A review by simonmee
Deathlist by Chris Ryan

2.0

This feels stretched far too thin over 300 pages. Characters drop in and out with little development; the protagonist's multi-year alcoholism is dealt with between scenes; the plot veers toward incoherency. The final antagonist manages to simultaneously have connections in the highest places yet finds herself artificially constrained in her ability to obstruct the heroes. The villians always possess the necessary information that they fall over themselves give up, allowing us to hustle on to the next set piece.

The action is ok, but hardly exceptional. Large parts read like torture porn. Finally, of the SAS members, the book's cream of the cream:

- one is lazy and cries off training
- one is a "retread" and therefore less worthy of membership
- one is a barely functioning alcoholic
- one commands a team where its members literally kill each over
- one is a traitor

I struggled to root for the good guys with this one.

Also, having a guy tell us he hates "darkies" every second chapter makes it pretty easy to guess he'll be a turncoat.