Scan barcode
maitland's review against another edition
1.0
I marked this review as having spoilers but I want to just reiterate that just in case someone missed it.
I wanted to like this book. I have been looking for a new series to read and I was hoping that I had found one in the Isaac Bell books. This will be the last one that I read. I read The Cutthroat first not realizing it was part of a series. Then I read The Chase which I was disappointed by as I say in my review. I could not wait to be done with The Wrecker. I hate not finishing a book and this book seemed like it just wouldn't end.
Everything I really started to dislike about Isaac Bell is back in spades in this book. He is just perfect at everything. He can't lose at anything. He is an expert at everything. If he and an actual expert are working on something. Isaac Bell is the one who will figure out what's going on.
He is apparently superhuman now too. At one point in the book he is running, in mud, after a car. The car is stated to "be going as fast as a horse". Well, this is Isaac Bell chasing the car. So he catches up to it.
In the book, Isaac also gets shot in the arm. After pummeling a man, shooting guns, riding rapids/an overflowing river in a hollowed-out log canoe by himself, he FINALLY starts to get an ache in the arm after he climbs 60+ feet of a ladder.
There are other examples but why go over them all?
It is also never explained (unless I totally missed it) how it is discovered that a certain character is a spy.
I have no love for the protagonist. I started to actively hope for him to be wrong or fail at something. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who likes to relate with characters they are reading about. If it was a life or death decision and I had to pick I can only think of one character who is remotely relatable and he is barely in the book.
It's a shame. I had high hopes for this series.
I wanted to like this book. I have been looking for a new series to read and I was hoping that I had found one in the Isaac Bell books. This will be the last one that I read. I read The Cutthroat first not realizing it was part of a series. Then I read The Chase which I was disappointed by as I say in my review. I could not wait to be done with The Wrecker. I hate not finishing a book and this book seemed like it just wouldn't end.
Everything I really started to dislike about Isaac Bell is back in spades in this book. He is just perfect at everything. He can't lose at anything. He is an expert at everything. If he and an actual expert are working on something. Isaac Bell is the one who will figure out what's going on.
He is apparently superhuman now too. At one point in the book he is running, in mud, after a car. The car is stated to "be going as fast as a horse". Well, this is Isaac Bell chasing the car. So he catches up to it.
In the book, Isaac also gets shot in the arm. After pummeling a man, shooting guns, riding rapids/an overflowing river in a hollowed-out log canoe by himself, he FINALLY starts to get an ache in the arm after he climbs 60+ feet of a ladder.
There are other examples but why go over them all?
It is also never explained (unless I totally missed it) how it is discovered that a certain character is a spy.
I have no love for the protagonist. I started to actively hope for him to be wrong or fail at something. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who likes to relate with characters they are reading about. If it was a life or death decision and I had to pick I can only think of one character who is remotely relatable and he is barely in the book.
It's a shame. I had high hopes for this series.
murdrean's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wonder_kinder's review against another edition
3.0
another fun installment in the Isaac Bell series. the train details are interesting and the detailed who-dunnit is exciting.
exterminans27's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting and entertaining detective story set in a time when America still gave a **** about public transportation. In parts a bit slow, in others maybe a little bit over the top, but overall it was a mostly entertaining read, even if I found the ending to be a little bit unsatisfactory.
scribesprite's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a whole month to finish this book and I usually finish about a book on average in a week so I was frustrated reading this book but I tried not to let that influence my rating. My first impression was, "Wow, these guys know a lot about 1907 America." I always have more respect for the historical fiction writers because of how much work they have to put into research to be historically correct. I knew about the San Francisco earthquake and some about the railroad but these guys went all out on their research and it definitely showed.
Their knowledge of the time period is what impressed me most but it also is what made the book longer than necessary. There were some parts were I thought they really could have skipped some details. I'd say they could have taken out maybe a quarter of the book, or 50 pages at least. I mean seriously, I really don't need to know what every other person wore at each particular event going on; they could have just wrote that they were finely dressed and get on with it. And I don't need to know what caliber each pistol had. Details helped with finding hints and clues but these weren't necessary.
I really like the detective Bell, he is smart (of course), tough (naturally), chivalrous, and handsome (which wasn't greatly focused on thank goodness). The beauty of Bell's fiancé as well as another young lady was mentioned more then to my liking but I got over it. The other characters were given enough depth and they are very helpful to Bell. He may be the best detective in the US but he isn’t a one man show. The narrative switches between various characters; it’s mostly between Bell and the Wrecker but there were a few other people put into the mix as well. If changing points of view bother you then steer clear of this book. Since you get the Wrecker’s point of view you know who he is and most of what he plans ahead of time. It was fun to see how intricate his whole plan was and how Bell is quick thinking. I could completely understand Bells frustration sometimes because I was frustrated too. But the ending was completely satisfactory, no frustration whatsoever.
I read mostly young adult and if I were to compare Clive Cussler (I assume he is the money maker of the pair seeing that his name is bigger on the cover) to a young adult author it would be it would be [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg]. She writes fantasy but I’m comparing the smart-tough characters as well and the feel of the quest. It's like Pierce except for non-fantasy men instead of fantasy young adult girls. I’ll admit that there was a few -very few- over the top lines that I thought were kind of funny. You know the things you hear in older action shows and movies like, “Did I mention that I’m trained in Martial Arts?” and then comes the blow that knocks the guy out. But like I mentioned there were only a few. I’m happy to say that the book is not only for adult men. And the two are good writers; I couldn't even tell there were two writers.
I read this book to broaden my spectrum of reading, get some more adult books and male guys on my list, and I'm glad it didn't end in disaster.
Their knowledge of the time period is what impressed me most but it also is what made the book longer than necessary. There were some parts were I thought they really could have skipped some details. I'd say they could have taken out maybe a quarter of the book, or 50 pages at least. I mean seriously, I really don't need to know what every other person wore at each particular event going on; they could have just wrote that they were finely dressed and get on with it. And I don't need to know what caliber each pistol had. Details helped with finding hints and clues but these weren't necessary.
I really like the detective Bell, he is smart (of course), tough (naturally), chivalrous, and handsome (which wasn't greatly focused on thank goodness). The beauty of Bell's fiancé as well as another young lady was mentioned more then to my liking but I got over it. The other characters were given enough depth and they are very helpful to Bell. He may be the best detective in the US but he isn’t a one man show. The narrative switches between various characters; it’s mostly between Bell and the Wrecker but there were a few other people put into the mix as well. If changing points of view bother you then steer clear of this book. Since you get the Wrecker’s point of view you know who he is and most of what he plans ahead of time. It was fun to see how intricate his whole plan was and how Bell is quick thinking. I could completely understand Bells frustration sometimes because I was frustrated too. But the ending was completely satisfactory, no frustration whatsoever.
I read mostly young adult and if I were to compare Clive Cussler (I assume he is the money maker of the pair seeing that his name is bigger on the cover) to a young adult author it would be it would be [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg]. She writes fantasy but I’m comparing the smart-tough characters as well and the feel of the quest. It's like Pierce except for non-fantasy men instead of fantasy young adult girls. I’ll admit that there was a few -very few- over the top lines that I thought were kind of funny. You know the things you hear in older action shows and movies like, “Did I mention that I’m trained in Martial Arts?” and then comes the blow that knocks the guy out. But like I mentioned there were only a few. I’m happy to say that the book is not only for adult men. And the two are good writers; I couldn't even tell there were two writers.
I read this book to broaden my spectrum of reading, get some more adult books and male guys on my list, and I'm glad it didn't end in disaster.
weaselweader's review against another edition
1.0
There's literary licence and there's total lack of credibility!
See what YOU think of this excerpt on a car chasing a freight train:
"The second the caboose passed by, Bell gunned the Wolf's motor and drove it out of the thicket, up the gravel embankment, and onto the tracks. He fought his right-side tires over the nearest rail and opened the throttle. The Wolf tore after the train, bouncing hard on its ties. At nearly forty miles an hour, it bucked violently and swayed from side to side. Rubber squealed against steel, as the tires slammed against the rails. Bell halved the distanced between him and the train. Halved it again, until he was only ten feet behind the train. Now he saw that he could not jump onto the caboose without pulling alongside the train. He slewed the car back oer the rail and steered on the edge of the embankment, which was steep and narrow and studded with telegraph poles.
He had to pull alongside the caboose, grab one of its side ladders, and jump before the race car lost speed and fell back. He overtook the train, steered alongside it. A car length ahead, he saw a telegraph pole that was set closer than the others to the rail. There was no room to squeeze between it and the train.
Bell gunned the engine, seized the caboose's ladder in his right hand, and jumped.
His fingers slipped on the cold steel rung. He heard the Packard Wolf crash into the telegraph pole behind him. Swinging wildly from one arm, he glimpsed the Wolf tumbling down the embankment and fought with all his strength to avoid the same fate. But his arm felt as if it had been ripped out ofhis shoulder. The pain tore down his arm like fre. Hard as he tried to hold on, he could not stop his fingers from splaying open.
He fell. As his boots hit the ballast, he caught the bottom rung of the ladder with his left hand. His boots dragged on the stones, threatening his precarious grip. Then he got both hands on the ladder, tucked his legs up in a tight ball, and hauled himself up, climbing hand over hand, until he could plant a boot on the rung and swing onto the rear platform of the caboose."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Do I really look that stupid to you, Mr Cussler? Sad to say, I was enjoying the story up until that point but when you insult my intelligence and credibility to THAT extent, all bets are off. This book is relegated to my DNF list and is headed for the local Little Free Library box. Maybe somebody else is more willing to accept that kind of nonsense than I am!
Paul Weiss
See what YOU think of this excerpt on a car chasing a freight train:
"The second the caboose passed by, Bell gunned the Wolf's motor and drove it out of the thicket, up the gravel embankment, and onto the tracks. He fought his right-side tires over the nearest rail and opened the throttle. The Wolf tore after the train, bouncing hard on its ties. At nearly forty miles an hour, it bucked violently and swayed from side to side. Rubber squealed against steel, as the tires slammed against the rails. Bell halved the distanced between him and the train. Halved it again, until he was only ten feet behind the train. Now he saw that he could not jump onto the caboose without pulling alongside the train. He slewed the car back oer the rail and steered on the edge of the embankment, which was steep and narrow and studded with telegraph poles.
He had to pull alongside the caboose, grab one of its side ladders, and jump before the race car lost speed and fell back. He overtook the train, steered alongside it. A car length ahead, he saw a telegraph pole that was set closer than the others to the rail. There was no room to squeeze between it and the train.
Bell gunned the engine, seized the caboose's ladder in his right hand, and jumped.
His fingers slipped on the cold steel rung. He heard the Packard Wolf crash into the telegraph pole behind him. Swinging wildly from one arm, he glimpsed the Wolf tumbling down the embankment and fought with all his strength to avoid the same fate. But his arm felt as if it had been ripped out ofhis shoulder. The pain tore down his arm like fre. Hard as he tried to hold on, he could not stop his fingers from splaying open.
He fell. As his boots hit the ballast, he caught the bottom rung of the ladder with his left hand. His boots dragged on the stones, threatening his precarious grip. Then he got both hands on the ladder, tucked his legs up in a tight ball, and hauled himself up, climbing hand over hand, until he could plant a boot on the rung and swing onto the rear platform of the caboose."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Do I really look that stupid to you, Mr Cussler? Sad to say, I was enjoying the story up until that point but when you insult my intelligence and credibility to THAT extent, all bets are off. This book is relegated to my DNF list and is headed for the local Little Free Library box. Maybe somebody else is more willing to accept that kind of nonsense than I am!
Paul Weiss
jbayer's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
srreid's review against another edition
5.0
I do love Clive Cussler, and the Isaac Bell series just gets better and better, full of intrigue, detectiving and rip roaring action on the railroads, a thrillride from start to finish.
jaxboiler's review against another edition
4.0
I am starting to like this series. Clive has taken a step back in time and created a hero in another era. It is a nice change of pace from his Dirk Pitt and the Oregon Series that he has been writing for so long.