Operation Barracuda is the second and final Splinter Cell novel penned by Raymond Benson. Even though the name David Michaels appears on some subsequent books, it's a pseudonym for various authors who continued the series after Benson. This installment follows NSA Third Echelon operative Sam Fisher as he endeavors to track down and eliminate the Shop, the illegal arms-dealing organization from the first book. After the events of the previous story, they have relocated to Hong Kong.
This book is far better written than its predecessor. It features all the classic elements of cloak-and-dagger espionage, action, location-hopping, and international brink-of-war political intrigue that one expects from a Tom Clancy property. However, it does have a few drawbacks. There is a rather cringe-worthy and short-lived romance between Fisher and his Krav Maga instructor, which seems completely out of character for Fisher as portrayed in the games.
Moreover, the author was shockingly lazy in certain parts of the book. He did something I've never witnessed in a novel before. I'm certain he actually copied and pasted entire sections of Fisher's backstory word-for-word from the first book. If you read both books, you'll see exactly what I mean. It's truly next-level laziness.
The story also takes a rather ridiculous turn near the end. Yes, Fisher ends up riding a nuclear torpedo underwater in the ocean as if it were a dolphin.
Despite these issues, though, this was a decent Splinter Cell story and an improvement over the first book. I feel like I might be losing some brain cells while reading these (brain... splinter cells! HA!), but they're definitely entertaining. Onward to the next book in the series, Checkmate!