'Hugely enjoyable and thought-provoking, Launch Code brings to mind the classic thrillers of Alister Maclean and Jack Higgins. A well-crafted ingenious mystery, tightly plotted, compelling and contemporary, this could well be Michael Ridpath's best novel yet.' - Stav Sherez, author of the Carrigan & Miller series 1983: Three hundred feet beneath the Atlantic, submarine Lieutenant Bill Guth receives the order he's been dreading: a full nuclear strike against the USSR. Crisis is soon averted, but in the chaos that follows, ...
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'Hugely enjoyable and thought-provoking, Launch Code brings to mind the classic thrillers of Alister Maclean and Jack Higgins. A well-crafted ingenious mystery, tightly plotted, compelling and contemporary, this could well be Michael Ridpath's best novel yet.' - Stav Sherez, author of the Carrigan & Miller series 1983: Three hundred feet beneath the Atlantic, submarine Lieutenant Bill Guth receives the order he's been dreading: a full nuclear strike against the USSR. Crisis is soon averted, but in the chaos that follows, one crew member ends up dead... 2019: Bill's annual family gathering is interrupted when a historian turns up, eager to uncover the truth about the near-apocalyptic Cold War incident. Bill refuses to answer, but that night the man is brutally murdered. What happened all those years ago? How much is Bill to blame for events in the past? And who will stop at nothing to keep the secrets of 1983 where they belong? 'Deadly state secrets and deadlier family secrets - perfectly crafted, scrupulously researched Launch Code weaves an ingeniously dark and tangled web that will keep you gripped and guessing to the very end. Ridpath is one of the best thriller writers around.' - Craig Russell, author of The Devil Aspect
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
In November of 1983, the crew of the American nuclear submarine, the Alexander Hamilton, were given the orders to launch. Only something wasn't right about the target locations, and the whole thing felt off. When some of the crew take it into their own hands to stop a possibly world ending launch, their actions will follow them for the rest of their lives.
In 2019, former Lieutenant on the Alexander Hamilton, Bill Guth and his family are unexpectedly visited by a historian who is desperate to put together what happened on the submarine that day, so many years ago.
When the historian turns up dead, the trail seems to lead directly to the Guth family, and their generations of secrets.
I have to be honest, when I received Launch Code I was not expecting it to be any good. Everything from the front cover to the size and shape of the book seemed to be shouting "cheap action thriller". I was immediately surprised, however, by the tone of the story which was not mile-a-minute guns blazing undercover action, but was in fact a fairly chilled out family story, with scenes of intensity and some rare action.
I found the mystery element to be very engaging, and I have to admit I only figured it out a few pages before the characters in the book did. The rabbit trails the author leads down are convincing and viable storylines. I enjoyed the back and forth between the present and the 80's, which gave variation to the story as well as feeding us new information about what happened back then slowly as it was needed.
The characters in this book are fairly believable and familiar, that does not however mean likeable. I really enjoyed Bill Guth from the start, but if I'm honest most of the other characters drove me up a wall. I found Toby to be a selfish and obnoxiously black and white non-protagonist, who had no genuine respect or love for his extended family. Alice, although understandably damaged, was an overbearing and controlling matriarch, who took her responsibility for her family after the death of her mother way, way too far.
I would say that writing in this book is good for the most part, aside from a few things. For me, there were too many Guth family conversations and thought-monologues, which said essentially the same thing each time. I became very bored of the whole case being turned over time and time again without much new information added.
And then at the end of the book, I unfortunately felt like it sort of fell apart. A few chapters from the finish, the dialogue became incredibly stilted and unbelievable, and the writing became lacklustre and very rushed feeling.
The whole scenario with the girls driving to the cliff felt off, and I didn't believe their conversation or how they were acting in the least.
That aside, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book, and would recommend it to those interested in nuclear ethics and the cold war.
