Tsar (Hawke Series) [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Ted Bell (Author), John Shea (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2008 | Series: Hawke Series (Book 5)

There dwells, somewhere in Russia, a man so powerful that no one even knows his name. His existence is only speculated upon, only whispered about, in American corridors of power and CIA strategy meetings. Though he is all but invisible, he is pulling strings – and pulling them hard. For suddenly, Russia is a far, far more ominous threat than even the most hardened cold warriors ever thought possible. The Russians have their finger on the fuel switch to the European economy and an eye on the American jugular. And, most important, they want to be made whole again. Should America interfere with Russia’s plans to “reintegrate” her rogue states, well then, America will pay in blood. In Ted Bell’s latest pulse-pounding and action-packed tour de force, Alex Hawke must face an insidious global nightmare of epic proportions. As this political crisis plays out, Russia gains a new leader. Not just a president, but a new Tsar, a signal to the world that the old, imperial Russia is back and is hellbent on global dominance. And in America, a mysterious killer, known only as Happy the Baker, brutally murders Americans on instructions from the Kremlin. Just a taste, according to the new Tsar, of what will happen if America does not back down. Onto this treacherous stage must step Alex Hawke, the only counter-terror agent, both the Americans and the Brits agree, who can stop the absolute madness born and bred inside the modern police state of Vladimir Putin’s New Russia. Listeners will race through the action at breakneck speed as Ted Bell’s “larger-than-life hero” (Publishers Weekly) crosses international borders to stop the Russians from executing the most devastating attack our world has ever seen. Gripping, thrilling, and impossible to put down, Tsar is the ultimate adventure ride from an author in a class of his own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In bestseller Bell's rousing fifth thriller (after Spy), Alex Hawke fights the leaders of a new and invigorated Russia, where Vladimir Putin has been locked up in a lethal prison built over a massive radioactive waste site. Evil mastermind Count Ivan Korsakov (aka the Dark Rider) is determined to return Mother Russia to her rightful place in the world order by reacquiring her former colonies, after which he intends to conquer Europe and reign as the new tsar. The only thing standing in his way is Hawke, who, as series fans well know, is more than up to the task of thwarting those who try to take over the globe. Life throws Hawke a curve when he finds himself falling in love with the astoundingly beautiful Anastasia, who just happens to be Korsakov's daughter. As always, Bell pulls out all the stops with terrific action scenes, fiendish murders, diabolical villains, dramatic rescues and all the cool weaponry the reader could possibly hope for. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The hero of Ted Bell’s spy series, Alex Hawke, battles treachery and love in his fifth adventure. Recuperating in Bermuda from the major injuries he received in Spy (2006), Alex is lounging on a beach when a ravishing beauty appears. His heart flutters, and he is smitten. She is the daughter of the ruthless power broker in the new Russia—a man who wants to destroy the U.S. and become the next tsar. In the meantime, a sadistic killer in the heartland of America unleashes his wrath, and a small town pays the price. Now Hawke must put aside his feelings for his new love and (once again) save the world. One subplot too many and the overplayed cliché of every woman in the novel being drop-dead gorgeous get in the way here, but even so, the main narrative flies by, displaying again Bell’s ability to turn out action-heavy espionage. --Jeff Ayers --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Lib Ed; Library edition (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423374894
• ISBN-13: 978-1423374893
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (300 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,155,181 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

41 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For me, it was like reading three different books., September 11, 2008

By 

J. Lesley "(Judy)" (Midsouth, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tsar: A Thriller (Alex Hawke) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

When I was reading the first third of this novel, I honestly did not think I would enjoy it enough to even finish it. But, I decided to read a little more and then a little more because I hate to give up on a book. The second third of the book began to interest me much more, perhaps because I had begun to recognize the characters and understand the situations they were in. The final third of the book was very exciting and fast paced. I wanted to find out what was going to happen in this series of incidences which had the potential to change the world forever.

Tsar is a book which places before the reader a premise of what if.... What if there was an incredibly powerful man who literally sat behind "the red curtain" in Russia. A man who had a mind so warped and twisted that he had no moral compass which would keep him from committing horrifying atrocities in order to rule as the Tsar of Russia. A Russia which meant a forced reuniting of the individual countries which had broken away from the old Soviet Union when they had the chance. And what if this man had devised a method of using a common item, a simple item, and yet use it in such a brilliant way that he could actually control the entire world just by entering a code into a machine and pushing a button.

I enjoyed the last third of this novel immensely. I had to read through the first part (which I didn't like at all) to get all the characters in place and then the second part (which began to capture my attention more) to lead up to the real action packed events. It was, for me, as if I read three different books. Luckily the last third was strong enough for me to give this book a four star rating.

I have never read any other books by Ted Bell. Consequently, I was not familiar with the character Alexander Hawke. As any worthy hero must be, he is larger than life and capable of pulling off miracles. If you enjoy action thrillers with the emphasis on political intrigue, spys, double agents, and military units trained to perform impossible feats, you will probably enjoy this book.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disapointing, November 16, 2008

By 

sybucket "stage ghost" (new england) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tsar: A Thriller (Alex Hawke) (Hardcover)

Having read many of the reviews already posted on this book I must say that I am also dissapointed in the knowledge of the general reading public.

I trust the reader will agree with me that the best Fiction comes out of fact!.....Having said that this author essentieally lost me in the first paragraph. First of all- There were NO Soviet Battleships involved in the Cuban Missle Crisis! The Soviets did not Have any Battleships in the first place. I am of the impression the Author does not know what a Battleship is. We did not have any in the Crisis either! The only Soviet Navel vessels involved in the Missle Crisis were Soviet Submarines.......Number two- The authors grasp of geography is pretty poor. Cuba is NOT in the South Atlantic! The South Atlantic is below the equator. All the incidents between the U.S. and the Soviets took place above the Equator. In addition, the rise and fall of the tide in the Bahamas is about 6 inches! Therefore the entire scene in the Blowhole is impossible!

Since the authors grasp of fact is incorrect right from the get-go, I can not recommed this book.

44 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid "Tsar" if you can, October 17, 2008

By 

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tsar: A Thriller (Alex Hawke) (Hardcover)

Four years ago, I reviewed "Assassin", another novel by Ted Bell. I said of it: "I found myself finishing this novel only because I wanted to see how bad it could get. It got pretty bad and after the last page, I cursed myself for wasting the time."

I'm older and wiser and Ted Bell is no better a writer than he was in 2004. This time, though, I was a lot smarter: I stopped at page 42.

In the first 42 pages, Bell establishes himself as someone incapable of creating coherent plot, being historically accurate or forming credible characters.

Take for instance, the first chapter. In just five pages, Bell has Fidel Castro "importing" Russian "ICBMs". Castro didn't "import" them and they were intermediate range missiles, not intercontinental. Then Bell has what he tries to make into a larger-than-life character named Hawke who is single handedly going to penetrate a Soviet installation on an emergency basis to steal information about a sophisticsated system. Utterly unbelievable in every respect.

But the best part is when a sniper - presumably a Soviet agent - takes a shot at Hawke, misses of course, and then sprays the area blindly. Hawke tskes him out with one shot. After all, he was carrying only one bullet. The entire five pages are just ridiculous - and that's just the beginning of the book. It gets progressively worse.

There are others who can pull of this kind of thing. Clive Cussler is one of them. Cussler's plots are elaborate fantasies, his characters outrageously incredible - but Cussler can pull it off. Bell cannot.

Next we are introduced to the son of the aforementioned spy who, of course, is described in great physical detail and is, as you might expect, more resplendent than any god of antiquity - and, er, better endowed, if you get my drift. That's important, because we are introduced to him as he lies nude on a secluded Bermuda beach. Of course, the most beautiful woman in the world - bare breasted of course - appears unexpectedly from the water, obviously a passenger from the luxurious yacht just offshore. Yes, yes, this is the world of the perfectly formed spy meeting the perfectly formed woman who just happens to be the daughter of the most evil man in the world, the Kremlin's mysterious new "Tsar".

By page 42, I had had it with the ridiculous plot, the silly characters and the hackneyed writing. Generally, I am open to the possibility others will enjoy novels I don't like or might be forced into reading something because they are snowed in at the airport. If that happens to you and this is the only reading material available - don't do it. Attempting to read this nonsense will only make you feel more pity for yourself.

Jerry