Cooper’s Revenge/Unit 400: The Assassins by T.L. Williams -a review

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COOPER’S REVENGE by T.L.Williams

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 2013

Navy Seal, Logan Alexander, is trying to put his life back together following a career-ending injury in Afghanistan, when he learns that his younger brother, Cooper, has been killed in an ambush while on patrol with his Ranger unit in Iraq. As Alexander delves into the circumstances leading to Cooper’s death, he learns of the role that the secret arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Qods Force, plays in exporting terror.

Alexander vows to avenge his brother’s death. With the financial backing of a Kuwaiti billionaire, and a group of like-minded Special Forces operatives, Alexander conceives a plan that takes his team to the Sonora Desert, Europe, and the Middle East, where he comes face-to-face with the man responsible for Cooper’s death

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REVIEW: COOPER’S REVENGE is the introductory storyline in T.L. Williams series focusing on former Navy SEAL Logan Alexander and his foray into civilian life where he begins to uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. Logan has been relieved of his position with the Navy SEALs due to a horrendous injury that the Navy believes has left him incapable to return to active duty. Venturing forth with his own company of former Special Forces Ops and SEALs, Logan, with the aid of a Kuwaiti billionaire, forms a team that goes undercover to remove, reveal and destroy an Iranian munitions factory that is responsible for the manufacturing of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) and ultimately the death of Logan’s brother Cooper Alexander.

The reader is introduced to Logan’s group of ten former military soldiers and personnel who will become part of the team willing to risk everything to put an end to the people behind the IEDs. There is also a small romance developing between Logan and a former Iranian interpreter for the American military.

T.L. Williams is a former CIA operations officer and his military knowledge is without question. The storyline is awash in military jargon and scenarios: rife with historical situations and detailed analysis about the Middle East War and its’ affect on the American psyche and nationalism; but it is also a storyline that, at times, got lost in the vast amount of facts, technical terminology and trivia as it concerns the operations in the Middle East. Williams also introduces the history and religious belief system of the Muslim Fundamentalists and how it relates to war, death and the ultimate revenge. At times, some of the information was overwhelming and I thought unnecessary to the actual storyline.

The storyline and final confrontation are slow to develop as Williams begins to build the background information and training procedures as well as outlining the detailed plans to go in, take down and get out for a team that has seen death and destruction first hand. The novel is told from third person POV but from two completely different perspectives-The Americans and The Iranians. The reader is pulled into a story where two distinct sides fight the same war but for different reasons. And in the end, everyone involved is human and will suffer the pain of loss when neither side is really the winner until the final pull of the switch.

COOPER’S REVENGE is ultimately a story about two brothers who went to war-both of whom returned home-but only one survived. This is a story about family and loss; war and hate; betrayal and revenge. T.L.Williams has written a vastly detailed storyline about a war that shows no sign of ending and a war that continues to send home too many heroes that will be buried before they have had a chance to live.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Unit 400: The Assassins
by T.L. Williams
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Genre: military, war, contemporary

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Unit 400: The Assassins is the sequel to T.L. Williams award winning debut novel, Cooper’s Revenge.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is reeling from a devastating attack on its covert training center in Bandar Deylam, Iran. In retaliation Iran’s Supreme Ruler unleashes an ultra secret weapon – Unit 400. This cadre of trained assassins has its roots
in ancient Persian culture, when Ismaili leader, Hassan al-Sabbah, unleashed the Hashashin from their mountain fortress at Alamut to assassinate political and religious foes.

One man stands in their way – former Navy SEAL Logan Alexander. Logan and his Special Forces team travel to Europe and South America in

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REVIEW: UNIT 400: The Assassins is the second storyline in T.L. Williams series focusing on former Navy SEAL Logan Alexander and his endeavor to right the wrongs in a war out of his control. This particular storyline follows one year later and builds on the previous book-Cooper’s Revenge- where Logan and his team of former SEALs and Special Forces took down an IED munitions factory but in doing so killed a couple of high ranking officials in the Iranian army. UNIT 400: The Assassins is about a network of Iranian Assassins that Iran’s supreme ruler can use to order an attack against their country’s enemies-the USA and Logan Alexander are their current targets.

Once again, T.L. Williams forges an enormously detailed storyline about war and Middle Eastern military history. The copious amount of terminology and facts tend to be overwhelming at times in that it felt like the reader was being pulled into a side story that never came to fruition. The analysis about the American Navy and all of its’ potential appears to be a side commentary to the actual storyline but in doing so may be preparing for future stories in the series.The action is limited as most of the storyline is a build up to the final encounter.

The historical basis of the UNIT 400 looks back at a fundamentalist belief system that believes in the right to destroy and enact revenge against anyone or anything standing in their way (my words). When the team took down the IED plant, the ensuing Iranian investigation leads indirectly to Logan via Kuwait, London, Spain and the USA. The Supreme Ruler and the Iranian Army want revenge for the attack against their own and Logan is their next target.

The storyline is once again written from two third party POVs including an assassin from Iran’s Unit 400. The reader is pulled into a global adventure that watches as an assassin begins his final journey towards his own demise; and a hero who must assemble his team in an attempt to bring a murderer to justice.

UNIT 400: The Assassins is a storyline that does not apologize for the activity of war and all of its’ victims. It is a story about a country at war with the world and how that world becomes smaller every day. It is also a story about one man-Logan Alexander-and the people in whom he must trust his life and the lives of the men who work with him. T.L. Williams writes an intriguing and interesting series about a war of which one man is hoping to win-one battle at a time.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy