3 out of 4 stars
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Spies have always held a fascination in literature. From James Bond to Jack Ryan, spy thrillers are exciting fictional adventures. They are fast paced, full of intrigue, and nothing can be taken at face value, as betrayal is always around the corner. Retribution by Bill Wenham is made in the same tradition as some of the aforementioned spy thrillers, and there are plenty of cloak-and-dagger antics to go around.
The story begins with Jack Evans, now an old man, meeting with a movie producer and recounting his involvement in a spy ring during World War II. Shortly after the meeting, the movie producer and a co-worker become fascinated with the tale, and start reading the story Evans related. The intrigue Evans was involved in focuses on a German plot to assassinate Winston Churchill and the royal family. Evans recalls the race against time by he and his cohorts to head off the plot. Much death and mayhem ensue, and the movie producers stay riveted by the writing until the climatic ending.
I ended up giving Retribution 3 out of 4 stars. The story was very intriguing, and the action keeps up a frenetic pace the whole way through. The author clearly has extensive knowledge of World War II, and the people and places mentioned all seem to be historically accurate. Those who like war thrillers should find this novel very appealing. The author also frames the story well, with the movie producers who are reading Jack’s story being just as interested as the reader. The action is intense and often bloody, so those sensitive to violence might want to shy away from this book some. Being a story set during World War II, I felt the depiction of violence was appropriate, if off-putting.
The main flaw of Retribution is the grammar. There are a good number of verb tense errors and missing commas even in the very first pages. Considering how good the story is, it’s a shame there isn’t better editing. If the author could just get a good editor in, the book would have four stars rather than three, in my opinion. The only other issue I had was that sometimes the characters didn’t seem to have real depth of emotion involving the horrors of war happening around them. Some of that might have to do with the fact that the book is rather short. Just a little more polishing would take this novel to the next level.
All things considered, this is a good war thriller. The story is strong and the action fast paced. It’s a book well worth the read, even with a few minor flaws.
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Retribution
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