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Paul Richter #8
Understrike
An earth-shattering plot, a race against time
Russia has developed a new offensive capability. It's devastating and, above all, secret. The world would be remade.
But when a corpse turns up on the remote Arctic island of Svalbard, it soon becomes clear this was no accidental death. The body has been flagged by secret services and before long Paul Richter is sent, covertly, to investigate.
Meeting old friends, he plunges into a breakneck chase taking him from the frozen North to the rocky islands and blazing sun of the Azores. The stakes have never been higher. This time Richter is truly on edge, working at the limits of global survival...
Frightening in scale and plausibility, based on the most up-to-date science and intelligence, this is the most gripping Paul Richter thriller yet. Perfect for fans of James Phelan, Chris Ryan and Andy McNab.
- GenresThriller
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2018
32 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
James Barrington
45 books76 followersI also write as Max Adams, James Becker, Tom Kasey, Thomas Payne and Jack Steel.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 22, 2023
What would James Bond be like if you took away the fancy gadgets, the martini and replaced the elegant suit with jeans and a sweater? You might have never asked yourself this question, but nonetheless, Paul Richter is the answer.
Not Paul.
Of course, the biggest difference between James and Paul is the fact that the latter one does not have a multitude of movies to his name. And James has, by far, the nicer boss, while Paul has to deal with Richard Simpson, who's as charismatic as a donkey. Luckily, that doesn't keep Paul from saving the day again and again.
What really sets this two British agents apart is the level of realism. Granted, in the Richter books, there are always high stakes, but that's the name of the game. James Bond might use a motorcycle to jump into a falling aircraft to recover it from falling, but Paul will never do that due to the fact that the realism regarding details is much higher in those novels than in any James Bond movie.
More realism, less impossible action. Take it or leave it.
Personally, I like the fact that James - Barrington, this time - likes to detail everything and tries to be as authentic as possible. His own expertise in the military shines through, and his books usually contain an appendix detailing some of the research that went into the book.
Of course, that's also a point of critique, because in his eagerness to describe stuff, James tends to overuse his expositions a little bit. It's alright with me, but might sit wrong with other people, hence the half star reduction for the rating.
*****
Nevertheless, 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you like solid thrillers, you can't go wrong with the Paul Richter series.
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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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Not Paul.
Of course, the biggest difference between James and Paul is the fact that the latter one does not have a multitude of movies to his name. And James has, by far, the nicer boss, while Paul has to deal with Richard Simpson, who's as charismatic as a donkey. Luckily, that doesn't keep Paul from saving the day again and again.
What really sets this two British agents apart is the level of realism. Granted, in the Richter books, there are always high stakes, but that's the name of the game. James Bond might use a motorcycle to jump into a falling aircraft to recover it from falling, but Paul will never do that due to the fact that the realism regarding details is much higher in those novels than in any James Bond movie.
More realism, less impossible action. Take it or leave it.
Personally, I like the fact that James - Barrington, this time - likes to detail everything and tries to be as authentic as possible. His own expertise in the military shines through, and his books usually contain an appendix detailing some of the research that went into the book.
Of course, that's also a point of critique, because in his eagerness to describe stuff, James tends to overuse his expositions a little bit. It's alright with me, but might sit wrong with other people, hence the half star reduction for the rating.
*****
Nevertheless, 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you like solid thrillers, you can't go wrong with the Paul Richter series.
******************************
Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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October 8, 2018
I’m a big fan of the author’s thrillers featuring Paul Richter and his sarcastic boss Simpson. A great double act. They are part of a small unit within British Intelligence and Richter is very much a talented blunt instrument with very little respect for authority or due process.
Here, Richter is sent to watch and observe when a CIA agent is killed in a Norwegian arctic township. Before long he gets involved with the CIA to extract a Russian mole who has intelligence on a secret Russian plot to neutralise the US.
I was never not going to enjoy this, Richter is a brilliant character (“almost” a U.K. version of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp) and as always any scenes with him and Simpson are a joy. As indeed are any scenes with Richter interacting with anyone. When the pace kicks is in this is excellent, the CIA are pleasantly shown as competent and nice to see countries like Norway and Portugal also being shown in a positive light. The only time the book slows up is when it gets too bogged down in detail, there is a bit of techno-babble which puts a slight brake of the pace and excitement. There also seems a slight plot flaw (don’t think this is a spoiler) that the Russian plan is secret and deniable. When it is discovered, all the good guys had to do was contact the Russians and suggest that they would launch nukes in the event of a perceived attack?
Here, Richter is sent to watch and observe when a CIA agent is killed in a Norwegian arctic township. Before long he gets involved with the CIA to extract a Russian mole who has intelligence on a secret Russian plot to neutralise the US.
I was never not going to enjoy this, Richter is a brilliant character (“almost” a U.K. version of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp) and as always any scenes with him and Simpson are a joy. As indeed are any scenes with Richter interacting with anyone. When the pace kicks is in this is excellent, the CIA are pleasantly shown as competent and nice to see countries like Norway and Portugal also being shown in a positive light. The only time the book slows up is when it gets too bogged down in detail, there is a bit of techno-babble which puts a slight brake of the pace and excitement. There also seems a slight plot flaw (don’t think this is a spoiler) that the Russian plan is secret and deniable. When it is discovered, all the good guys had to do was contact the Russians and suggest that they would launch nukes in the event of a perceived attack?
January 31, 2019
Having read all the Paul Richter thrillers since his original debut in Overkill (Manhunt was published as a prequel later) and enjoyed them all to some extent, I really wanted to like Understrike. Especially since I had been rather underwhelmed by Insurrection, which lacked real energy and felt like a Paul Richter thriller in which Richter himself was rather surplus to requirements. I wanted Understrike to be a return to form for both the series and the character.
Unfortunately, Understrike continues the trend of being 'okay, but not great' set by Insurrection. Admittedly Richter is far more front-and-centre in this novel and it doesn't feel like Barrington is having to work quite as hard as he did in the previous book to find a legitimate reason for him to remain involved in events. However, as with Insurrection the plot Richter finds himself caught up in never becomes really gripping.
Yes, its relatively clever (although it sails perilously close to laughable implausibility at times) but at no point does Understrike become the sort of thriller you can't put down. Events don't flow in such a way that your attention is firmly held. The narrative is too episodic, and there's an excess of factual information that is inelegantly inserted into the prose. As a result I found myself repeatedly pulled out of the story as narrative momentum stalled, making it all too easy to put the book down.
It doesn't help that Barrington's weaknesses as an author are also on full display throughout the novel. Characters remain gossamer thin, making them hard to care about. Even Richter remains something of a cypher, eight novels into the series, and the fact that I could barely recall his returning 'love interest', CIA Officer Jackson, from her appearance in Payback says it all about how memorably she had been drawn. Their romantic relationship, such as it is, also lacks any genuine spark, and it feels as if Barrington is simply going through the motions by including it, allowing him to tick a box marked 'perfunctory sexual encounter', like he's fulfilling a mandatory requirement for this type of novel.
The dialogue on offer feels as flat and perfunctory as the sex, with everyone speaking in clipped, automaton-like sentences, and being incredibly efficient and professional at all times. At no point does anyone speak in a way that feels natural or imbued with human warmth. Even the few attempts at humour feel flat and emotionless.
None of that would matter greatly however, if the central story was sufficiently compelling to make up for the book's other weaknesses. However, with a plot that never really get's up to sufficient speed or engenders a great enough sense of suspense to truly grab and hold the reader's attention, Understrike just sort of rumbles along to its underwhelming conclusion. Its not terrible, just rather ordinary and nothing more than 'okay'.
Unfortunately, Understrike continues the trend of being 'okay, but not great' set by Insurrection. Admittedly Richter is far more front-and-centre in this novel and it doesn't feel like Barrington is having to work quite as hard as he did in the previous book to find a legitimate reason for him to remain involved in events. However, as with Insurrection the plot Richter finds himself caught up in never becomes really gripping.
Yes, its relatively clever (although it sails perilously close to laughable implausibility at times) but at no point does Understrike become the sort of thriller you can't put down. Events don't flow in such a way that your attention is firmly held. The narrative is too episodic, and there's an excess of factual information that is inelegantly inserted into the prose. As a result I found myself repeatedly pulled out of the story as narrative momentum stalled, making it all too easy to put the book down.
It doesn't help that Barrington's weaknesses as an author are also on full display throughout the novel. Characters remain gossamer thin, making them hard to care about. Even Richter remains something of a cypher, eight novels into the series, and the fact that I could barely recall his returning 'love interest', CIA Officer Jackson, from her appearance in Payback says it all about how memorably she had been drawn. Their romantic relationship, such as it is, also lacks any genuine spark, and it feels as if Barrington is simply going through the motions by including it, allowing him to tick a box marked 'perfunctory sexual encounter', like he's fulfilling a mandatory requirement for this type of novel.
The dialogue on offer feels as flat and perfunctory as the sex, with everyone speaking in clipped, automaton-like sentences, and being incredibly efficient and professional at all times. At no point does anyone speak in a way that feels natural or imbued with human warmth. Even the few attempts at humour feel flat and emotionless.
None of that would matter greatly however, if the central story was sufficiently compelling to make up for the book's other weaknesses. However, with a plot that never really get's up to sufficient speed or engenders a great enough sense of suspense to truly grab and hold the reader's attention, Understrike just sort of rumbles along to its underwhelming conclusion. Its not terrible, just rather ordinary and nothing more than 'okay'.
October 15, 2018
Above average spy thriller! Well worth a read.
January 27, 2019
One of my favourite authors. great story , interesting all the way through
July 9, 2022
Barrington at his Best
An interesting story with Richter, as always, the super sleuth. A lot of the story has factual background. On to the next one.
An interesting story with Richter, as always, the super sleuth. A lot of the story has factual background. On to the next one.
October 27, 2018
Excellent
The series keeps getting better. A book you can't put down. A lot of action and suspense. Hope the next one comes out soon.
The series keeps getting better. A book you can't put down. A lot of action and suspense. Hope the next one comes out soon.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews