Timebomb by James Barrington
| Timebomb by James Barrington | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Kimberly Saunders
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| Summary: It's part spy thriller and part modern day conspiracy theory as the plot weaves in and out of fiction and modern real life tabloid headlines. We've read better by Barrington and hope this is a blip. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 344 | Date: August 2008 |
| Publisher: Macmillan | |
| ISBN: 978-0230014732 | |
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Time Bomb starts off well enough as a by the numbers thriller with an added twist early on. While the protagonist is maverick British agent Richter, in the beginning we first meet a junior CIA agent named Kellerman, who is assigned to debrief a deep cover agent on a super secret project code named Viper. When the CIA limo driver assassinates Kellerman after the debriefing, in order to reduce the number of people who know, it's obvious that whatever this is, its black ops even by CIA standards. Cue jumping to London where British spook Richter is sent to Geneva after police are told of a terrorist cell operating from an apartment building, somehow linked to a proposed 'big one in London'. It's all by the numbers again until they are doublecrossed. Just who is this mysterious tipster, and why is he tipping ff the police AND the terrorist cells?
It requires a suspension of belief that the more cynical of us will have no trouble achieving. It's part spy thriller and part modern day conspiracy theory as the plot weaves in and out of fiction and modern real life tabloid headlines. It's no James Bond novel, so if you are looking for suave agents with gorgeous girls in exotic locations, this is not it. There are no gadgets and definitely no Cold War era thriller type counter agents, but we do get plenty of the gritty, labyrinthine world of underground cells here. We also get plenty of action as one would hope for in a thriller, with chases, explosions, and firefights as well. So, if you like your plots fast paced, with modern day relevancy to current political issues, this may appeal, but if on the other hand, you prefer glamour, intrigue, or intellectual Cold War type thrillers, this may not suit.
For a real page turner featuring, spies, lies, action and adventure we can recommend Typhoon by Charles Cumming.
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