Unrequited justice can light the fuse to a mental time bomb. Later or sooner depending on how long the nerve cord is, revenge provokes critical mass and a—mental eruption—finally occurs. The Target by Bill Bowen is such a tale. Because of unspeakable sorrow over the death of his wife due to two  suicide bombers, a young recently wed husband sidesteps issues of personal morality and metes out his own punishment under the guise of  justice.

While exiting a train on track 11 in Chicago’s Union Station, the shock wave from a huge bomb blast that killed many transit riders and injured dozens more, slams over Mike’s wife. Initially, as Mike reached out to her, she appeared okay. But the concussive wave was so severe that it damaged his wife’s brain. The youthful woman dies in the hospital. But in The Target, clever author Bowen records heruntimely death thus: “At 8:30 p.m. on December 21, Mike Curran’s life ended.”

Initially, Mike Curran mourns very deeply. But the senselessness of the demise of his young wife begins to mount especially when the planner of the bomb attack admits his guilt and seeks a press publicity pulpit through the regular American trial-by-jury system. This killer, knowing he’ll receive the death sentence, wishes to be a loudspeaker martyr for the radical Muslim cause. Mike and his closest friend Karl with whom he served in Iraq, plan to end this travesty.

The two men plan the assassination of the Union Station bomber to silence his loud political voice before the world and the American public even hears it. They will not allow him to become a ranting martyr. As a twosome, they follow his daily coming and going at the Courthouse. Because Karl is such a precision shot, he kills the man instantly as he sits in a van waiting to be escorted into the courthouse building.

Now, Mike and Karl begin the second part of their plan. Since the major governments of the world seem unable to prevent radical bombings, these two men and their cohorts will demonstrate to the crazies of the radical Muslim world, the absolute power that a small group of free individuals can assemble, who justify their actions by conscience rather than some distorted political, religious tenets.

Their plan is to somehow acquire the components and expertise necessary to construct and then detonate a powerful warhead in the Saudi desert safely distant from Mecca. Their hope is to accomplish this during the time of year when thousands of people make their sacred Haij journey to the Holy Ka’ba. The horrendous explosion might serve as a deterrence to the Muslim world that it needs to eliminate from its own ranks, those who wrongfully go about the world in the name of Allah seeking power and domination.

If you are seeking a read that is not only fascinating, but also educational, The Target is an excellent book to read. It explains how the teachings of the Koran, often beautiful, moving verses, are dramatically changed and used by radicals to warrant holy war (Jihad).

It will show how inappropriately interpreted religious ideals could inadvertently lead one nation to misunderstand another, rather than join with it in a common sense of brotherhood and peace. I would surely recommend The Target to any reader, particularly to college and high school students because it presents so many critical issues for discussion.