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UNIT 400 by T. L. Williams

UNIT 400

The Assassins

by T. L. Williams

Pub Date: Oct. 30th, 2013
ISBN: 978-0988440036
Publisher: First Coast Publishers, LLC

Ex–Navy SEAL Logan Alexander returns in the sequel to Williams’ 2012 novel Cooper’s Revenge.

Alexander is in a good place: He has a huge office at his own consulting firm with a beautiful view of downtown Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, and he’s made it through combat relatively unscathed. Things are calm until he leaves the office for what he thinks will be a routine lunch with his friend and colleague Hamid. Instead, Logan witnesses Hamid getting stabbed in the chest and left for dead. He tries to help Hamid hang on, to no avail, but his friend manages to whisper to him, “Be careful, Logan. Unit 400”—a code for the Qods Force, a dangerous Iranian assassination squad. Logan soon discovers that the weapon that killed Hamid is none other than his very own SEAL-issue knife—the same one he used to bring down Col. Barzin Ghabel in Iran. He tries to figure out how the knife could have made it all the way to Boston and what it could mean. One thing is clear, however: A deadly message has been sent. From that moment on, Logan is back in the cross hairs, zigzagging across the globe to bring down Unit 400 and stay alive in the process. As a sequel, the story doesn’t pay as much attention to character development as some readers might prefer, but those familiar with the original novel will be pleased to find the same Logan Alexander in charge. Classic elements of a modern espionage story abound: mystery, intrigue, danger, technology, and, importantly, a sense of immediacy, thanks to the global forces at play. Those with a taste for military fiction that tackles current events will find this story enticing. The author might have taken more time to explain the history of Middle Eastern conflicts, but that’s hardly in the job description for a quick spy yarn. As it is, readers definitely won’t feel shortchanged by this consistently exciting thriller.

A worthy follow-up espionage tale.