The Wrecker (An Isaac Bell Adventure)

by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

Book Overview

A New York Times Bestseller -- It is 1907, a year of financial panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad's Cascades express line and,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399155996
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.5" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Awesome! was disappointed that I finished

this book flowed so well to me. I was surprised and kind of disappointed to get to the end so quick. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Much more believable than "Spartan Gold", which was a complete disappointment. Isaac Bell and his fellow detectives from the Van Dorn Detective Agency once again save the day. A few surprises along the way. Was a good book to visualize along with. Could almost see the steam coming from between the pages.

Good things come to those who wait

The second book in the Isaac Bell proves that good things come to those who wait. What we liked in the first Isaac Bell series are in this book plus more. Isaac Bell is self-confident without being arrogant, intelligent and methodically. He isn't afraid to face a foe in a gunfight or to admit that he is in love with a beautiful woman even when a spectacular beautiful young woman who happens to be the daughter of the rich client is making a play for him. I give the authors credit on how they had their character handle the situation. Bell was able to diffuse the situation quickly and firmly without being hurtful. No insulting their own character by letting him fall into the women's trap. The character is far too intelligent not to recognize what was happening. When faced with a man who has caused large financial losses as well as a number of deaths, he gathers around him an army of investigators. Accountants, lawyers, experts in their field all needed to bring the villain to ground. All without letting his ego get in the way. Secondary characters are interesting, intelligent and realistic. No inept sidekick thrown in to add what some authors consider humor. Scenes are well thought out and there is a plenty of action that flows easily from one scene to the next. Technical and historical material and details are skillfully handled. You learn without having the material shoved down your throat or bogging down the flow of the story. The book seamlessly blends fiction and real events into a fantastic action story. One little comment concerning other reviews, they refer to the writing style as being stilted. I personally had no problems with the writing style. Since the story takes in the early 1900's, a more modern style would have been inappropriate. My thanks go out to both Clive Cussler and Justin Scott for a terrific read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Scott Brick what can I say; when you have the best reader narrating your book, it's only better. Lastly, for all of us who have ties to Jersey City, NJ we thank you.

Another Cussler Success

We first met Isaac Bell in "The Chase" in an exciting historical thriller. Clive Cussler has another page turner hit with "The Wrecker." In the early years of the 20th Century the fastest and most "modern" method of travel was by rail and the fastest communication was via the telegraph. Clive Cussler sweeps us back to these times in which Isaac Bell must contend with a dangerous, greedy man, intent upon causing the destruction of the most successful railroad mogul of the era. If successful the evil doer will be able to take over the enterprise and become immensely wealthy and famous. He acts ruthlessly to keep his identity hidden. Isaac Bell, the Van Dorne Detective Agencies top agent is placed on the case and the contest is joined. Though the reader soon knows the identity of the killer/scoundrel Isaac and his fellow agents must overcome limitations of travel and information lag times to assemble enough facts to finally unmask the villain. (For older readers one is reminded of the Saturday Movie Serial as audience members yelled at the screen to warn the hero, as the bad guy lurked in the shadows and the unknowing hero fell into a diabolical trap.) The action is fast, furious and fun as you spend time in the early 1900's traveling the rails, fighting nature, hob nobbing with industry titans as well as rubbing elbows with scum of the earth out to do in the good guys. I highly recommend this novel. Cussler is at the top of his game and we Cussler fans benefit.

More Powerful Than a Locomotive

As does the cover photo of an exploding locomotive atop a wooden railroad trestle, authors Clive Cussler and Justin Scott snatch the reader's attention from chapter one. Cussler arguably is best known for RAISE THE TITANIC! (the third in his series of Dirk Pitt novels), and he and co-author Scott (whose pseudonyms include Paul Garrison) specialize in transportation-themed novels, many of which are set at sea. This is the second in the Isaac Bell historical thriller series, following THE CHASE. Both are set shortly after the turn of the 20th century, a time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and collapsing banks with the Panic of 1907, in which stocks lost half their value. As the recession in 2001 was complicated by terrorist attacks on 9/11, the 1907 economic chaos in this time-travel educational thriller is compounded by a mysterious saboteur dubbed the Wrecker, a diabolical man who recruits hobos to create havoc for the railroads, the main form of transportation a century ago. But the Wrecker thinks "he [is] no radical. He [is] no destroyer. He [is] a builder." However, the vile Wrecker sets explosives so that "only the full weight of a locomotive could trigger the detonator." After blasts sabotage Southern Pacific Railroad, the Van Dorn Detective Agency dispatches its best: Isaac Bell. In 1907 --- a year when thousands died in train-related accidents --- a New York Times article quoted Central Railroad's W.C. Brown's denunciation of public criticism of railroads as being "a menace to national economy." That year also marked the end of "robber barons" such as Edward Henry Harriman and James J. Hill, who took over so many railroads that various stock market panics ensued. The stage is set with references to 1903's The Great Train Robbery, but it's a certain senator who, like his counterparts today, uses his influence to get more ill-gotten gains than in the film. In this research-rich installment, Southern Pacific Railroad's president, Osgood Hennessy, epitomizes the term "robber baron." Intent on controlling all railroads, Osgood's crowning glory is a massive trestle being constructed over Oregon's Cascade Canyon, a slightly smaller version of its better known Arizona sibling. Osgood wagers all on the Cascade Canyon Bridge that will reduce transportation time through rugged mountains --- and channel all transportation of goods on his railroad. Osgood's bridge can be compared to the Panama Canal in its relevance to speeding transportation of goods. And that bridge is like a magnet, attracting the Wrecker to achieve the pinnacle of his diabolical career. Purposely stilted dialogue of the period derails the plot at times, and train speeds at 127 MPH raise eyebrows in disbelief. Curiously, Ma Bell (no relation to Isaac) completes a phone call from Oakland to L.A. quicker than traditional telegraphs of the time: "Telephone the Los Angeles office. Tell them I said to get to the wreck and don't let anyone touch anything. Including the police."

Back on the tracks.

The first posted review can be difficult to follow sometimes, but I think I'm safe here. All the salient plot points have already been covered for you so here are a few things I would like to add: Once you get past the fact that this novel, like the other previous ones, is not a Dirk Pitt adventure, you can open yourself up to enjoy it. We first met "Isaac" Bell in "The Chase" (11/07). He is a special agent that works for the Van Dorn Detective Agency (very similar to the Pinkertons). Cussler & Scott use the frame format of storytelling, taking the reader back in time to recount the story's events. Much like Watson in his adventures with Sherlock Holmes. The action is fast paced as previously stated and the language is archaic at times, which makes it more of a period piece. I think this character will resonate with readers. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Wrecker." Give this dynamo a look.