Synopses & Reviews
The new thriller in the #1 New York Timesand#150;bestselling Isaac Bell series from grand master of adventure Clive Cussler. and#160;
and#160;As Van Dorn private detective Isaac Bell strives to land a government contract to investigate John D. Rockefellerand#8217;s Standard Oil monopoly, the case takes a deadly turn. A sniper begins murdering opponents of Standard Oil, and soon the assassinand#151;shooting with extraordinary accuracy at seemingly impossible long rangeand#151;kills Belland#8217;s best witness, a brave and likable man. Then the shooterand#160;detonates a terrible explosion that sets the victimand#8217;s independent refinery ablaze.
Bell summons his best detectives to scour the site of the crime for evidence. Who is the assassin and for whom did he kill? But the murdersand#151;shootings, poisonings, staged accidentsand#151;have just begun as Bell tracks his phantom-like criminal adversary from the and#147;oil feverand#8221; regions of Kansas and Texas to Washington, D.C., to the tycoonsand#8217; enclave of New York, to Russiaand#8217;s war-torn Baku oil fields on the Caspian Sea, and back to America for a final, desperate confrontation. And this one will be the most explosive of all.
Review
“Bell just keeps getting more interesting. Cussler is turning out some of his best work.” —
Booklist
“Clive the Incredible.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for The Bootlegger
“Cussler and Scott have written another wonderful page-turner . . . This is historical action-adventure fiction at its rip-roaring best!”—Library Journal (starred review)
“The Isaac Bell series continues to tell compelling stories. Tidbits of history are sprinkled throughout the narrative, and its fun to filter out fictional characters and events from historical facts.”—Associated Press
“As always in this series, the novel is very exciting, with excellent pacing and some very well drawn characters. With his combination of mental and physical prowess, Isaac Bell could easily become a sort of superhero (imagine a blending of Sherlock Holmes and Doc Savage), but the authors do a nice job of keeping him from crossing that line. Another fine entry in a strong series. Cussler is a perennial A-lister, popularity-wise, and his Isaac Bell novels are the pick of his prodigious litter.”—Booklist
“[A] laudable historical action novel.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Striker
“This adventure might be the best yet in the series. The history is fascinating reading. Add a James Bond style flair with sabotage and villainy, and the end result is a great action thriller.”--Associated Press
“Interesting historical scene-setting facts; action that shifts from the dangerous depths of a coal mine to Wall Street, to a confrontation in a tunnel being dug for the New York subway and to a riverboat battle between two paddle-wheelers; deft characterizations; and hard-boiled dialogue. Classic Cussler."--Kirkus Reviews
“The Isaac Bell series is by far the most interesting and enjoyable of Cusslers novels. They continue to show him at his best, commercially and literarily."--Booklist
“Exciting…The action flows swiftly, and the authors do a good job depicting the work conditions and the class warfare of the time.”--Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for THE ASSASSIN
and#8220;Another action-movie-paced entertainment from Cussler's historical-thriller series.and#8221; and#8212; Kirkus Reviews
Praise for THE BOOTLEGGER
and#160;
and#8220;The Isaac Bell series continues to tell compelling stories. Tidbits of history are sprinkled throughout the narrative, and itand#8217;s fun to filter out fictional characters and events from historical facts.and#8221;and#8212;Associated Press
and#160;
and#8220;Cussler and Scott have written another wonderful page-turner . . . This is historical action-adventure fiction at its rip-roaring best!and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal (starred review)
and#160;
and#8220;As always in this series, the novel is very exciting, with excellent pacing and some very well drawn characters. With his combination of mental and physical prowess, Isaac Bell could easily become a sort of superhero (imagine a blending of Sherlock Holmes and Doc Savage), but the authors do a nice job of keeping him from crossing that line. Another fine entry in a strong series. Cussler is a perennial A-lister, popularity-wise, and his Isaac Bell novels are the pick of his prodigious litter.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
and#8220;[A] laudable historical action novel.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#160;
Praise for THE STRIKER
and#160;
and#8220;[Might] be the best yet in the series by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott . . . The history of the unions in early 20th-century America along with the hazardous working conditions of the coal mines would be fascinating reading. Add a James Bond style flair with sabotage and villainy and the end result is a great action thriller.and#8221;and#8212;Associated Press
and#160;
and#8220;Fans of the Isaac Bell series will note the same exciting storytelling and vivid early twentieth-century setting, but theyand#8217;ll also note something different: even though itand#8217;s set only four years earlier than the first Bell novel (2008and#8217;s The Chase), the book features a much different Isaac: younger, more impetuous, less calmly analytical . . . this origin story (every hero needs one) will give Belland#8217;s fans a fresh look at their favorite private investigator.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
An invention that could change the world… A ruthless agent that could destroy it…
Only Isaac Bell can save it.
On the ocean liner Mauretania, two European scientists with a groundbreaking new invention are rescued from abduction by the Van Dorn Detective Agency’s intrepid chief investigator, Isaac Bell. Unfortunately, they are not so lucky when one of the thugs attacks a second time. What are the scientists holding that is so precious? Something that will revolutionize business and world culture—and perhaps something more.
For war clouds are looming, and a ruthless espionage agent has spotted an opportunity to give the German Empire an edge in the coming conflict. It’s up to Isaac Bell to figure out who he is, what he’s up to, and stop him.
But Bell may already be too late.
Synopsis
Unabridged, 8 CDs, 10 hours
Read by Scott Brick
Detective Isaac Bell returns, in the thrilling new adventure from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.
Synopsis
On the ocean liner
Mauretania, two European scientists with a dramatic new invention are barely rescued from abduction by the Van Dorn Detective Agency's intrepid chief investigator, Isaac Bell. Unfortunately, they are not so lucky the second time. The thugs attack again-and this time one of the scientists dies. What are they holding that is so precious? Only something that will revolutionize business and popular culture-and perhaps something more.
For war clouds are looming, and a ruthless espionage agent has spotted a priceless opportunity to give the Germans an edge. It is up to Isaac Bell to figure out who he is, what he is up to, and stop him. But he may already be too late . . . and the future of the world may just hang in the balance.
Synopsis
Detective Isaac Bell returns in the extraordinary new adventure in the #1 New York Timesbestselling series.
It is 1920, and both Prohibition and bootlegging are in full swing. When Isaac Bells boss and lifelong friend Joseph Van Dorn is shot and nearly killed leading the high-speed chase of a rum-running vessel, Bell swears to him that he will hunt down the lawbreakers, but he doesnt know what he is getting into. When a witness to Van Dorns shooting is executed in a ruthlessly efficient manner invented by the Russian secret police, it becomes clear that these are no ordinary criminals. Bell is up against a team of Bolshevik assassins and saboteursand they are intent on overthrowing the government of the United States.
About the Author
Clive Cussler is the author or coauthor of forty-nine previous books, including twenty-one Dirk Pitt ® adventures, nine NUMA ® Files adventures; eight Oregon Files books; four Isaac Bell thrillers; and three Fargo novels. His most recent
New York Times bestsellers are
The Kingdom,
The Race, and
Devil’s Gate. His nonfiction works include
Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, plus
The Sea Hunters, and
The Sea Hunters II; these describe the true adventures of the real NUMA®, which, led by Cussler, searches for lost ships of historic significance. With his crew of volunteers, Cussler has discovered more than sixty ships, including the long-lost Confederate submarine
Hunley.
Justin Scott’s twenty-four novels include The Shipkiller and Normandie Triangle; the Ben Abbott detective series; and five modern sea thrillers published under his pen name Paul Garrison.