Soft Target

Bolan stops terror attacks Stateside. This was a fun quick read. Each attack is very loosely attached but Bolan and team still put the pieces together. During one conversation Bolans cover name changes during the talking. Another editing error is desert eagles are not revolvers. For me it is fun when the author adds some James Bond references but the B story needed more and the ending was rushed but I was satisfied with how the story worked.

Very enjoyable read here for me start to finish. As has been stated the University siege section is probably the standout for the title and was pretty good reading I really enjoyed the soft probe prior to the assault section. Some good characters introduced in that section especially some of the older guys who are not ready for retirement yet. The side story of the Homeland Security guy ended up good but I must admit I was wondering where it was going for a while there but slots nicely into the overall story in the end. So not a classic but certainly worth a read I reckon.

I couldn’t wait to put “Soft Target” down. In the prologue, Bolan sees an Al-Qaeda training tape. And for some reason he now must stop every terrorist attack in America, personally. Commendable effort, but this is not what Bolan typically does. He traditionally does the ops that are either illegal, unofficial or pass-the- judgment stuff. I have no clue why he would be involved. The FBI or Homeland Security alone would have been more than sufficient to handle this. The mystique of one man, even the Executioner, can be only forced so much with all of that territory to cover. When did he become the only line of defense? What happened to the first, second and other lines of defenses? Did “Soft Target” take place over Labor Day weekend? The evil terrorist’s plan is to strike soft targets across America is obvious and unimaginative. I have never seen Bolan bumble his way through so much. The Bass Pro Shop sequence (not to be confused with the Pro Shop combat sequence earlier on in another city) was set up with a howler of a beginning. I cannot reason out how Bolan could have been so blind. The rest of the combat sequence was a parody, with diving for cover using a dozen too many consecutive shoulder rolls. The only set piece that worked for me would be the university siege, although there are too many plot holes to ignore and gloss over. Case in point, the amount of dead bodies left undiscovered during his aggressive recon. Why post sentries when checking in is not required? I hope this novel was heavily edited. The prose wheezes and clunks along like an rusting iron lung. The dialogue is the only strong point, and because of it, I actually liked the completely unnecessary subplot with the Homeland Security guy. The rest of the novel is barely readable, but with errors too numerous to mention here. Unless you’re following the number sequence like me, you may want to avoid this entry. It's off target.

While not a classic by Van Cook, it was still a very solid effort, and pulled right from the headlines. Bolan sees training film on terrorists planning major hits in the U.S. Quickly getting a line on a few cells, he goes into action. One of the major events is a hostage taking of a university. That event seemed to have the most flair, and Bolan doing a recon before the final assault was classic. A subplot involving a Homeland Security agent leads to the finale, which was weak in my view. I thought it could have been drawn out longer, which is why this one stays at 6 stars.