

the Cobra

I can't tell if this is a good buy or not. I am a Forsyth fan. The narrator does such a poor job that I can't follow the story.He over dramatizes his presentation. Causing the [reader?] to consentrate on how things are said and not what was said. This leads to confusion and spoils the experience.

Hmmm, not his best

I've read just about everything Frederick Forsyth has done. He has become rather predictable down the years. Nowadays, he spends a little too much time praising the extraordinary skills of the military. I'm sure they are, but they are not gods and the occasional flub would be better for the fiction.

His druggies are very bad, as no doubt they are, but I suspect they would not fall over quite so fast in real life as Freddie makes 'em go down.

As usual, his work requires a close listen, there is the usual attention to detail and that is something I do like. I suspect his sources were rather better in the past than they are nowadays.

The split-strike ending is downright peculiar, and while he does usually wrap a surprise up, I just got the feeling that this ending was rather constructed to fit his usual patterns.

The readers pronunciation of some Scottish terms was off here and there, but it was a perfectly competent read. Just not Freddie's best.


brendan

The Cobra

On the whole, a worthwhile listen -- if nothing else, for the painstakingly researched insights into the problem and the international eresponse thereto. The plot is engaging, though Forsyth, in true Brit style, occasionally gets bogged down in the details. A little like reading a Greek history at times. Narration was solid, though transitions from section to section were often botched, leaving the listener needing a beat to find their place. If you'd prefer not to read a general description of the ending, stop reading this. Do be prepared to scratch your head a little and simply enjoy the rest of the story.

sort of possible

well... all the things related in the book are feasible but there are two things that are disappointing... one the translations from English to Spanish (and back) were POOR to say the least with the use of modisms that are clearly Puerto Rican.
Second... the end was so bad that messed up the entire book.

A very good yarn!

I have a question for the American people, and for all the people of the world, as a matter of fact: What is the most important thing to a politician? His country's best interests, or his election or re-election? Is there anyone reading this who doubts the answer?
Apparently, Mr. Forsyth agrees with us. He is a superb story teller and does himself proud with this one, though the narration does irritate at times, but this is the fault of the audio producers and not the author. I listen to good stories several times over, and I'm already looking forward to hearing this one again. It is well worth the money, though I'd prefer a happier, though less realistic, ending. But then, we'd have to kill all the politicians to get it!

Not Worth It !!!!

I am a long time member and have listened to good and bad books. this is my first time to leave a review. The narrator should refund the cost to anyone that ask.

Another great tale !

I really enjoyed the audio and have listened to it twice since it come out ( two week period). Along with a great tale there is background and history that is accurate!

Forsyth does not disappoint

I do not understand the criticism of the narrator. I enjoyed listening to him..The details of the process and the plot kept my interest throughout.

Interesting premise

I liked the premise and the narrator. The ending was very weak and rather poorly thought out.