The Counterattack - Dick Winchester Book 2 By Stephen A. Roddewig In Review

Hey people, and welcome to this long-overdue review of the second book in the Dick Winchester trilogy, The Counterattack by Stephen A. Roddewig.

For anyone unfamiliar with the trials and tribulations of Dick, he’s the man behind a progressively backward food delivery company in Arlington, Virginia, who becomes involved in a violent turf war with competing food delivery companies. That may be the worst description ever. But without ruining the plot or the treats in store for anyone who sits down to listen to or read this wonderful piece of fiction, I think it does offer an explanation.

Born out of a Vocal challenge entry, it has been nothing short of inspirational to see Stephen take the idea and fully flesh out a world for Dick Winchester. The world needs Dick Winchester. Even if it doesn’t, Dick and Stephen are sure it does—and I’m here to agree.

The Actual Damn Review

The difficult second book is akin to the difficult second album in my mind. If you’ve managed to touch gold with your first, there’s a huge amount of pressure to replicate the success without retracing the same steps on the follow-up. This is Stephen’s third book overall, but his second in the Dick Winchester saga, so the analogy works.

To say he more than rises to the challenge of not just rehashing the first book but expanding on it is an understatement.

As with the first book, The Opening Salvo, there’s the atmosphere of old-fashioned noir, radio dramas, and a heavy dose of satire. There are various key plot points that hit a little too close to reality for comfort at times. But hey, what’s good art if it’s not pointing fingers at reality?

What Mr. Roddewig achieves in The Counterattack is building out a wilder, more expansive world for Dick Winchester to inhabit and get into some serious scrapes. Contrary to the author’s concerns that the humour wasn’t as front and centre in this part of his pre-planned trilogy, I loved the satirical and almost absurdist slant it took. The stakes were indeed higher, and the ending drops Dick in a place where we’re left wondering if he’ll make it out alive.

Which is as big a compliment as I can pay Stephen, because throughout the first book—and for most of this second one—we believe Dick can work his way out of anything.

Until the ending.

This gives me a rare sense of excitement for the third and final part, in which I’m not really sure what will happen. My better instincts tell me that ol’ Dick will be as fine as he always is, but there’s still that little bit of doubt that makes me thrilled to see the story reach its conclusion.

In addition to the returning motley crew of characters from the first book, there are a plethora of well-fleshed-out new faces in The Counterattack. Roddewig’s sharp wit is ever-present, using Winchester as his mouthpiece to take shots at the U.S. government, capitalists, and—in perhaps my favourite section of the book—AI assistants and conspiracy theorists.

The book delivers everything that made the first instalment great and simply turns everything up to eleven. The action sequences are wilder, the jokes are funnier, and the cast of characters and convoluted plots are bigger and better.

I won’t go into too much detail about specifics from the plot, as there were plenty of great surprises along the way, and I wouldn’t want to spoil them for anyone yet to read or listen.

As always, Jonathan Kilgore is on top form, providing the audio voice to Roddewig’s writing. Dick is as charming as ever, and the other characters all have distinct personalities, so it never feels flat or dull.

My Final Verdict

As I’ve already said, it’s my opinion—as well as Stephen’s and Dick’s—that the world needs more men like Dick Winchester. I’ll be sad when The Last Shot, the third part, is eventually released, I listen to it, and the Dick Winchester trilogy is no more. But what a ride Stephen has taken us on, with Jonathan by his side, giving voice to everything with such gravitas that you’d swear it was a Hollywood legend of old reading.

If you want a twisty tale, some heavy doses of satire, killer jokes, and a rip-roaring ride, listen to the audiobook. And although this is a review of the audiobook, I feel it’s my duty as a dutiful reviewer to note that if you don’t like audiobooks, the paperback and Kindle versions are available too.

Below is another link to the Audible version and one to the Amazon page.

If you do buy it—you should review it, as the reviews make a lot of difference. Not just for the author, but for Amazon and other online retailers, and they may make all the difference between someone deciding to click Buy Now or not. It doesn’t need to be much, but even a small review can have a big impact.