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.
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.
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.
Crossing the Pond Reviews 