Customer Reviews

Crackdown (The Thrillers #3)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Cornwell's historical novels are always spot on. Crackdown, like his other modern sailing novels, seems a bit of a pot boiler. The characters here are either stereotypical or too large for life. The plot is unlikely and contrived. Even so, as a sailing enthusiast who loves the Bahamas, I found the book enjoyable enough. Bring back Sharpie.

My wife and I both read this book and have the same view of it. It was very predictable, the characters were proclaimed to be one thing (Ellen: sceptical, cynical; Nick: ex-marine and tough) and then not act in that character. All the characters were fundamentally stupid and had to be scrunched into contrived situations from which dumb luck would extract them. The book was saved only by the portrayal of the cocaine/crack background and the settings. The characters weren't really necessary. BTW, I've read all the Sharpe, Saxon Chronicles, Aurthur, Grail Quest series as well as Copperhead and really enjoyed them. In other words, I'm a Cornwall fanboy.

I like Bernard Cornwell, especially his forays into the world of Sharpe and the American Revolution and Civil War. Historically accurate novels with an adventure/thriller story intertwined in between the history lesson....always excellent. Wasn't too sure what I'd make of this one. In fact, I actually really enjoyed it, honestly. It's an adventure novel, a travelogue, a diversion from his usual stream but...I enjoyed it, It's a really great 'cruising book' while you are waiting for the cocktails to be mixed or lounging in the backyard, or on the train wishing you were sailing around the locales that Bernard bases this story around. It's an escape, an easy read and I loved it...end of chat.

To fans of Cornwell's great historical fiction, the novels in the thriller series may disappoint. These are modern mysteries (inverted detective stories) with sailing themes and accurate accounts of seamanship and nautical lore. The thriller series includes "Wildtrack" (1988), "Sea Lord" (1989), "Crackdown" (1990), and "Storm Child" (1991) -- so these were published during the release of several novels in the Sharpe series. For the nautically obsessed, these are highly recommended.