Carly Hennington has been made CEO of biotech giant Cantor Inc. Though a more than capable businesswoman, the real secret of her success in reaching this career peak is her association with a clandestine organization known as The Group. This cabal of insidious influencers seeks global domination by subjugating the population by any means necessary and this includes bio-medical control. The Group have in their possession a mysterious artifact known as The Cube. If they can unlock its secrets, their plan to take control of the world can be completed. Itinerant hitman Cowboy has been hired to take out key targets on behalf of The Group. He is unaware of who is ordering the hits until a tip off from his handler sets in motion a calamitous game of cat and mouse. With their secret research facility under attack, chaos reigns as The Group seek to regain control. Cowboy may be looking out for himself but realizes much more than his own life is at stake.
This is the second book in author William Bahl’s Disrupted Equilibrium series of post-apocalyptic novels. The previous title, End Game focused on the survivors of a global disaster whereas COWBOY sees the catastrophe taking place. COWBOY is a straightforward no frills sci-fi thriller and its lead, the titular character, Cowboy, is as enigmatic and efficient as any archetypal literary hitman. Cool in the face of chaos. Precise. When he’s not on a mission, Cowboy is building himself a hidden underground bunker in Idaho and an off grid home in Nevada. The nefarious actions of The Group, though never clearly explained beyond a presumably inherent wicked thirst for power, catapult Cowboy into the heart of a conspiracy.
There is little in the way of descriptive prose. There is barely an adjective throughout the entire text. Much of the action is lead by perfunctory dialogue and basic syntax. Most paragraphs consist of a single sentence. Even when they stretch to more than one they very rarely run for much longer than the width of a page. As a case in point, try the following complete paragraph as an example of Bahl’s brevity and cut-to-the-bone style. “Being paranoid was the best insurance for a hitman. Not trusting anyone was key to survival. These strategies had served him well over the years.” Bahl’s writing may be simple but it is generally effective. That said, by stretching the story to 66 chapters some readers may be forgiven for thinking that Cowboy outstays his welcome.
William Bahl’s COWBOY (Disrupted Equilibrium Book 2) eschews literary flourishes and instead concentrates on clear cut characters in extraordinary situations. And while the author’s prose style may be a little dry for some, it offers no nonsense action for lovers of conspiracy tinged fiction.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader