Customer Reviews

The Spy (An Isaac Bell Adventure)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Like many, I see the name 'Clive Cussler' and think immediately: Great action, storytelling and adventure all rolled into one...however, as all of Cusslers adventures take place either in the here & now or very near future, with the Isaac Bell series, he has taken us on a trip back to the turn of the previous century--for a large portion of Cussler fans, this is an arena we are quite unfamiliar with--at least through Clive's perspective anyway. I am very much a person focused on the present and/or near future. I LOVE new and technical gadgets (much to my wife's disappointment...) and when I realized that 'The Chase' was a stand-alone adventure novel by Cussler that takes place a hundred years ago--from beginning to end--I HAVE to admit, I wasn't all that excited to read it...

...THAT was a mistake. I should've known. Clive rarely lets me down--and even when he does, in general its still better than most other stuff from so-called action/adventure authors (the first 2 Oregon Files novels comes to mind...), but with the character of Isaac Bell, we get an entirely different kind of character...a detective who is every bit as cool in the early 1900's as Dirk Pitt, Kurt Austin or Juan Cabrillo is in Post Y2K.

The Spy centers around the military in the years before America's entry into World War I. One of the premiere Battleship designers kills himself--or so it would seem. His daughter is absolutely convinced her Father did not commit suicide--and at this point, its no stretch to connect the dots that in fact he was murdered instead--but the question here is WHY? This is where the Van Dorn Detective Agency comes in. As Isaac begins the case, more deaths follow and evidence begins to mount that some inside 'Spy' is orchestrating everything...but to what end? Remember in 1908 we were quite a few years away from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 which sparked the origin of World War I, and wasn't until 1917 before America entered the War...so what is happening and why? More than one 'Spy' is featured here, too--which COULD'VE become rather convoluted quickly, but never fear, the course of 'The Spy' is charted and nobody goes off track. We see Germany involved, Britain and even the Japanese, and it ALL seems to be connected to some secret project involving American Dreadnought battleships.

For those who have turned away from the Isaac Bell novels of Cussler for one reason or another, I encourage you to re-think your reasoning. These are really FUN novels that provided me with hours of absolute entertainment. Some can argue that as Clive slowly enters retirement and has turned over the vast majority of his writing to Paul Kemprecos, Jack DuBrul, Dirk Cussler and here with Justin Scott (among others) that the 'Magic' has died and is nothing more than a shell of his former glory...well, I won't try to change your opinion, all I can say is this: I am VERY glad I got to know Isaac Bell and look forward to reading his next adventure, too. Hopefully you'll give these books a shot, I honestly think you'll like 'em.

I had been anticipating the release of this new Isaac Bell adventure even before I finished "The Wrecker" last year. Bell is a different kind of hero for Cussler fans to enjoy. A bit of Dirk Pitt, Kurt Austin, and Juan Cabrillo rolled into one. Cussler and Smith have dispensed with the frame story format choosing instead to tell this story in real time. Don't expect locomotives either (Well, not entirely. A good portion of the story does take place in railway cars) because the plot of "The Spy" is about bigger guns.

The year is 1908 and the Van Dorn Detective Agency (think Pinkertons) has been hired to investigate what appears to be a suicide, but in fact turns out to be a murder. One of several deaths associated with the project to build Hull 44. The plot is quickly set in motion when agent Isaac Bell is assigned to the case. Bell is a lot like Sherlock Holmes, except in one crucial area: He has no Watson.

The novel is meant to be a period piece: some of the language is archaic; the graphics and chapter headings all have an antique-like look to them. You can tell considerable thought went into creating the feel of this book. I hope you will enjoy "The Spy" as much as I did.

If you have an eye for proofreading, you will also enjoy the many editing errors. What is the proper spelling of dreadnought? And what about Suisun City? Have fun!

I'll keep this review short. If you're reading this, then you're likely familiar with Cussler novels and, hopefully, have already read "The Wrecker". I wont spoil anything, either.

I absolutely LOVED The Wrecker. This novel picks right up where Wrecker left off. Unfortunately, the characters are somewhat less interesting at first, but that changes later on. I also found the use of the mystery-identity criminal mastermind a bit TOO familiar... seeing as how THEY JUST DID THAT IN THE LAST BOOK (right down to the internal narrative of the bad guy thinking while he's in the room with Bell, but it could be one of 5 characters). Nevertheless, it kept things interesting.

All in all, as the story started to unfold my reading enthusiasm increased, and the climax seemed to happen all-too-early, but there was too much plot to be wrapped up. I felt like I was reading the finale-events forever. By the time it ended, I thought, "finally!".

Look, if you take my review as true, please understand that it definitely worth the read - do not skip it. I'm hoping they get back on track for the next in the series.

If you loved all of Clive Cussler's sea faring novels you will not be disappointed with his new series that stars the Van Doren Detective Agency, specifically agent Isaac Bell. I was so excited about the first two novels and the setting being on Railroad Trains that I couldn't wait for this next edition. Boy was I surprised. We switch from railroad cars to the U.S. Navy and the big guns needed for battleships.

While disappointed about not revolving around trains, I was totally sucked into the details of the navy shipyard, the big guns, the people involved and the mystery of who is killing who and why? You won't be disappointed with this book. You don't have to read the first two novels in the series to enjoy this third book, but it wouldn't hurt to read those first two.

I don't want to give anything away, but Cussler has hit another home run with this book. You won't be able to put it down. I finished it in two days because I couldn't set it aside. I have to get back to work now and finish my own lesson plans, but I'm still so excited about the adventure that I'm finding it hard to focus on other things.

Is it wrong to say, I can't wait for the next book? Well, I can't. Thank you Clive and Justin for taking on a new hero in a new set of adventures for us to fall in love with.

Enjoy!

Clive Cussler, as most great writers, have a formula which they use to write their books. This latest edition of one of Cussler's newest heroes: Isaac Bell, is just that: uses the formula of the previous editions to create a rollicking good ride.

This is an easy, enjoyable read as all Cussler's books are. I've read the majority of them and still don't tire of them. Isaac Bell is a good hero, with similar traits to the great Dirk Pitt, but with a little more sophistication, intelligence and class. Whilst sophisticated, Bell can match it with the best of the bad guys and has no qualms about getting involved in a street fight and then waltzing off with his adorable fiance Marion Morgan into the most hob-nobbish restaurant or Club.

As with The Wrecker, the previous edition, I found this novel to be unnecessarily long. Losing a hundred pages would, in my opinion, tighten the story and make more suspenseful and Bell's exploits more daring. It's like we have to go round the Monopoly board repeatedly, as Bell goes from one to the next to the next and then to the next situation to finally nail the bad guy.

If you're a Cussler fan, read it.

It's nice to read a book, that even though the main character, Isaac Bell and his agency has been in others, this book could stand alone. It is not assumed you know the man's past, but everything is explained, even most of the historical information such as the great White Fleet - for those lacking in historical facts. There are some names and places mentioned, such as Billy Sunday that might leave you wondering who this is, but not enough to hinder your reading understanding. The title pages and illustrations add to the historical time period which is just pre WWI.
There are many different sub plots, but again , done well enough that they are not confusing. There are many spies, but you do not need a score card to keep track of them either.
The characters are, as, they are so often - handsome or beautiful, with almost limitless funds and skills. Some of the weapons are historically accurate, some are not, but again it is all well put together for a relaxing adventure novel - especially the last 100 pages which does a wonderful job of tying the whole plot together.

When some of America's leading researchers in weapons and warships start mysteriously dying, Isaac Bell is tasked with finding a rather elusive spy that seems to be connected to these killings and also seems to be connected with a top-secret project known as Hull 44.
Once again Mr. Cussler and Justin Scott come through with a very satisfying and outstanding adventure. This series takes place in the early twentieth century and provides a lot of history along with the action. As I've said before, if you see the Cussler name on a book, you can't go wrong.

Fair point: I did not read the first non-Cussler Bell book. In fact, it's been a while since Cussler has written alone, right? I hope all is well.

I gave this book 4 stars. I'll begin with my complaints:
1) Bell is too perfect. He's very much like Pitt, only more. He's too good. But he's still entertaining.
2) The historical nods are obnoxious. For instance, at one point Bell meets a dancing kid. Before a name is given I'm thinking it's Fred Astair or Gene Kelly. I couldn't pick either out of a lineup. I couldn't tell you approximate years they lived. I couldn't tell you a single thing they did. I know zero about them, yet I could still see it coming. You then get a first name "Fred" and you sigh. Then, at the end of the passage, with a wink you're told his last name is Astair. It's kind of insulting - you figured that out before it was even presented. Don't give it to us with a wink, as if there's some surprise or suspense, when it's so obvious a guy that knows nothing about Fred Astair saw it coming. It really is a bit insulting. Other historical name-drops are equally frustrating. Characters invent things that eventually be popular far too easily (in one case it makes some sense, given who says it, in another case Bell not only has the idea for the invention but comes up with the not-so-obvious name it ended up receiving.) Lastly, I swear the Lusitania is name-dropped at least 20 times. A few make sense. 20 are absurd.
3) The epilogue is idiotic.


What's good?
Everything else. It's a quick moving novel. Maybe it could use some balance away from just Bell, but it works fine as is. Honestly, I enjoyed the first Bell book and this is only marginally worse. Justin Scott does a great job keeping up with the original Cussler. If you liked that one you'll like this one. If you like Cussler at all you'll like this book. It's written down a bit, but it's the minor winks that are dumb, not the book as a whole (assuming you're supposed to know who the Spy is almost immediately, and I feel it didn't try to hide it. There's only one suspect until a final train ride, which is far too late for others. I hope it was intentionally transparent, but feel it was.)

Bottom line - if you're reading this you already know Cussler, and therefore know if you'll like this book. Like him, like it.





So I was surprised to see this book had some 1 star ratings. It isn't a Fargo book. Turns out it's being torpedoed by angry Kindle fans based upon the pricing. I'll approve of that. I wouldn't mind $15 Kindle prices when the book is hardcover if we had $5 when it's paperback. Can't have it both ways. I bought this for $5 used. Had I been a Kindle reader (and I soon will be) I certainly wouldn't have read this book.

Clive Cussler and his coauthors continue to turn out the books at a rate of several a year. I used to wonder if they could maintain the expected quality in all these books, but I got over it. I find that I still very much enjoy reading the books. Yes, they are formulaic and normally have fairly outrageous plots. Isaac Bell, the star of this tale, is a detective who you know is going to win in the end. He's cool, rich, and extremely capable, so it's hard not to root for him. Basically, he is Dirk Pitt from a century earlier.

We have had two previous Isaac Bell books - The Chase and The Wrecker. Both were enjoyable to read, and The Spy continues the trend. This story takes place in 1908 with the world plunging towards war. A key part of defense systems for any country is the battleships or dreadnoughts. Mr. Bell and the Van Horn agency get involved with efforts by a master spy to bring the American Navy's dreadnought efforts to a halt. The action is nonstop, the characters are likeable, and I predict that you will have trouble putting the book down. As is true with most of Mr. Cussler's books, I always wanted to read just one more chapter before I stopped.

An excellent yarn.

The year is 1908 and the race for advanced battleship technology is on! The United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Japan are in the race to build the dreadnought -- the master battleship that will dominate the oceans. Therefore all of them are trying to gain intelligence on what the others are doing and to develop the most advanced and sophisticated battleship.

The apparent suicide of a master gun builder (actually a murder by the hands of a Japanese spy working for an unknown master spy brings the Van Dorn Detective Agency and its chief investigator, Issac Bell, into the fray.

The identity of the master spy is unknown to the reader and to Bell until the last portion of the book. The chase is exciting and as Issac Bell closes in on the spy, one learns the milieu of the intelligence services and the naval technological race which is present at the time. The action in the book ranges from Washington, DC, to New York to the Camden NJ shipyards and on transcontinental railroads to Mare Island near San Francisco.
After uncovering many false leads, Issac finally comes face to face with the spy and a battle to the dead aboard a Holland submarine with the spy to stop a major catastrophe at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

As the plot evolves you meet the characters, including the sociopath beautiful redhead lass, a Japanese spy, the gangster ruler of New York's Hell's Kitchen, spies and an assortment of other characters.

This book is well crafted and well spun. A must read!
Ed Benjamin, author of "Cash In on the Obama $3 Trillion Spending Plan!: How to make large amounts of money by conducting business with or receiving grants from federal, state, and local governments" also available on Amazon