by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
published in 2009 by Putnam
Clive Cussler has been penning books for 37 years and I have been reading him for 21 of those 37. I started reading his Dirk Pitt novels in rehab and to date have read all of them. He is my second favorite fiction author behind David Morrell and I make a point to try and read everything he puts out. Eleven years ago he started a second series of books revolving around a new main character Kurt Austin which he co-authored with Paul Kemprecos. It took me a while to warm to these new characters and the slightly different styles of these two authors, but I have come to enjoy them just as much as the Pitt series. Seven years ago he added a third series called the Oregon Files. All three of these series are in essence maritime thrillers. Both Pitt and Austin are employees of NUMA and the Oregon Files is set aboard a fantastic ship from which they launch into various adventures. Three years ago Cussler launched a brand new series with which he completely departed from his maritime background and he reversed a literary characteristic that his books are known for. Every Cussler book starts in some past event that will have some bearing on the future storyline. This new series centered on a Van Dorn Detective Agent named Isaac Bell, began in a future event, then told the past story that led to the event and then finished back in the future as the past story resolves. The first book in the series was called The Chase
and it was authored by exclusively by Cussler. While his love of detailed and accurate history was evident throughout and his passion for developing characters with depth and heroes with dignity, integrity and honor was prevalent, I still struggled to enjoy this novel as much as I have all of his others due to the drastic setting difference. In the end, I found myself loving the character of Isaac Bell, he has all of the penchant, passion and integrity of Dirk Pitt just in an earlier era and when the new book came out I wanted it immediately. With that little bit of background he is my review.Summary: The book begins in 1934 in the German Alps with Isaac Bell preparing to making a deadly ski trip through the alps towards a mysterious castle, with the castle in his sights the story takes us back to 1907 and the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon. It is set during the boom of railroad expansion in the northwest and centers around the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and its owner Osgood Hennessy. His railroad has been experiencing a series of sabotages as they have been trying to build a line into the Pacific Northwest. Not being able to stop the sabotage with his internal railroad police force, Hennessy calls on the Van Dorn Detective Agency and once again Isaac Bell is on the scene. He is as dashing and daring as ever bringing a intriguing mix of boldness, humility, intelligence and refinement to this soon to become legendary character. Bell is placed as the lead detective to pursue the saboteur know only as The Wrecker. There are explosions, train derailments, telegraph wires cut, boats exploding, fist fights, gun fights, knife fights and fast cars for the time. The identity and motive of the Wrecker are shrouded in mystery, but Isaac is relentless in his pursuit following the Van Dorn motto of "never, ever giving up." The story moves from California to Oregon to New York and many places in between. Marion is back and is as charming and lovable as ever, the new characters of Osgood Hennessy, his daughter Lillian, Archie Abbott and Senator Charles Kincaid all come with a depth to them that is characteristic of Cussler books, and we get to meet Isaac's banker father in this installment.
Review: This second book has been co-authored with Justin Scott and I must admit the team works well together. The pacing of The Wrecker is an improvement from The Chase as you cannot help but turn the pages to see what happens next. Cussler has developed a real jewel in the character of Isaac Bell that this new book has polished to a brilliant shine. Isaac is the man every boy wants to become; he has wealth, wit, intelligence, sophistication, daring, passion and a love and respect for all people. He is a man of his word and is never afraid to stop to help the least and the lost. With Bell, those of us who love Dirk Pitt so much find him in what could simply be a former life. Cussler novels have always been marked with history not only in the storyline, but also in Pitt's classic car collection and Austin's collection of antique dueling pistols. This is present in the books because it is a passion of Cussler's so it is not that surprising to find him releasing a series that is set historically and the fact of the matter is it works. We discover a new passion of Cussler's in steam locomotives and the turn of the century railroad, but he writes with detail and accuracy that develops appreciation rather than bogging down the story. The Wrecker is a fast paced action novel set a century ago that not only entertains but also informs as we get an intimate picture of the challenges and joys of the turn of the 20th century.
Reading Recommendation: ABSOLUTELY YES!
No comments:
Post a Comment