Spy (Hawke) [Hardcover]

Ted Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2006

“A border ain’t nothing but a law drawn in the sand.” So says a small-town Texas sheriff in Ted Bell’s most gripping espionage thriller to date. Things along America’s southern border are rapidly reaching the boiling point. American girls are being snatched from their homes, ranches are burning, and the number of deadly confrontations along the Mexican boarder grows daily. At night, armed Mexican troops cross the border at will in support of narcotics smugglers and illegal immigrants. By day, Americans take up arms and plan reprisals. An all-out border war is no longer inconceivable. It’s happening! On assignment for the British Secret Service, a man leads a mysterious expedition into the heart of darkness. Sailing up the furthest reaches of the Amazon River, he is captured by a brutal tribe of indigenous cannibals. Forced into slave labor, he witnesses the unimaginable. Golden domes and minarets rise beneath the rainforest canopy. Vast terror armies are being recruited and trained in the jungle. Their goal: a vicious jihad that will unite one continent…and destroy another. They possess weapons only dreamed of by the Western allies. Somehow he must escape his captors and live to tell his tale. With tensions on its southern border threatening to ignite into war, America must look to the one man who might be able to confront the demons in the jungle…and destroy them. Alex Hawke, with the aid of brilliant Scotland Yard Inspector Ambrose Congreve, and an unstoppable force of nature named Stokely Jones, begins a river journey fraught with peril. He must confront all the terrors that man and nature can hurl at him. From black magic, poison-tipped arrows, and blowguns to an awesome arsenal of the most advanced military hardware, Hawke must overcome insurmountable odds on his quest for victory. Here is an author who gets you in the palm of his hand and then clenches his fist. And here is a saga loaded to the gunwales with action, glamour, and spellbinding suspense. Alex Hawke once again takes listeners right to that thin border between fear and overwhelming terror. It’s merely a line drawn in the sand. Cross it at your peril. Cross it if you dare.

--This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Think Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum meet Stephen King...Spy is THE BOOK of the summer!" -- -- Glenn Beck, CNN Headline Prime

"This time, however, Bell ups the ante, and involves Hawke in what might be termed terrorism's perfect storm." -- -- Palm Beach Post

About the Author

Ted Bell is the former Vice-Chairman of the board and World-Wide Creative Director of Young & Rubicam, one of the world's largest advertising agencies. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hawke, Assassin, and Pirate.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1ST edition (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743277236
• ISBN-13: 978-0743277235
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #764,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My life has entered a brand new and exciting chapter. In addition to publishing a new thriller, PHANTOM, next March, I have been elected a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University, UK. I hold this position at the University's Department of Politics and International Studies. We are a primary resource for the Intelligence Community as well as high level government connections. I was also honored to be named Writer In Residence at Sydney Sussex College here at Cambridge. My college was founded in 1596. I am working on a new novel, the 7th in the Alex Hawke series of spy thrillers. The new thriller will be rooted in Cambridge espionage traditions (the university is over 800 years old) and deal with the looming threat of China's ascent to world dominance. I also plan to write a 3rd installment in my series of historical novels for young people, the Nick McIver Time Adventures published by St. Martins. My Alexander Hawke novels are published by Harper/Collins. Life here at Cambridge is extraordinary, as well it should be as it was recently voted the #1 university in the world. There is certainly no lack of intellectual stimulation and even the most casual conversations with fellow scholars are a wonder to me. As are the amazing architecture and ancient customs. I often feel I'm living in a Harry Potter movie.

PHANTOM, will be published on March 20th, 2012. It is about the next revolution in warfare, cyber war, and the impact that artificial intelligence is having, not only on the military, but on all aspects of human life. I believe the book breaks new ground in the thriller category and hope my fans and new readers have half as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written yesterday or maybe tomorrow, April 20, 2007

By 

El Rayo (Southern California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spy (Hawke) (Hardcover)

This is Bell's best so far. Bell is a master craftsman in terms of character development. By now we know Stokley, Ambrose and Concha. The sheriff and Homer are an echo of TV Mayberry which so many reader also know. The Amazon remains today a mysterious primitave zone of interest and intrgue. Bell makes us feel the humid heat and the bite of the insects. Speaking of primitive, this book is an interesting blend of hi tech (robots)and low tech (Indians with spears). The Mexican border conflict could have been written yesterday or maybe tomorrow. Like many "fiction" novels this is too close to reality. I am thinking the research involved in a class fiction work such as this often points the author to a non fiction and very rational scenario for the present day.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a gripping story!, August 31, 2006

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spy (Hawke) (Hardcover)

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Alex Hawke series to date. This latest is the fourth in this series and the best yet, in my opinion. No one can build up a suspensful plot like Ted Bell, and he leaves no dangling threads and unanswered questions. Oftentimes current thriller writers have a sloppy style and drop storylines like hot potatoes. Not Ted Bell. And he has obviously done his research. This book's action is set deep within the Amazon, and Alex as well as his closest friends face unimaginable dangers while they try to bring down a truly terrifying terrorist. Bell introduces a new character too, that I hope we see again. His name is Franklin Dixon, and he's a Texas sheriff who finds himself playing in the big leagues with a horrifying terrorist plot. I highly recommend this book.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irresistible Tale Built on Current Events, September 2, 2006

By 

Steve Iaco (northern new jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spy (Hawke) (Hardcover)

I'm normally not very fond of popular fiction, but found "Spy" to be an irresistible read. Ted Bell builds a captivating plot around the intersection of many current events: Islamic jihadists, border security, Iran, illegal immigration, Hugo Chavez's "Bolivarian" movement, the illicit drug-trade. These all figure prominently in the storyline, as a Texas border-town sheriff and British secret agent thwart the diabolical aspirations of a polyglot group of America's enemies in a fast-paced, action-laced thriller.