What’s in a Name?

Titles for one’s writing are about the easiest thing about the art and the craft, as I see it. Titles, subtitles, and names of characters. In the book I’m about to start reading in a few minutes, the Contents page lists four parts to the novel. With the book’s title of The Cobra, these parts’ titles are COIL, HISS, STRIKE, and VENOM. What ingenious imagination and mathematical and poetic acumen! Time out now for getting the reading started.

This is yesterday’s tomorrow now. Last night I read through the COIL part of Frederick Forsyth’s The Cobra. It is more telling than showing right now, but much needed explanation. The plot concerns the drug traffic over the world with the two big markets for Colombian cocaine being the United States and Europe. The people of most countries can’t afford it. Many users in America can’t afford it either. That’s why they rob and steal, and even murder. The same must be true in Europe.

So, the president of the USA, obviously Barack Obama, has a silver-haired retired under-cover agent take on the task of ridding the world of these drug lords and dealers. The man spends a few weeks studying the problem before he accepts the job. Then he asks for two billion dollars for the endeavor and the president doesn’t seem to hesitate in allotting it.

Just imagine spending ten minutes reading the detailed ten-page report on the drug situation and when offered a copy to keep, the man’s saying, “I don’t need it. I’ve memorized it.” He has also memorized the three telephone numbers on a business card and returns it to the one whose numbers they are. That’s the sort of brain the Cobra has. He will now spend a longer time making specific plans to execute the assignment, with several demands on the president with regard to accessing information from any agency of government and sealed lips from all concerned.

Now I’m ready for the hissing. I don’t plan to tell you any more of the story except to add Cobra says he will carry out his mission on the water. I think this book will be recommended reading.

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