Book Review
Targets West
If you like your thrillers filled with
transatlantic terrorist plots; damsels in distress; spy-slick shootouts; and psychopathic
antagonistic assassins, then “Targets West” by Scott McCrea is most definitely
the adrenaline-packed, action-adventure for you.
Here’s the blurb:
***************
Lucas Wheeler is having a bad day when he leaves his beloved
Wyoming for the concrete canyons of New York. But he has no idea how rapidly
things will turn for the worse. En route to London, where his ranch hands will
be performing at the largest international rodeo in the world, Lucas is
contacted by the State Department with an unusual request: to report back all
observations and significant data on Sheikh Kashif Rashid Al Marltaum. Lucas
will be traveling to Dubai to sell several hundred purebred Arabians to the
Sheikh, who he learns is deeply involved in terror cells located throughout the
U.S.
Before Lucas can even begin his assignment, he is kidnapped by student
radicals, chased while handcuffed through Central Park by on-the-take New York
cops and nearly shot in London’s poshest restaurant. It is only when Lucas is
lured to Sheikh Kashif’s outlandish Summer Palace hidden in the Dubai desert
that he learns of a daring and brazen terrorist plot that will have devastating
consequences for the entire Western world.
With a shocking conclusion set in London’s crowded O2 arena, Lucas must
overcome incredible odds before a multinational cabal of terrorists can
hit…targets west.
Hopping through three continents, filled with memorable and very human
characters, and energized by pulse-pounding suspense, Targets West is a thriller for people hungry
for stories of American heroism and international intrigue.
**************
As the blurb highlights, Lucas Wheeler
is a down-to-earth, principled and practical man – now widowed – who loves
nothing more than enjoying the life he’s built for himself on the Bar 11 Ranch
in Wyoming.
However, his success is a burden in disguise, for the prize horses and staff of
the Bar 11 are invited to the largest international rodeo in the world. An
event that will take place at the O2 Arena in London, and a location that
Wheeler will use as a stopover point while traveling to Dubai to seal a huge
deal: The sale of several hundred purebred Arabian horses to Sheikh Kashif Rashid Al Marltaum.
It’s while he’s on the way to those events that he’s contacted by furtive
members of the State Department who ask him to do something that, on the face
of it, should be quite straightforward: To report back on his dealings with the
Sheikh, and especially on any movement or behavior that might be – out of the
ordinary. (For as Wheeler later learns, the Sheikh is anything but a collector
of thoroughbred horses).
No spoilers – as that’s something I
never do – but what starts out as a simple request turns into a rollercoaster
ride of political intrigue; mishap & mayhem; and hair-raising, brutal
encounters. You’ll meet corrupt bureaucrats, bent cops, Walter Mitty wannabes,
and slimy, sticklers. All of them seemingly intent on making every hurdle
Wheeler faces THAT much harder to overcome.
In a nutshell, “Targets West” is a
definite page-turner. It’s sharp. It’s slick. It’s vividly detailed and
exciting. And it’s the most fun I’ve had reading in a while.
If you like stories with elements of “Have Gun – Will Travel” from the 50s
& 60s, mixed in with “Yellowstone” and “Justified”, then this is the book
for you.
Hold onto your hats and dive in. You won’t regret it.
(And yes – an Amazon review will
follow!)
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