Targets of Opportunity [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Z. Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

The second book in the series revolving around one of the most fascinating professions within the armed forces––the sniper. This time the shooters head to Romania to stop a dangerous terrorist cell before it's too late.

Master snipers Kyle Monroe and his partner Wade got more than they bargained for on their last adventure––an assignment to knock out a powerful terrorist leader in Pakistan. Their new assignment takes them to Romania, a new land with all–too–familiar enemies. Although the men are still haunted by the team–mates they lost in Pakistan, duty comes first, and it's time to put the past behind them, strap on their rifles and go take out some bad guys.

Military snipers are the best in the world at what they do––precision shooting without getting caught. But the skill required to shoot a man from a mile away becomes useless in the densely packed streets of the city that used to be the home of the historical Count Dracula. Finding themselves alone in the dark, foreboding tunnels beneath the notorious Count's former castle, their nerves of steel face the ultimate test. And as they get closer to the men responsible for plotting massive terrorist attacks against the U.S., Kyle and Wade realize that the true evil isn't in crypts or legends, but in the man who can plot the deaths of innocents, and the only solution is a bullet between the eyes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Z. Williamson served for five years in the United States Air Force and five years in the Army National Guard, and has spent eight years in the Air National Guard. He is a competitive shooter who also collects and builds firearms and enjoys recreational parachuting. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006056525X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060565251
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Z. Williamson is retired military, having served twenty-five years in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. He was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Desert Fox. Williamson is a state-ranked competitive shooter in combat rifle and combat pistol. He has consulted on military matters, weapons and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel productions and is Editor-at-Large for Survivalblog, with 300K weekly readers. In addition to these activities, Williamson tests and reviews firearms and gear for manufacturers. Williamson's books set in his Freehold Universe include Freehold, Better to Beg Forgiveness, and Do Unto Others. His novel The Hero - written in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author John Ringo-has reached modern classic status. Williamson was born in England, raised in Liverpool and Toronto, Canada, and now resides in Indianapolis with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting thriller that goes down to the wire, March 7, 2005

By 

Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Targets of Opportunity (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a sequel to the author's earlier (and excellent) "Scope of Justice." The team of Kyle Monroe and Wade Curtis are being sent out again, this time to chastise a ring of terrorists who seem to delight in blowing up children.

The book is slower-paced than "Scope", but but the pacing is perfect for the theme, which is more about the stalk than the kill, and about the obligations of warriors toward the innocents who may be caught in the crossfire. The heroes come across as craftsmen, who care about their work in the world, their obligations both to themselves and to those they protect, and ultimately, to why their jobs are important.

This is a book about winners, and while the ending doesn't have the slam-bang finish of "Scope", the tension level is, if anything much higher. I read the climax with little beads of sweat on my forehead, and it certainly put the normal troubles of daily life (dodging traffic and unreasonable demands) into a new perspective.

A fun book, solid storytelling, and it was muchly worth the time spent reading it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent modern military action, August 6, 2005

By 

Leo Champion (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Targets of Opportunity (Mass Market Paperback)

Halfway between spy and military fiction, Williamson's Target: Terror trilogy is a well-executed and very well-researched set of stories about the 'War on Terror' that avoids making a lot of the mistakes that other writers in the genre have done.

Islamic terrorists weren't rare bad guys in spy/military fiction before 9/11 and, of course, after the attacks they became a lot more common; topicality and all that. Covert missions, espionage, etc. Seeing stories about fighting them isn't rare; seeing those stories done *well*, however, is. Too many authors draw their 'good and evil' lines WAY too clearly: if you're not an All-American Hero you're an Evil Skulking Terrorist. Good-guy Muslims appear as tokens. And the stories are all about technology, not people - more words are spent describing, in loving detail, the weapons and sensors that the main characters are using, than what's going through the main characters' heads as they use them.

Williamson makes none of these mistakes.

Which isn't to say that we're talking about a tremendous amount of moral ambiguity here: Targets of Opportunity is about Good versus Bad, but the good guys are realistic and all the more likeable before it; they're people, not idealized caricactures. The bad guys are scum, but they're plausible scum, not cardboard stereotypes.

The research is as good as anything Clancy's ever done - the difference being that Williamson does it to support the story, and you have the impression that he knows ten times as much as he sees fit to put down. The technology plays a support role to the people using it, which is as it should be.

Plot-wise, Targets of Opportunity is set in modern-day Romania, twelve or fourteen years after the Ceausescu government fell. The setting is well-drawn and the story moves along fast - unlike the first book, The Scope Of Justice, which takes a while to get going. The action is very nicely-done; one car chase scene should be excerpted in textbooks as an example of *exactly* how such things should be done.

Thoroughly recommended; enough military detail to keep technothriller fans happy, but the covert stuff is as nicely-done as anything by LeCarre. I had some doubts with Scope of Justice, but Targets of Opportunity proves that Williamson he can do present-day just as well as his sci-fi, if not better.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced Military Thriller, March 4, 2005

By 

Nathan Balyeat "the MIGHTY ix" (Troy, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Targets of Opportunity (Mass Market Paperback)

Like all of Mr. Williamson's books, this one has fast-paced military action and is one of those books that is hard to put down. I think that this novel is a bit weaker in the character development area than his other books, but compares favorably to any military fiction that I've ever read. The plot is believable, the characters realistic, and the research complete enough that there is no need for the suspension of disbelief that would accompany a typical 'cutting edge secret technology' book. If you like your books to be believable, fast paced, and filled with action, definitely add this one to your collection.