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Max Flynn #2
Atom Bomb Angel
A plot by terrorists to blow up the nuclear plants in Britain involves the disapperance of the head of that country's atomic energy program. Max Flynn must find him but he has to compete with something or someone called Operation Angel. And then there is the KGB.
Unknown Binding
First published January 14, 1983
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324 people want to read
About the author
Peter James
244 books3,649 followersPeter James is a global bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 21 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 23 million copies to date and has been translated into 38 languages.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 22, 2016
This is Peter's second novel that was published in 1982 and was reissued in 2015 featuring a brand new foreword by the author. Atom Bomb Angel is a thriller about terrorists who plan to sabotage Britain's nuclear power stations. Can Max Flynn of MI5 stop their plan?
So what can a book written over 30 years ago offer readers today? Very little, I am afraid. I have enjoyed Peter's other books but I found Atom Bomb Angel to be a big let down. Okay, early on in this novel it is quite cute reading about how things used to be, for example...
In one corner of the state room was a twenty-six-inch Bang and Olufsen colour television set, and next to it was a matching B & O stereo.
The only stitch of clothing on her entire body was a minute bikini bottom, either side of the front of which sprouted thick black tufts of hair.
I caught up with Ethel, the back-marker of the cars, going around Swiss Cottage; Ethel was a brown Morris Ital. I overtook Ethel and sat behind Mavis, a mustard Chrysler Horizon. That's one thing about the security services - they always buy British cars. Anyone worried about being tailed by MI5 can relax if he sees foreign cars behind him. We headed onto the M1, and the traffic was thin. About half a mile ahead, I could see Sheila, a navy Ford Escort.
... But the writing does not shine as it does in Peter's later novels. The plot is poor and dated, more like an old television police drama called The Sweeney. Character development is slim and Max Flynn is a poor man's James Bond. The idealism of the terrorists is not fully explored. Yes, there is action but it is rather comic book and lacks bite. There is nothing clever about this novel and it lacks a WOW! factor. I found it a drag to read. It lacked realism and was frustrating how people popped up in all the right places to help Max Flynn in his quest. What was more puzzling was, bearing in mind how different book publishing was in the 1980's - how did this POOR novel gain a publishing deal?
I was really disappointed with Atom Bomb Angel and was surprised that Pan Books reissued it. Sorry but this POOR read only gets 2 stars from me. There was however one dark, thought provoking idea put forward. What if a radioactive discharge took place and the public was never told?
Atom Bomb Angel has been republished in 2015 and has 323 pages.
So what can a book written over 30 years ago offer readers today? Very little, I am afraid. I have enjoyed Peter's other books but I found Atom Bomb Angel to be a big let down. Okay, early on in this novel it is quite cute reading about how things used to be, for example...
In one corner of the state room was a twenty-six-inch Bang and Olufsen colour television set, and next to it was a matching B & O stereo.
The only stitch of clothing on her entire body was a minute bikini bottom, either side of the front of which sprouted thick black tufts of hair.
I caught up with Ethel, the back-marker of the cars, going around Swiss Cottage; Ethel was a brown Morris Ital. I overtook Ethel and sat behind Mavis, a mustard Chrysler Horizon. That's one thing about the security services - they always buy British cars. Anyone worried about being tailed by MI5 can relax if he sees foreign cars behind him. We headed onto the M1, and the traffic was thin. About half a mile ahead, I could see Sheila, a navy Ford Escort.
... But the writing does not shine as it does in Peter's later novels. The plot is poor and dated, more like an old television police drama called The Sweeney. Character development is slim and Max Flynn is a poor man's James Bond. The idealism of the terrorists is not fully explored. Yes, there is action but it is rather comic book and lacks bite. There is nothing clever about this novel and it lacks a WOW! factor. I found it a drag to read. It lacked realism and was frustrating how people popped up in all the right places to help Max Flynn in his quest. What was more puzzling was, bearing in mind how different book publishing was in the 1980's - how did this POOR novel gain a publishing deal?
I was really disappointed with Atom Bomb Angel and was surprised that Pan Books reissued it. Sorry but this POOR read only gets 2 stars from me. There was however one dark, thought provoking idea put forward. What if a radioactive discharge took place and the public was never told?
Atom Bomb Angel has been republished in 2015 and has 323 pages.
September 2, 2023
Not sure how I feel about this book, I like the story line but I think it could have been written better. Did get confused at times. The ending wasn’t what I expected and the volcanoes solving all the problems seemed a little easy. Got confused between the characters and how everything was linking. Much prefer his later stuff
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2015
Tried to me to much like James Bond and lost some credibility
May 29, 2015
I'm a big fan of this author. His Roy Grace series is just excellent and during the thirst of waiting for the next installment, it has been great re-discovering his wonderful backlist but I wasn't massively enamoured over this Bond-esque early re-issue. Its an easy enough read and is interesting in parts, but I am glad of the length it was.
May 22, 2015
I got mixed up between the characters!!! Disliked the story!! Sorry Peter.... :(
March 17, 2025
3.4 ⭐️
Some great parts
The opening scene is excellent, immediately drawing the reader into a tense situation. The story begins aboard a train on a long journey where protagonist Max Flynn shares a carriage with four other men, one asleep, one reading, one picking his nose, and one staring out of the window. Flynn knows one of them is trying to kill him but doesn’t know which one, setting up a strong mystery and sense of suspense.
The story structure works well, flashing back to reveal the events that led to the train scene before returning to the present for an action-packed conclusion.
The action parts are fantastic, especially just after the opening when the story is being set, where a man tries to secretly warn Flynn about “Operation Angel” in a bathroom but is brutally murdered before revealing too much. This is immediately followed by a high-speed car chase, keeping the tension high.
The plot involves a group of terrorists planning to sabotage multiple power plants, causing radiation leaks that would wipe out entire countries, they use honey traps to manipulate key male leaders to help them. A significant nuclear expert tells Max Flynn and his team how he thinks they will succeed in their mission and the adventure begins to attempt to stop them.
Some parts are particularly tense and well executed, such as when Flynn has to hide under an airplane toilet for hours or when he sneaks into a car, concealing himself under a blanket. I also enjoyed how it included the royal family, the queen, the queen's mother, Phillip, the prince and princess of Wales and their son getting to safety disguised in a bakery van as it drove them to a bunker sheltered from radiation exposure.
The ending is also very strong, with twists and well-written complex characters.
However, at times, the book gets too political and the scientific details felt overly complex in places, making some sections harder to engage with. Also, the book loses momentum with too much unnecessary sexual content. Flynn’s numerous encounters with female agents, despite being in a relationship, along with odd, out-of-place anecdotes about their sex lives, add nothing to the plot and felt cringe-worthy. This aspect of the story seems aimed at a misogynistic male target audience and is likely to put off many readers, especially women.
I liked that the author stated after this book he always traveled to the places he wrote about in his book and experienced experiences the characters he writes about do such as being buried alive. For a first book by Peter James written in 1982 it was very impressive.
Some great parts
The opening scene is excellent, immediately drawing the reader into a tense situation. The story begins aboard a train on a long journey where protagonist Max Flynn shares a carriage with four other men, one asleep, one reading, one picking his nose, and one staring out of the window. Flynn knows one of them is trying to kill him but doesn’t know which one, setting up a strong mystery and sense of suspense.
The story structure works well, flashing back to reveal the events that led to the train scene before returning to the present for an action-packed conclusion.
The action parts are fantastic, especially just after the opening when the story is being set, where a man tries to secretly warn Flynn about “Operation Angel” in a bathroom but is brutally murdered before revealing too much. This is immediately followed by a high-speed car chase, keeping the tension high.
The plot involves a group of terrorists planning to sabotage multiple power plants, causing radiation leaks that would wipe out entire countries, they use honey traps to manipulate key male leaders to help them. A significant nuclear expert tells Max Flynn and his team how he thinks they will succeed in their mission and the adventure begins to attempt to stop them.
Some parts are particularly tense and well executed, such as when Flynn has to hide under an airplane toilet for hours or when he sneaks into a car, concealing himself under a blanket. I also enjoyed how it included the royal family, the queen, the queen's mother, Phillip, the prince and princess of Wales and their son getting to safety disguised in a bakery van as it drove them to a bunker sheltered from radiation exposure.
The ending is also very strong, with twists and well-written complex characters.
However, at times, the book gets too political and the scientific details felt overly complex in places, making some sections harder to engage with. Also, the book loses momentum with too much unnecessary sexual content. Flynn’s numerous encounters with female agents, despite being in a relationship, along with odd, out-of-place anecdotes about their sex lives, add nothing to the plot and felt cringe-worthy. This aspect of the story seems aimed at a misogynistic male target audience and is likely to put off many readers, especially women.
I liked that the author stated after this book he always traveled to the places he wrote about in his book and experienced experiences the characters he writes about do such as being buried alive. For a first book by Peter James written in 1982 it was very impressive.
September 30, 2024
Peter James is a cracking author, but his early stuff isn’t his best. That’s okay though, and I still quite like to read it because it reminds me that everyone starts somewhere and that there’s plenty of scope for improvement.
I’m not saying that Atom Bomb Angel is a bad book, but it does feel like a James Bond knockoff by someone who would love to be Ian Fleming but who’s never worked in espionage and hasn’t got the memo that Bond is a sexist dick. Of course, the age of the book also contributes to that effect, because some of the attitudes (and the technology) feel dated.
I actually think that one of my favourite aspects of the book was the foreword, because James talked about his approach to researching and writing books and how he made the decision early on to never write about something unless he’d experienced it himself, bar death. He does the same thing with locations because he was once asked what it was like in a country he’d never visited.
He also mentions that when he was writing this book, he contacted the press secretary of a British nuclear power plant and chatted to a chap called Terry Pratchett. Both of them were unknown authors at the time, but it’s cool to think that two of my favourites happened to have that conversation way back when.
Other than that, there’s not too much to say about this book. It’s competent enough but not exactly exceptional, and I doubt I’ll think about it again anytime soon. That’s a shame in some ways, because I get the feeling that James wrote it in such a way that he hoped it would be thought-provoking and generate discussion. Maybe it did that twenty years ago, but not so much today.
I’m not saying that Atom Bomb Angel is a bad book, but it does feel like a James Bond knockoff by someone who would love to be Ian Fleming but who’s never worked in espionage and hasn’t got the memo that Bond is a sexist dick. Of course, the age of the book also contributes to that effect, because some of the attitudes (and the technology) feel dated.
I actually think that one of my favourite aspects of the book was the foreword, because James talked about his approach to researching and writing books and how he made the decision early on to never write about something unless he’d experienced it himself, bar death. He does the same thing with locations because he was once asked what it was like in a country he’d never visited.
He also mentions that when he was writing this book, he contacted the press secretary of a British nuclear power plant and chatted to a chap called Terry Pratchett. Both of them were unknown authors at the time, but it’s cool to think that two of my favourites happened to have that conversation way back when.
Other than that, there’s not too much to say about this book. It’s competent enough but not exactly exceptional, and I doubt I’ll think about it again anytime soon. That’s a shame in some ways, because I get the feeling that James wrote it in such a way that he hoped it would be thought-provoking and generate discussion. Maybe it did that twenty years ago, but not so much today.
October 19, 2021
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there"
It seems strange reading this in 2021. Such writing would simply be unacceptable in the 21st century. The shear level of racism, homophobia and sexism is hard to believe. But yes this was what was acceptable in the early 80s.
Sadly let down by a few factual errors. Tridents did not fly as far as South Africa and as there is only a one hour time difference you did not suffer from "jet lag". Also carbon dioxide is heavier than air - anyone who has seen the effects of dry ice in theatres knows that!
However the analysis of what would happen to a nuclear reactor if the core explodes quite accurately describes what actually happened 4 years later in Chernobyl and in 2011 in Fukashima.
This book also helps to explain why the UK turned away from nuclear power in the 80s. It picks up quite well the concerns of the day. For those in 2021 who think that nuclear is the answer to energy price rises and climate change they really need to consider the massive risks.
As for the plot - lots of action. Clearly written by someone in their early life (actually earl 30s) with a bit of a one track mind.
An interesting insight (and reminder for those of us old enough) to the backdrop of life in the early 80s.
It seems strange reading this in 2021. Such writing would simply be unacceptable in the 21st century. The shear level of racism, homophobia and sexism is hard to believe. But yes this was what was acceptable in the early 80s.
Sadly let down by a few factual errors. Tridents did not fly as far as South Africa and as there is only a one hour time difference you did not suffer from "jet lag". Also carbon dioxide is heavier than air - anyone who has seen the effects of dry ice in theatres knows that!
However the analysis of what would happen to a nuclear reactor if the core explodes quite accurately describes what actually happened 4 years later in Chernobyl and in 2011 in Fukashima.
This book also helps to explain why the UK turned away from nuclear power in the 80s. It picks up quite well the concerns of the day. For those in 2021 who think that nuclear is the answer to energy price rises and climate change they really need to consider the massive risks.
As for the plot - lots of action. Clearly written by someone in their early life (actually earl 30s) with a bit of a one track mind.
An interesting insight (and reminder for those of us old enough) to the backdrop of life in the early 80s.
September 9, 2024
Rating 2
Found this to be a disappointing read for me. I have read a couple of the authors other titles and enjoyed them, so when I saw this very early novel thought it would be an interesting read.
The plot wasn’t bad and should have held the readers interest . It felt familiar tbh and back when it was first published there were any number of books and movies featuring the mix of terrorist plots/foreign spy’s/nuclear fears. So for the time it would have been on topic so to speak.
The execution is where it fell down for me. The almost constant switching of location, time or pov felt very disjointed …. I think his writing just wasn’t good enough at the time to pull off what he was attempting.
The characters are fairly standard for this type of genre novel, the main one who was intended to be a series lead wasn’t terrible , just under cooked perhaps ? The body count also seems very high, if the tone had been more black comedy perhaps it would have been more fun. Not sure tbh.
Overall then for me disappointing read. Not terrible but not one for me.
Found this to be a disappointing read for me. I have read a couple of the authors other titles and enjoyed them, so when I saw this very early novel thought it would be an interesting read.
The plot wasn’t bad and should have held the readers interest . It felt familiar tbh and back when it was first published there were any number of books and movies featuring the mix of terrorist plots/foreign spy’s/nuclear fears. So for the time it would have been on topic so to speak.
The execution is where it fell down for me. The almost constant switching of location, time or pov felt very disjointed …. I think his writing just wasn’t good enough at the time to pull off what he was attempting.
The characters are fairly standard for this type of genre novel, the main one who was intended to be a series lead wasn’t terrible , just under cooked perhaps ? The body count also seems very high, if the tone had been more black comedy perhaps it would have been more fun. Not sure tbh.
Overall then for me disappointing read. Not terrible but not one for me.
March 17, 2021
Max Flynn looks glum on the second last page of this book and says that he didn’t like how things ended, as he failed. Though Fifeshire assured him that he didn’t fail, I agree with Max. He went to a whole lot of trouble, tailing people undetected by a master plan, running around on empty stomach and upsetting a girlfriend who has no name but a nickname, not to forget hijacking a Russian aeroplane by hiding in its toilet tank, stealing three French helicopters, a tractor and an armoured truck, visiting a Namibian mine and killing a party member on his land, in addition to numerous others, and taking risks on his life in many a movie-worthy stunt, only to find out that in the end it was the timely eruption of two volcanoes that averted the danger! Poor Max. I feel you.
Other things that didn’t sit well with me:
* the usage of the word negro, not just when a character uses it to stay true to himself- even Max Flynn uses the word to describe black men. I felt an undertone of racism somewhere.
* no sense whatsoever of fidelity- the whole of the West is in danger of nuclear explosion and Max is busy screwing an old friend in a train to Canada.
* KGB is terrorist but their British and American counterparts aren’t! To be fair to the author, he tries to bring in just about everybody from PLO, Gaddafi, IRA, SWAPO and a private German company. It’s one thing to blame things on fictional characters and quite something else to make fictional claims of nuclear war on ACTUAL people and organisations!
In short, no more Peter James for me. I am done. Bye.
Other things that didn’t sit well with me:
* the usage of the word negro, not just when a character uses it to stay true to himself- even Max Flynn uses the word to describe black men. I felt an undertone of racism somewhere.
* no sense whatsoever of fidelity- the whole of the West is in danger of nuclear explosion and Max is busy screwing an old friend in a train to Canada.
* KGB is terrorist but their British and American counterparts aren’t! To be fair to the author, he tries to bring in just about everybody from PLO, Gaddafi, IRA, SWAPO and a private German company. It’s one thing to blame things on fictional characters and quite something else to make fictional claims of nuclear war on ACTUAL people and organisations!
In short, no more Peter James for me. I am done. Bye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2017
Normally a fan of Peter James but this is definitely not as good as his recent books. Story is built around power stations I found he tried to bombard with too many facts about power stations rather than build on the detail of the story. Painfully slow but glad to finish it to move onto a better book.
September 23, 2017
This book was marked "vintage" and some of the things were indeed clearly dated. However, I really enjoyed the writing! The characters were described vividly. There was more emphasis on that than on specific methods of torture or whatever seems to be the norm in today's books.
The story was still scary - I suppose that the things said in the book are true today...
The story was still scary - I suppose that the things said in the book are true today...
July 16, 2018
This is a great book! Pacy, racy, and sometimes lacy the action and story just keep on going. I found it a difficult book to put down as there was always something happening. Even though some of the feats seem incredible they all add to the story; much like watching a James Bond movie. If you like action with a bit of having to use your grey matter this is for you.
January 6, 2020
Parts of this book indicate racist and misogynistic attitudes and language attributed to characters. This makes for uncomfortable reading and it seems shocking that such racist language was acceptable in 1982 when originally published let alone in 2015 when reissued.
If you enjoy the later detective stories you may wish to avoid reading this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2016
I really enjoyed the premise of this book, the second to include the character in a role of espionage. The interesting aspect is that we have moved past the tensions between nations shown there, to a new position in the world. It is good to revisit memories of a past that no longer is.
October 2, 2017
I found this Peter James novel quite dull for the vast majority of it. There were some shocking statistics about the dangers of nuclear power but I struggled to be interested in the characters as there are so many.
April 6, 2020
I'm normally a big fan of Peter James, but this book was very disappointing. I've often found that earlier books by famous authors seem amateuristic. This one certainly was. A sure sign of a boring book is when I fall asleep whilst reading them. So boring, in fact, that I didn't finish it.
August 28, 2021
Has taken a long time to read. Slightly better than the very first max Flynn but still not as good as the Roy grace series. This book is a little all over the place and confusing at times, making it quite hard to follow and a hard read.
March 16, 2025
I would have rated this lower if I didn’t allow for the fact it was one of Peter James’s first books and I enjoy the later Grace novels.
Ludicrous plot full of holes and the most ridiculous hero. I guess these sexiest shallow characters were ok in 1982
Ludicrous plot full of holes and the most ridiculous hero. I guess these sexiest shallow characters were ok in 1982
June 18, 2017
Interesting premise, but... I couldn't keep up with who is who. The POV keeps changing from 1st person to 3rd person, and... just not my cup of tea.
August 31, 2018
Not his best book!
Read
September 3, 2018I love Peter James but just couldn’t get into this one sadly
November 19, 2019
An entertaining read - but not any where near as good as his more recent crime fiction.
April 19, 2020
Interesting enough. Good characters and a surprising ending, however some of it just felt a little too convenient and easy. And the end result about what is what is a little confusing to me.
May 7, 2020
1.5/5
July 13, 2020
an awful book
December 14, 2020
Not pleasant reading
January 11, 2021
God I struggled with this book. You can tell it’s the authors early work and I can see potential in his writing. However, the story just didn’t do anything for me.
April 2, 2021
Really enjoyable.
June 9, 2021
Not an enjoyable read. Much better things were to come from Mr James's pen (keyboard).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews