Night of the Cobra

June 22, 2015
At the start of Coughlin and Davis’s middling eighth Sniper novel (after 2014’s On Scope), Marine Corps Sgt. Kyle Swanson faces off against a Somali warlord, Gen. Mohammed Farrah Hassan Aidid, and Aidid’s giant assassin, Omar Jama (aka the Cobra), in Mogadishu in 1992. Flash forward to 2014, and Kyle is out of the Marine Corps but still battling the forces of evil, now as a CIA officer. He’s again head-to-head against the Cobra, who he thought was seriously damaged and imprisoned back in Somalia. The Cobra implements an attack on the Mall USA, “the largest shopping mall in North America,” and Kyle must use all his many skills to stay alive to thwart it. Series fans will find, as usual, that the fight scenes are razor sharp and that the romantic interludes and Kyle’s mental quirks are simply something to put up with until the writers get to the good stuff. Agent: Jim Hornfischer, Hornfischer Literary Management.

August 1, 2015

Tough-talking marine sniper Kyle Swanson is back in his eighth outing (after On Scope). More than 20 years following Swanson's assignment in Somalia, he is sent back to Mogadishu to eliminate the assassin called the Cobra. Ever since his prison release, the Cobra has been stalking those responsible for his 20-year incarceration with the intent to destroy them as well as terrorize the United States. Colleagues of Cobra's have been established in the States to encourage disenfranchised male youths to join the extremists in the fight against America. VERDICT For new readers, the first third of the book presents a solid background, setting the stage for the current action. But some may be discombobulated by the chaotic, separate clashes that take place simultaneously among the adversaries; still, series fans will find the end results worth it.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
The latest in this consistently strong Sniper series feels like two separate novels combined into one. The first half flashes back to Kyle Swanson as a young marine who captures (rather than kills) a terrorist called the Cobra. Years pass, and the Cobra is free. He seeks revenge against everyone involved in his imprisonment, especially Swanson, now the Special Forces sniper we've come to know in the earlier novels (most recently, On Scope, 2014). Extreme and graphically detailed violence ensues (the Cobra's plan includes as much collateral damage as possible). The series continues to guarantee thrills, and fans will enjoy the glimpse into Swanson's past. The Cobra is a thoroughly depraved and cunning villain whose rampage is compelling in that can't-take-your-eyes-off-a-train-wreck way, even though some of the bloodletting can be a bit difficult to read. For hard-action fans, Coughlin and Davis have another winner here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)