Just finished another JOE BOB BRIGGS book review, so without further comment (except to say that some of my reviews can be seen over at the Joe Bob site, if you're interested).

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Target Acquired, by Joel Narlock; reviewed by Steve Chaput
Published by Dorchester Publishing: ISBN – 0843952873

Before reading this book I had a basic understanding of what a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was. I’d seen photographs and video of the Predator in Afghanistan, supposedly used to hunt down members of Al Quida. After finishing Narlock’s novel I think I know more about them than I wanted to.

It’s apparent that these radio-controlled planes fascinate Narlock and he certainly does his best to make the reader aware of how important they are and will be in the future. Quite possibly this type of vehicle would make it possible for the military to minimize the use of human pilots in bombing and surveillance runs, only utilizing the Top Guns in those situations where the immediate response of a human pilot would be necessary.

The major problem with the story is that Narlock throws in so many characters, some briefly introduced and then dropped, that after a while you start to lose track. There is also the author’s tendency to be writing as if he is already casting the screen version. You have the two CIA agents, straight out of the X-FILES; Denzel Washington as the head of the Secret Service and the latest cute kid from some popular television sitcom playing the President’s son. Seriously, we’ve see this all before and Narlock does have the potential to rise above it.

The story follows the development team for the TIGER, a very, high-tech UAV which would work in almost any terrain (urban, desert and jungle), utilizing not only the latest surveillance innovations but capable of carrying a number of lethal armaments as well. The team is the usual group of brilliant, individuals who are forced by circumstances to work and live together. Just like in all such situations some of the folks just do not get along. There is also the distinct possibility, hinted at early on, that one or the group has a hidden agenda. When the TIGER finally goes off on an ‘independent’ mission, the book hits high velocity, with Narlock doing a nice job of finally bringing so many threads together.

Narlock generally moves his plot along and does a great job of making a few of his major characters very appealing. Unfortunately, he seems to lose focus when he brings in such technical information that you find yourself skimming ahead. This is only Narlock’s second novel and he shows that he has the chops to become much better. He just has to ease off on his fascination with the tech.

Three stars.

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Hey, I liked it!