I have mixed feelings about this book.
I have been a huge fan of Michael Ridpath's for many years (apart from his last book The Wanderer which I just couldn't get into).
The title and cover of Launch Code did not really attract me to this book either - looks like one for the boys.
However, the story about a computer glitch which nearly led to the despatch of nuclear missiles by an American submarine and ended the world was breathtakingly told - real Alistair MacClean stuff.
Bill Guth was the man who saved the world in 1983 and the book is mainly set in Norfolk in 2019 where Bill and his 4 daughters are celebrating Thanksgiving.
Whilst I really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1983 and could see the movie appearing before my eyes, I found the rest of the book and the portrayal of the characters rather bland and uninteresting in comparison. All the narrative got rather bogged down with the family casting blame at each other and refusing to talk about earlier events during the Cold War because of The Official Secrets Act.
The book culminated with a confrontation on the cliffs at Hunstanton but I had already guessed long before who the 'baddy' was.
I have been a huge fan of Michael Ridpath's for many years (apart from his last book The Wanderer which I just couldn't get into).
The title and cover of Launch Code did not really attract me to this book either - looks like one for the boys.
However, the story about a computer glitch which nearly led to the despatch of nuclear missiles by an American submarine and ended the world was breathtakingly told - real Alistair MacClean stuff.
Bill Guth was the man who saved the world in 1983 and the book is mainly set in Norfolk in 2019 where Bill and his 4 daughters are celebrating Thanksgiving.
Whilst I really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1983 and could see the movie appearing before my eyes, I found the rest of the book and the portrayal of the characters rather bland and uninteresting in comparison. All the narrative got rather bogged down with the family casting blame at each other and refusing to talk about earlier events during the Cold War because of The Official Secrets Act.
The book culminated with a confrontation on the cliffs at Hunstanton but I had already guessed long before who the 'baddy' was.