Follow Here To Purchase Cooper's Promise

Author: Timothy Jay Smith

ISBN: 978-1-4620-8408-1

Publisher: iUniverse

Timothy Jay Smith's Cooper's Promise: A Novel is an intriguing potpourri of themes that include a compassionate vision of tragedy and suffering, human trafficking, child prostitution, gay love, blackmail, sexual harassment in the military, diamond dealing and terrorism, CIA shenanigans, and promises made and kept, even if it involves assassination. It is also a novel that beneath its surface swirls with elements that become more disturbing the closer you look. One caveat, however, if you suffer from homophobia- a negative attitude or feeling towards homosexuality, then this novel is not for you. Although, it should be mentioned that Smith deals with this sensitive subject with masterful taste and eloquent intensity.

Smith's protagonist, Sergeant Cooper Chance, first-class Sharpshooter First Class, is a deserter from Iraq and is left with little choice then to escape to the fictitious African country of Lalanga to become a mercenary, a place of extreme misery and squalor, where the authorities commit atrocities and where hopelessness reigns. It is also a country known for its diamond mines that are the personal fiefdom of Colonel Diamond, the country's megalomaniac leader, and woe to anyone that is caught pilfering from these mines or even purchases stolen diamonds. It should be noted that Colonel Diamond shot his way to power, yet lost his own rigged election, only to be sworn into office by a Supreme Court he had appointed.

In addition to valuable diamonds, geologists have confirmed that Lalanga has a great deal of oil and its oil fields likely would surpass Iraq-something that has caught the attention of the Americans and the CIA. Wherever there is oil, the Americans are not too far behind in making sure that they are on the right side of whomever rules the country. As for the Diamonds, a portion usually ends up funding genocidal wars and international terrorism.

Lalanga is also known for is the rampant trade in human trafficking, particularly the purchasing and selling of children for purposes of prostitution, as if they were cattle. Sergeant Chance befriends one of these child prostitutes, Lulay, who is forced to pry her trade in a saloon owned and operated by the nefarious Juma, someone who couldn't care less about the horrendous crime of child trafficking. Lulay reminds Cooper of his step-sister Becky, who was molested by his perverted father and promises Lulay that he will free her from slavery.

To survive, Cooper trades in stolen diamonds that he purchases from a blind boy, who, at enormous danger to himself, manages to steal a few from the mines. These diamonds are resold by Cooper to a Lebanese middleman, Mazen al-Basma. During one of his business encounters, Cooper meets and is immediately smitten with Mazen's son Sadiq al-Basma, who has just returned from a one year sojourn in Lebanon.

Close on the heels of Cooper is CIA agent Sam Brown who, after tracking him down to Lalanga, informs him that the CIA is very interested in his sharp shooting skills, as he never missed a target while serving in Iraq. They would like to make a deal with him that would enable him to return to the USA without being incarcerated. Cooper wonders who is the target and why are the Americans interested in eliminating him? Will there be any extenuating circumstances that would influence Cooper in perhaps thinking about selling his soul to the devil? And what about his true love Sadiq? Where does he fit into the plot?

What I found a trifle disappointing about this novel is the underdevelopment of the plot's tension. I kept on asking myself where the story was going, as the action only picked up around the half way point. Perhaps expanding the novel from its two hundred and eight pages would have done the trick. Nonetheless, I must commend Smith for his facility with language and his keen photographic eye creating a superb sense of place where the misery, squalor and desperation that envelopes this fictitious country are expertly evoked, and probably could have been any ruined African country as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Moreover, he has crafted realistic flesh and blood characters, not just a loose crowd of cartoon destitute folk.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Timothy Jay Smith