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Isaac Bell #5
The Thief
A bold kidnapping aboard an ocean liner sends detective Isaac Bell across America in a deadly game of cat and mouse...
Leaving England aboard the liner Mauretania, Isaac Bell, chief investigator at the legendary Van Dorn Detective Agency, stumbles on and thwarts a kidnapping. The two victims, who have fled Europe carrying a secret invention, fear that a foreign power wishes to steal it before they can bring it to America. Bell and the Van Dorn Agency offer to protect them.
And it isn't long before Bell is fighting skullduggery in the middle of the Atlantic. In New York City, as well as across the country as he and the inventors head for California, the deadly chase is on. On their trail is the murderous agent known only as the 'Acrobat', instructed to steal this world-changing invention - and kill anyone in his way...
Leaving England aboard the liner Mauretania, Isaac Bell, chief investigator at the legendary Van Dorn Detective Agency, stumbles on and thwarts a kidnapping. The two victims, who have fled Europe carrying a secret invention, fear that a foreign power wishes to steal it before they can bring it to America. Bell and the Van Dorn Agency offer to protect them.
And it isn't long before Bell is fighting skullduggery in the middle of the Atlantic. In New York City, as well as across the country as he and the inventors head for California, the deadly chase is on. On their trail is the murderous agent known only as the 'Acrobat', instructed to steal this world-changing invention - and kill anyone in his way...
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2012
749 people are currently reading
3575 people want to read
About the author
Clive Cussler
648 books8,545 followersCussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.
Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
May 29, 2022
Another rousing adventure tale by Cussler and a co-author. I haven't really enjoyed many of the co-authored books as much as his first twenty or so, but this one was an exception.
February 22, 2024
5 Stars for The Thief: Isaac Bell, Book 5 (audiobook) by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott read by Scott Brick.
This is a wonderful story woven around great historic characters and events. It’s packed full of action with great characters and plot twists. I just love this series, I can’t wait for the next one.
This is a wonderful story woven around great historic characters and events. It’s packed full of action with great characters and plot twists. I just love this series, I can’t wait for the next one.
February 19, 2021
It seems I will be reading more of Clive Cussler soon.
This was an interesting and suspenseful read and I give it 3 🌟
This was an interesting and suspenseful read and I give it 3 🌟
July 31, 2019
Another very enjoyable Isaac Bell story, can't wait to read the next one!
March 12, 2012
I always have a prejudicial concern when I find a book credited to two authors, one of whom is very well known and the other is (to me, at least) completely unknown. Despite that, I was happy to find a new book by Clive Cussler on the library’s “new book” shelf, because Clive Cussler is always good for a rollicking story. In this case, however, that concern was completely justified. I finished reading it for the simple reason that I have a compulsive to see how a story turns out. In this case, I had an added reason, inasmuch as the story included a very interesting minor character (a German teenager who wanted to become a detective), and I wanted to see what happened to her. I found the end result of her development as disappointing as the rest of the book.
This book is the fifth in a series about Isaac Bell, a Van Dorn detective in the first decade of the past century, and the writing apparently is trying to capture what the author(s) believe to be the idiom of that time. I feel that they completely missed; I cannot believe that people talked so foolishly only a hundred years ago, and the result is a story with stilted caricatures that are plain silly, as is the content of most of the things they say.
Just to add to the misery, one of my particular peeves with respect to pocket books is that the publisher often has the cover illustration drawn by an artist who clearly did not read the book. That is multiplied many times in this book, which is a hardcover: the cover illustration is wrong, as is every one of several black-&-white sketches inside. The most egregious of these is a drawing of the German teenager, showing her walking on a railroad track, hatless with long hair and one leg (it is hard to see how a one-legged person walks on a bumpy railroad track bed), with a full skirt hanging just below her knees. In the story, when the train comes, she is wearing boy’s clothes as a disguise, with her hair hidden under a cap. The next sketch shows Isaac reaching to catch his wife, who is falling from a burning building, with the picture clearly showing that she must have come from at least the fourth story if not higher, because the windows on the second and third floors ware bursting with flame. In the story they came down a fire truck’s ladder from the marquee in front of the building. The next sketch shows Isaac fighting in the stokehold of a ship, except that the person he is fighting with has an immaculate white shirt on but is supposed to be one of the grime- and coal-covered stokers, Isaac is holding the stoking iron that someone attacked him with in the text, and the depicted opponent is using a coal-scoop shovel but clearly is not the long-armed opponent Isaac has been pursuing through the book. Two other sketches are so nondescript that the artist might as well not have bothered. Finally, the cover shows the ocean liner, with four different fiery explosions going on all over the ship, whereas the story describes a fire in the baggage room, which exhausts through a 40-foot smokestack.
I will not be bothering to look for any other books in the Isaac Bell series.
This book is the fifth in a series about Isaac Bell, a Van Dorn detective in the first decade of the past century, and the writing apparently is trying to capture what the author(s) believe to be the idiom of that time. I feel that they completely missed; I cannot believe that people talked so foolishly only a hundred years ago, and the result is a story with stilted caricatures that are plain silly, as is the content of most of the things they say.
Just to add to the misery, one of my particular peeves with respect to pocket books is that the publisher often has the cover illustration drawn by an artist who clearly did not read the book. That is multiplied many times in this book, which is a hardcover: the cover illustration is wrong, as is every one of several black-&-white sketches inside. The most egregious of these is a drawing of the German teenager, showing her walking on a railroad track, hatless with long hair and one leg (it is hard to see how a one-legged person walks on a bumpy railroad track bed), with a full skirt hanging just below her knees. In the story, when the train comes, she is wearing boy’s clothes as a disguise, with her hair hidden under a cap. The next sketch shows Isaac reaching to catch his wife, who is falling from a burning building, with the picture clearly showing that she must have come from at least the fourth story if not higher, because the windows on the second and third floors ware bursting with flame. In the story they came down a fire truck’s ladder from the marquee in front of the building. The next sketch shows Isaac fighting in the stokehold of a ship, except that the person he is fighting with has an immaculate white shirt on but is supposed to be one of the grime- and coal-covered stokers, Isaac is holding the stoking iron that someone attacked him with in the text, and the depicted opponent is using a coal-scoop shovel but clearly is not the long-armed opponent Isaac has been pursuing through the book. Two other sketches are so nondescript that the artist might as well not have bothered. Finally, the cover shows the ocean liner, with four different fiery explosions going on all over the ship, whereas the story describes a fire in the baggage room, which exhausts through a 40-foot smokestack.
I will not be bothering to look for any other books in the Isaac Bell series.
May 20, 2016
Book 5 in the Isaac Bell series, this time Isaac is sworn to protect an inventor and his machine which may change motion pictures forever, in the process, Isaac investigates a movie studio which may not be all it appears to be.
My only criticism of this Bell adventure is that the epilogue felt tacked on and completely unnecessary. Also The Thief is not really an appropriate title, there are others that would have fit the book better.
My only criticism of this Bell adventure is that the epilogue felt tacked on and completely unnecessary. Also The Thief is not really an appropriate title, there are others that would have fit the book better.
September 21, 2016
Isaac Bell and company try to prevent German thieves from stealing a process to bring sound to the movies. Not bad at all, but a step down from the earlier books.
May 14, 2015
I really enjoyed the first three novels in the Isaac Bell series, especially The Wrecker, however, the last two have fallen somewhat short. In this outing, Bell is on the trail of a German ex-army officer nicknamed The Akrobat. Bell first encounters him on board The Mauretania while returning from Europe. The Akrobat is in the process of trying to kidnap two scientists and their new invention. But what is the invention and why is it so important to the Germans? This novel takes place sometime between 1910 and 1912 based on mentioning The Titanic which has not yet sailed. The action moves from the ship at sea to Hollywood where it turns out the new invention is a machine to produce Talkie Pictures. The Germans are interested in this for the propaganda purposes it could be used for in trying to get other countries on their side prior to WWI. For me, this just wasn't a very good pretext for the plot of the story. Although there was a lot of action, somehow, this one just didn't measure up to the earlier books in the series. Hopefully, the next in the series will be better.
November 17, 2021
Обичам приключенията на Айзък Бел и детективска агенция "Ван Дорн", но специално тази книга е малко по-фантасмагорична за историческото си време и не ме грабна толкова.
Разбира се, историята е динамична, заплетена, развива се на два континента и дори на презокеански лайнер, радва се на неочаквани обрати и справедлив край.
Разбира се, историята е динамична, заплетена, развива се на два континента и дори на презокеански лайнер, радва се на неочаквани обрати и справедлив край.
December 8, 2014
This novel is co-authored by a Cussler minion, Justin Scott, and there is a lot that is interesting and accurate about it. It provides a window into the life of the well-to-do in the first decade of the 20th century. Among the treats are a detailed description of a trans-Atlantic steamship voyage; ditto, a trans-continental railroad journey; and, some of the ins and outs of the movie business before "talkies" became the big thing. Clive Cussler is known for getting these things right.
The hero du jour, Isaac Bell, is a detective casually thrown on the trail of a plot to grab new technology for nefarious purposes. The thief of the title is a German army officer carrying out the "Donar Plan" to smooth the path for future German conquest easier. The tension in the story is whether he can be identified and stopped.
A number of interesting characters are presented including Bell's new wife; the technical genius who has solved the problem of coupling sound with motion pictures; and, a young girl who becomes an apprentice in the detective agency's Berlin office. Unfortunately, they are hardly more than cardboard cutouts with no development over the over 400 pages. Illustrations were provided by Berkley Books who hired someone who had not read the material. Thus, they are often at variance with the text. The epilogue does nothing to smooth out the many rough edges.
A disappointment.
The hero du jour, Isaac Bell, is a detective casually thrown on the trail of a plot to grab new technology for nefarious purposes. The thief of the title is a German army officer carrying out the "Donar Plan" to smooth the path for future German conquest easier. The tension in the story is whether he can be identified and stopped.
A number of interesting characters are presented including Bell's new wife; the technical genius who has solved the problem of coupling sound with motion pictures; and, a young girl who becomes an apprentice in the detective agency's Berlin office. Unfortunately, they are hardly more than cardboard cutouts with no development over the over 400 pages. Illustrations were provided by Berkley Books who hired someone who had not read the material. Thus, they are often at variance with the text. The epilogue does nothing to smooth out the many rough edges.
A disappointment.
June 3, 2014
I have enjoyed this series up until this title. Unfortunately I felt this one was not up to scratch. My biggest concern was the main plotline. Without giving anything away, I didn't believe the stakes justified the ruthless bloodshed and international carnage for it's acquisition. Similarly I am not sure Isaac Bell makes good husband material. He certainly didn't spend any time with his new wife or behave any differently thereafter. It was almost like the authors had forgotten about the marriage bit, as soon as the ceremony was over. What wife?
Hopefully 'The Thief' is just an aberration, as I just didn't buy into this one.
Hopefully 'The Thief' is just an aberration, as I just didn't buy into this one.
December 10, 2018
Dull, totally unbelievable, one of the only books I've not finished!
April 1, 2019
Another fast-paced, action adventure with Isaac Bell. I really enjoy Isaac Bell, he is such a good character and I love reading about his cases. I liked how this one was set around the new moving picture industry and how to make talking pictures.
June 13, 2013
I recently finished the fourth and fifth volumes of Isaac Bell’s adventures, The Race and The Thief, written by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. Cussler is one of the premiere action-adventure/suspense/thriller writers we have. He started out writing about the escapades of Dirk Pitt and his sidekick, Al Giodino. Dirk was created to be an anti-Bond in response to Ian Fleming’s great spy. Pitt is a marine engineer, government agent and adventurer working for the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). The series started with The Mediterranean Caper in 1973, and following the success of the third Pitt adventure, Raise the Titanic!, Cussler started several other series: the NUMA files featuring Kurt Austin began in 1999 with Serpent, the Oregon files featuring Juan Cabrillo started in 2003 with Golden Buddha, the adventures of Isaac Bell started in 2007 with The Chase, and the Fargo adventures featuring Sam and Remi Fargo, who are a married couple of treasure seekers, started in 2009 with Spartan Gold. All of these series have been fairly successful with the Pitt books being the most successful. What originally drew me to Clive Cussler’s novels, besides the thriller/adventure aspect, and keeps me interested, is his use of historical events. He often imparts quite interesting pieces of information about such historical events as the sinking of the Titanic, the lost library of Alexandria, etc. As Cussler has grown older (he was born in 1931), all of the series are now co-written with other writers, most notably his son, Dirk Cussler, who co-writes the Pitt adventures.
Isaac Bell is a tall, lithe, blond man who is the son of a wealthy Boston banker. Although well off, Bell actually works as the Chief Investigator of the Van Dorn Detective Agency. The Van Dorn Agency is modeled after the original Pinkerton Detective Agency. These novels take place in the early years of the 20th Century in the United States. The first novel involves a series of vicious crimes that Bell tackles in 1906. The events are played out during the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. The two most recent novels (prior to the recent hardcover, The Striker) involve the history of flight (The Race) and the history of motion pictures (The Thief).
In The Race, the year is 1909 and the Van Dorn Agency has been hired to protect Josephine Frost during the Whiteway Atlantic-to-Pacific Cross Country Air Race. She is being pursued by her husband, Harry Frost, a retired criminal who believes she has had an affair with an airplane inventor. Frost believes that Josephine witnessed his shooting of the inventor. As Bell and the other Van Dorn agents struggle to keep her safe, the pilots wend their way across the United States in a variety of early aircraft. And along the way, a second mystery needs solving: where is the inventor’s body? It all makes for a fast, fun read.
The Thief, set in 1910, involves a murderous German spy, General Major Christian Semmler, and his attempt to steal the secret process for melding picture and sound in motion pictures. The importance of this process internationally is that it can be used for propaganda purposes to influence the United States to favor Germany in what eventually becomes World War I. The fight to uncover Semmler and prevent him from gaining the secret to pull off his plan lets us see into the world of the early motion picture industry in California. As with all of Cussler’s novels the action is fast and furious and the historical information is fun and informative.
I’ve enjoyed the Isaac Bell novels, and after the Dirk Pitt novels, it’s my favorite Cussler series. Cussler has made a career out of writing suspense thrillers and adventures that use the seas as their background (the Pitt, NUMA, and Oregon series). This series, along with the Fargo series, isn’t dependent on the oceans as much, if at all. I’d recommend them for quick, light reading.
Isaac Bell is a tall, lithe, blond man who is the son of a wealthy Boston banker. Although well off, Bell actually works as the Chief Investigator of the Van Dorn Detective Agency. The Van Dorn Agency is modeled after the original Pinkerton Detective Agency. These novels take place in the early years of the 20th Century in the United States. The first novel involves a series of vicious crimes that Bell tackles in 1906. The events are played out during the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. The two most recent novels (prior to the recent hardcover, The Striker) involve the history of flight (The Race) and the history of motion pictures (The Thief).
In The Race, the year is 1909 and the Van Dorn Agency has been hired to protect Josephine Frost during the Whiteway Atlantic-to-Pacific Cross Country Air Race. She is being pursued by her husband, Harry Frost, a retired criminal who believes she has had an affair with an airplane inventor. Frost believes that Josephine witnessed his shooting of the inventor. As Bell and the other Van Dorn agents struggle to keep her safe, the pilots wend their way across the United States in a variety of early aircraft. And along the way, a second mystery needs solving: where is the inventor’s body? It all makes for a fast, fun read.
The Thief, set in 1910, involves a murderous German spy, General Major Christian Semmler, and his attempt to steal the secret process for melding picture and sound in motion pictures. The importance of this process internationally is that it can be used for propaganda purposes to influence the United States to favor Germany in what eventually becomes World War I. The fight to uncover Semmler and prevent him from gaining the secret to pull off his plan lets us see into the world of the early motion picture industry in California. As with all of Cussler’s novels the action is fast and furious and the historical information is fun and informative.
I’ve enjoyed the Isaac Bell novels, and after the Dirk Pitt novels, it’s my favorite Cussler series. Cussler has made a career out of writing suspense thrillers and adventures that use the seas as their background (the Pitt, NUMA, and Oregon series). This series, along with the Fargo series, isn’t dependent on the oceans as much, if at all. I’d recommend them for quick, light reading.
May 4, 2012
Review:
I have to admit from the start that of all the Cussler characters Bell is my least Fav, I read cussler to get away from reality with an over the top action novel. All of this leads me to finally get that i need to stop looking at Issac Bell in the same way as other Cussler books, you do need to put some thought into this book, its not a brain off thrill ride.
When i read the book with this in mind i found that i really enjoyed it and i think i will go back and reread the other Issac Bell books.
The book still has cussler pace and very real characters, but lacks the usual cheesy edge...that i quite like, but even without leaves a fun fast novel, with a well planned and well plotted story. Add to this the old foe Germany, Spies and the historical setting and you have a fun read to while away the hours.
(Parm)
Description: From Back of Book
On the ocean liner Mauretania, two European scientists with a dramatic new invention are barely rescued from abduction by the Van Dorn Detective Agency's intrepid chief investigator, Isaac Bell. Unfortunately, they are not so lucky the second time. The thugs attack again-and this time one of the scientists dies. What are they holding that is so precious? Only something that will revolutionize business and popular culture-and perhaps something more.
For war clouds are looming, and a ruthless espionage agent has spotted a priceless opportunity to give the Germans an edge. It is up to Isaac Bell to figure out who he is, what he is up to, and stop him. But he may already be too late . . . and the future of the world may just hang in the balance.
I have to admit from the start that of all the Cussler characters Bell is my least Fav, I read cussler to get away from reality with an over the top action novel. All of this leads me to finally get that i need to stop looking at Issac Bell in the same way as other Cussler books, you do need to put some thought into this book, its not a brain off thrill ride.
When i read the book with this in mind i found that i really enjoyed it and i think i will go back and reread the other Issac Bell books.
The book still has cussler pace and very real characters, but lacks the usual cheesy edge...that i quite like, but even without leaves a fun fast novel, with a well planned and well plotted story. Add to this the old foe Germany, Spies and the historical setting and you have a fun read to while away the hours.
(Parm)
Description: From Back of Book
On the ocean liner Mauretania, two European scientists with a dramatic new invention are barely rescued from abduction by the Van Dorn Detective Agency's intrepid chief investigator, Isaac Bell. Unfortunately, they are not so lucky the second time. The thugs attack again-and this time one of the scientists dies. What are they holding that is so precious? Only something that will revolutionize business and popular culture-and perhaps something more.
For war clouds are looming, and a ruthless espionage agent has spotted a priceless opportunity to give the Germans an edge. It is up to Isaac Bell to figure out who he is, what he is up to, and stop him. But he may already be too late . . . and the future of the world may just hang in the balance.
March 28, 2012
Isaac Bell is actually one of my favorite Clive Cussler characters. I think that is why I am so disappointed in this latest installment.
Storyline: 5 stars. This was an interesting read with lots of historical insight into early movie making.
Characters: 3 stars Bell felt like the same old Bell, and I'd really like for him to at least pretend to mature through all of his experiences. I loved the ancillary character Pauline, but she's left to wither in the background.
Editing: 1 star. This book was written (in part) by a best selling author and published by a big-name firm. Why, then, does it feel like entire paragraphs of needed dialogue were cut while completely unrelated gibberish was left in? This isn't an idie author trying to do everything solo and/or on a shoe-string budget. Mr. Cussler deserves a refund for whatever portion of his royalties go toward editors.
Kindle formatting: Simply atrocious, and, again, there's no excuse for this. The chapter hyperlinks do not function correctly, there are weird spacing errors throughout the book, and bizarre text effects that distract from the story. So many Kindle readers are shying away from 99cent books because of poor writing, editing and formatting. I'm shying away from $14.00 e-books from big name publishing houses that cannot be bothered to spend a day properly formatting an html file!
So, with underdeveloped characters, absentee editing, and atrocious formatting, I'm giving this book 3 stars and that's being generous.
Storyline: 5 stars. This was an interesting read with lots of historical insight into early movie making.
Characters: 3 stars Bell felt like the same old Bell, and I'd really like for him to at least pretend to mature through all of his experiences. I loved the ancillary character Pauline, but she's left to wither in the background.
Editing: 1 star. This book was written (in part) by a best selling author and published by a big-name firm. Why, then, does it feel like entire paragraphs of needed dialogue were cut while completely unrelated gibberish was left in? This isn't an idie author trying to do everything solo and/or on a shoe-string budget. Mr. Cussler deserves a refund for whatever portion of his royalties go toward editors.
Kindle formatting: Simply atrocious, and, again, there's no excuse for this. The chapter hyperlinks do not function correctly, there are weird spacing errors throughout the book, and bizarre text effects that distract from the story. So many Kindle readers are shying away from 99cent books because of poor writing, editing and formatting. I'm shying away from $14.00 e-books from big name publishing houses that cannot be bothered to spend a day properly formatting an html file!
So, with underdeveloped characters, absentee editing, and atrocious formatting, I'm giving this book 3 stars and that's being generous.
May 4, 2012
I always enjoy clive cussler books they are full of adventure and keep you interested.Van Dorn detective Isaac Bell returns for his fifth adventure in "The Thief."
The author combines a trip on the steamship Mauritania from London to New York adding some excitement in between. In midst of the action the author has decided to marry Isaac to Marion. The main theme is the production of sound movie pictures. Two scientist aboard the Mauritania are escaping from the Keiser who has been sold on the idea that if Germany has the sound movies first they would be able to thru propaganda make England, France, Russia and the United States fight each other. The characters are very well drawn and transparent. The plot has an excellent flow with a secondary or setting in railroad as the Van Dorn detectives ride the lines and burn the telegraph wires in the chase of the Monkey.
It is a great book to read and very entertaining.
The author combines a trip on the steamship Mauritania from London to New York adding some excitement in between. In midst of the action the author has decided to marry Isaac to Marion. The main theme is the production of sound movie pictures. Two scientist aboard the Mauritania are escaping from the Keiser who has been sold on the idea that if Germany has the sound movies first they would be able to thru propaganda make England, France, Russia and the United States fight each other. The characters are very well drawn and transparent. The plot has an excellent flow with a secondary or setting in railroad as the Van Dorn detectives ride the lines and burn the telegraph wires in the chase of the Monkey.
It is a great book to read and very entertaining.
April 15, 2012
The continuing adventures of Isaac Bell, a private dectective in the early 1900's. This book finds him on a steamer ship crossing the ocean from England to New York, and planning a last minute wedding to his fiance, Marion. Things are interupted a bit when he happens upon an attempted kidnapping. The kidnapping turns out to be much bigger than anyone expected, when it turns out the men almost kidnapped have developed the first working machine to make talking pictures. As Isaac and the rest of the detectives try to protect the inventor and invention, the danger comes a little too close to home.
It was a good adventure, but for some reason it didn't capture me quite as much as the other four books in the series. Still a fun read though.
It was a good adventure, but for some reason it didn't capture me quite as much as the other four books in the series. Still a fun read though.
November 6, 2014
Here's a book that history buffs who love detail about old ships, buildings, and inventions like the talking film projector will love. But those who enjoy a suspenseful plot will be annoyed by all the detail about the Mauretania, buildings, décor, etc. etc. All that stuff, while interesting in small doses slows down the story and frustrates me. A 2 for story and a 4 for background combine to rate at 3.
October 16, 2017
The plot is interesting enough to keep me reading, but the characters are almost non-existent. At the center of all the intrigue and secret detective work is Isaac Bell, an infallible Bond-esque, suave, highly intelligent, muscular-bad-guy-crushing, golden-haired man. And I hate him. There is nothing more uninteresting in a story than a protagonist with no challenges or obstacles to overcome. This was the first Clive Cussler book I've read, and it will probably be the last.
May 8, 2013
Like all Clive Cussler books, this is a fun read. I like the focus in each of the Isaac Bell books on an early twentieth century technology and how it developed. The premise was a little weak, but it was developed in such a fun way that it didn't matter.
November 1, 2014
Another excellent Isaac Bell novel, with early 20th century action, a villain to be reckoned with, and page turning speed.
I admit I enjoy the escape into the period, and the history and technology Cussler weaves into his stories.
Can't wait to read the next one.
I admit I enjoy the escape into the period, and the history and technology Cussler weaves into his stories.
Can't wait to read the next one.
March 30, 2014
I haven't read a bad Clive Cussler book yet. His stories always draw you in from the get go.
February 13, 2015
JALO MAAT, Den Isaac Bew eeft zijn eigen leven gered met een nijptang en heeft den Aap in de schoorsteen van nen buut laten vallen .... ge moet er maar opkomen :)
January 7, 2017
Good, but not as great as the other series by Clive Cussler.
August 28, 2025
Loved it.
This is the second time I've read this book and I really enjoyed it. Great plot. Love the early 20th century time period. The characters develop well.
This is the second time I've read this book and I really enjoyed it. Great plot. Love the early 20th century time period. The characters develop well.
September 8, 2017
Clive Cussler è un nome che diviene quasi sinonimo dell'avventura vera e propria. Quando si compra e si inizia a leggere un romanzo di questo autore, dovrebbe esserci l'avvertimento in prima pagina - attenzione, è un romanzo che rapisce - , bastano poche righe per sentirsi risucchiati all'interno e a non poter smetterne la lettura. Siamo nel 1910, in mare aperto, al rientro verso casa.
Avete presente quella sensazione, quel sesto senso che vibra lungo la schiena e ti da la certezza che qualcosa sta per accadere? E' così che si sente Isaac Bell. Giù nell'oscurità c'era qualcosa e stava per succedere qualcosa.
Si dovrebbe dar sempre retta all'istinto e ad un tratto quel ritorno a casa si trasforma in una notte da incubo, Isaac Bell si ritrova coinvolto in un aggressione e a salvare la vita a due gentiluomini, due scienziati che cercano in tutti i modi di salvaguardare la loro invenzione, un macchinario che permette l'utilizzo di un nuovo futuro, un nuovo metodo di persuasione e coinvolgimento. Se è pur vero che Isaac Bell salva la vita ai due scienziati, in realtà uno degli aggressori si lancia spontaneamente dal ponte e nella notte si perdono le sue tracce, ma se così non fosse?
Il viaggio in mare aperto si mescola al bisogno di coronare il fidanzamento con la compagna di una vita e cosa c'è di meglio nel coronare il proprio sogno, su una nave con il capitano ad officiare la cerimonia? L'amore che hanno in comune è l'unica cosa che hanno bisogno di condividere ed è con questa riflessione che ci troviamo a comprendere diversi personaggi che si presentano nella storia.
Pagina dopo pagina Isaac Bell e il suo leale collega non dimenticano l'aggressione, ne' l'invenzione così curiosa. Nonostante gli eventi e la cerimonia matrimoniale, cercano di capire su cosa il nemico tedesco vuole mettere mano e soprattutto perché. Il ritmo si alza quando uno dei due scienziati, che si credeva ormai in salvo, sparisce senza lasciare traccia. Ma come si può sparire da un transatlantico di duemiladuecento passeggeri?
Nonostante i capitoli iniziali si sviluppino su un ambientazione statica che ruota alla fine in un transatlantico, devo dire che sono rimasta colpita dall'intreccio che gli autori creano, aumentando addirittura parola dopo parola la tensione, andando sempre più affondo nella storia, alternandosi tra momenti di quiete e leggero romanticismo da parte dei novelli sposi, a vere e propri indagini su quello che succede in mare aperto. Il romanzo si arricchisce sempre di più quando la storia comincia ad avanzare nella seconda parte, presentandoci addirittura personaggi noti come Thomas Edison.
L'ambientazione, l'attenzione ai dettagli, la ricerca anche accurata nelle conversazioni, ci porta a sentirci esattamente nella storia in tutte e quattro le parti in cui è suddiviso.
In mare aperto è un romanzo che mescola diversi generi letterari senza risultare mai troppo o qualcosa di pesante. La scrittura così fluida ci porta a leggere quasi quattrocento pagine senza fatica e a riuscire a finirle in poche ore talmente presi dalla storia. Il thriller, l'adrenalina si mescolano all'azione e il bisogno di riuscita. L'attenzione particolare rivolta anche alla figura del nemico, ci porta quasi ad apprezzarne lo stesso i personaggi che ci appaiono. Non ci troviamo in una suddivisione netta tra bene o male, un amore e odio da definire, ma in una sorta di incanto da entrambi le parti, talmente la loro descrizione, la loro storia ci affascina.
Ogni scena è ricca di colpi d'azione e mancanza di fiato, l'adrenalina corre nelle vene elettrizzando ogni punto. Gli autori sanno esattamente come incatenare il lettore in ogni scena e tessere minuziosamente la loro tela. Come un sasso lanciato in acqua, ogni cerchio si propaga in scene nette e crude, in una storia che diviene pennellata in una tela, portandoci il colore della storia vera e quello dell'immaginazione.
In mare aperto è una fotografia sul passato, è un immagine in movimento ricca di azione e voglia di continuare a sapere, al non voler lasciare mai la lettura.
Clive Cusller colpisce ancora e lo fa in un modo unico. Sembra scontato dirvi che toglie il fiato, ma attenzione perché rapirvi lo riesce a fare davvero in poco tempo.
Avete presente quella sensazione, quel sesto senso che vibra lungo la schiena e ti da la certezza che qualcosa sta per accadere? E' così che si sente Isaac Bell. Giù nell'oscurità c'era qualcosa e stava per succedere qualcosa.
Si dovrebbe dar sempre retta all'istinto e ad un tratto quel ritorno a casa si trasforma in una notte da incubo, Isaac Bell si ritrova coinvolto in un aggressione e a salvare la vita a due gentiluomini, due scienziati che cercano in tutti i modi di salvaguardare la loro invenzione, un macchinario che permette l'utilizzo di un nuovo futuro, un nuovo metodo di persuasione e coinvolgimento. Se è pur vero che Isaac Bell salva la vita ai due scienziati, in realtà uno degli aggressori si lancia spontaneamente dal ponte e nella notte si perdono le sue tracce, ma se così non fosse?
Il viaggio in mare aperto si mescola al bisogno di coronare il fidanzamento con la compagna di una vita e cosa c'è di meglio nel coronare il proprio sogno, su una nave con il capitano ad officiare la cerimonia? L'amore che hanno in comune è l'unica cosa che hanno bisogno di condividere ed è con questa riflessione che ci troviamo a comprendere diversi personaggi che si presentano nella storia.
Pagina dopo pagina Isaac Bell e il suo leale collega non dimenticano l'aggressione, ne' l'invenzione così curiosa. Nonostante gli eventi e la cerimonia matrimoniale, cercano di capire su cosa il nemico tedesco vuole mettere mano e soprattutto perché. Il ritmo si alza quando uno dei due scienziati, che si credeva ormai in salvo, sparisce senza lasciare traccia. Ma come si può sparire da un transatlantico di duemiladuecento passeggeri?
Nonostante i capitoli iniziali si sviluppino su un ambientazione statica che ruota alla fine in un transatlantico, devo dire che sono rimasta colpita dall'intreccio che gli autori creano, aumentando addirittura parola dopo parola la tensione, andando sempre più affondo nella storia, alternandosi tra momenti di quiete e leggero romanticismo da parte dei novelli sposi, a vere e propri indagini su quello che succede in mare aperto. Il romanzo si arricchisce sempre di più quando la storia comincia ad avanzare nella seconda parte, presentandoci addirittura personaggi noti come Thomas Edison.
L'ambientazione, l'attenzione ai dettagli, la ricerca anche accurata nelle conversazioni, ci porta a sentirci esattamente nella storia in tutte e quattro le parti in cui è suddiviso.
In mare aperto è un romanzo che mescola diversi generi letterari senza risultare mai troppo o qualcosa di pesante. La scrittura così fluida ci porta a leggere quasi quattrocento pagine senza fatica e a riuscire a finirle in poche ore talmente presi dalla storia. Il thriller, l'adrenalina si mescolano all'azione e il bisogno di riuscita. L'attenzione particolare rivolta anche alla figura del nemico, ci porta quasi ad apprezzarne lo stesso i personaggi che ci appaiono. Non ci troviamo in una suddivisione netta tra bene o male, un amore e odio da definire, ma in una sorta di incanto da entrambi le parti, talmente la loro descrizione, la loro storia ci affascina.
Ogni scena è ricca di colpi d'azione e mancanza di fiato, l'adrenalina corre nelle vene elettrizzando ogni punto. Gli autori sanno esattamente come incatenare il lettore in ogni scena e tessere minuziosamente la loro tela. Come un sasso lanciato in acqua, ogni cerchio si propaga in scene nette e crude, in una storia che diviene pennellata in una tela, portandoci il colore della storia vera e quello dell'immaginazione.
In mare aperto è una fotografia sul passato, è un immagine in movimento ricca di azione e voglia di continuare a sapere, al non voler lasciare mai la lettura.
Clive Cusller colpisce ancora e lo fa in un modo unico. Sembra scontato dirvi che toglie il fiato, ma attenzione perché rapirvi lo riesce a fare davvero in poco tempo.
December 28, 2018
Clive Cussler’s Isaac Bell novels (co-written with Justin Scott) have brought a new level of excitement to me that I felt died quite some time ago with the Dirk Pitt novels. I felt that Cussler’s Dirk Pitt was a class A adventure hero for the first dozen books or so, but after he got married and started involving his twin adult children into the newer novels, the stories lost something for my tastes. Cussler has co-authored many different series of books with many different authors, and most don’t do much for me. Isaac Bell is the exception.
Like Dirk Pitt, Isaac Bell is a swashbuckling lady’s hero of a guy. He’s a private detective working for the Van Dorn Detective Agency around the 1910s. The fact that these books take place 100 years or so in the past is kind of what makes them so refreshing. This detail adds quite a few elements that help separate Bell from Pitt (something that Cussler’s ‘NUMA Files’ books couldn’t do). Also, it probably goes without saying, but Isaac Bell can do no wrong. He’s handsome, smart, can hold his own in a fight, while all managing to be quite the gentleman. He’s also fabulously wealthy due to an inheritance, so he’s constantly flicking out $10 gold pieces to strangers as the Easter Bunny would toss candy to children. Yes, Isaac Bell is a tad unbelievable, but that’s what great stories are supposed to do; allow the reader to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride.
To be fair though, after five installments now of Bell (only the 4th I’ve read), even this formula feels a bit tedious at times. The plot is quite well-thought out and interesting. It seems as though an inventor has figured out a way to produce motion pictures where viewers can see the action AND clearly hear the action and dialogue as well! It might seem as though this a bit trivial, but this technology was unheard of in the 1910s and, to be honest, many thought unnecessary. Well, it seems as though Kaiser Wilhelm’s Germany sees this idea as a masterful way to inject propaganda on the masses. Such a tool could be used for marketing purposes that can help Germany conquer the world!
An inventor that has a prototype of this device is nearly kidnapped by some German thugs on a ship bound to America from England. Since Isaac Bell is on the ship and thwarts the crime, Bell becomes heavily involved. The fact that his sweetheart (whom he hopes to soon wed) is ‘in the picture business’ herself, only adds to the story. It’s quite nice that the reader gets a healthy primer on motion pictures and the business as it existed during its infancy. We even get to meet such notables as Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith.
Still, though, once the plot has thickened and the action starts to cripple the capers, I found myself losing interest. I’ve just seen and read all of this so many times before. There’s also a high level of unbelievability in many of the scenes. Now, I’ve already mentioned that Bell is pretty ‘unbelievable’, but we’re talking about a larger than life character. What I didn’t like in this book where times when people ‘knew they were being watched’ because of a feeling they had. Or the fact that the Van Dorn Detective agency seemed to have hundreds of detectives scattered all over the globe that were all being called in at a moment’s notice to somehow drop everything in order to help Isaac Bell.
Still, though, the book was mostly fun to read. Whenever an author only has one type of book that they write, you really can’t be surprised if you find yourself not as excited as when the author first started writing these books more than 40 years prior.
Like Dirk Pitt, Isaac Bell is a swashbuckling lady’s hero of a guy. He’s a private detective working for the Van Dorn Detective Agency around the 1910s. The fact that these books take place 100 years or so in the past is kind of what makes them so refreshing. This detail adds quite a few elements that help separate Bell from Pitt (something that Cussler’s ‘NUMA Files’ books couldn’t do). Also, it probably goes without saying, but Isaac Bell can do no wrong. He’s handsome, smart, can hold his own in a fight, while all managing to be quite the gentleman. He’s also fabulously wealthy due to an inheritance, so he’s constantly flicking out $10 gold pieces to strangers as the Easter Bunny would toss candy to children. Yes, Isaac Bell is a tad unbelievable, but that’s what great stories are supposed to do; allow the reader to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride.
To be fair though, after five installments now of Bell (only the 4th I’ve read), even this formula feels a bit tedious at times. The plot is quite well-thought out and interesting. It seems as though an inventor has figured out a way to produce motion pictures where viewers can see the action AND clearly hear the action and dialogue as well! It might seem as though this a bit trivial, but this technology was unheard of in the 1910s and, to be honest, many thought unnecessary. Well, it seems as though Kaiser Wilhelm’s Germany sees this idea as a masterful way to inject propaganda on the masses. Such a tool could be used for marketing purposes that can help Germany conquer the world!
An inventor that has a prototype of this device is nearly kidnapped by some German thugs on a ship bound to America from England. Since Isaac Bell is on the ship and thwarts the crime, Bell becomes heavily involved. The fact that his sweetheart (whom he hopes to soon wed) is ‘in the picture business’ herself, only adds to the story. It’s quite nice that the reader gets a healthy primer on motion pictures and the business as it existed during its infancy. We even get to meet such notables as Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith.
Still, though, once the plot has thickened and the action starts to cripple the capers, I found myself losing interest. I’ve just seen and read all of this so many times before. There’s also a high level of unbelievability in many of the scenes. Now, I’ve already mentioned that Bell is pretty ‘unbelievable’, but we’re talking about a larger than life character. What I didn’t like in this book where times when people ‘knew they were being watched’ because of a feeling they had. Or the fact that the Van Dorn Detective agency seemed to have hundreds of detectives scattered all over the globe that were all being called in at a moment’s notice to somehow drop everything in order to help Isaac Bell.
Still, though, the book was mostly fun to read. Whenever an author only has one type of book that they write, you really can’t be surprised if you find yourself not as excited as when the author first started writing these books more than 40 years prior.
July 2, 2017
Superfast paced book, lots of action
What the author(s) do with this series: Clive Cussler and Justin Scott know how to write a book. This is part of the series called the Isaac Bell Adventures. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Isaac is an investigator for a private firm whose motto is that the always get their man The books are set in the early 1900’s and are based on the author’s fascination with the leading technologies of the time – things like fast (by their standards) trains, automobiles and ships. New technologies are introduced like aeroplanes and talking pictures. Depending on the book, many of the social issues of the day are woven into the story such as strikes and strike breakers, gangs running businesses, stock speculators and manipulators as well as later in the series the storm clouds of what will become World War I. The author is skilled at bringing in the details of how society works in that era, such as how beef makes it to NYC, or how different strata of society operate in SFO
Do you need to read this series in order: Probably not, but I think you will miss out on the character development of the protagonist and his lady friend.
Triggers: there is an ample supply of violence – in this book it’s at a high level -- people die, from violence (fires, gun shots, bombs, crashes, knives, beatings, accidents). Some of the violence is directed at kids.
The Thief is about the swirling war clouds of WWI and the nascent ”moving pictures” business (Edison Trust, monopolies). Of the books in this series this is the best one so far.
What the author(s) do with this series: Clive Cussler and Justin Scott know how to write a book. This is part of the series called the Isaac Bell Adventures. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Isaac is an investigator for a private firm whose motto is that the always get their man The books are set in the early 1900’s and are based on the author’s fascination with the leading technologies of the time – things like fast (by their standards) trains, automobiles and ships. New technologies are introduced like aeroplanes and talking pictures. Depending on the book, many of the social issues of the day are woven into the story such as strikes and strike breakers, gangs running businesses, stock speculators and manipulators as well as later in the series the storm clouds of what will become World War I. The author is skilled at bringing in the details of how society works in that era, such as how beef makes it to NYC, or how different strata of society operate in SFO
Do you need to read this series in order: Probably not, but I think you will miss out on the character development of the protagonist and his lady friend.
Triggers: there is an ample supply of violence – in this book it’s at a high level -- people die, from violence (fires, gun shots, bombs, crashes, knives, beatings, accidents). Some of the violence is directed at kids.
The Thief is about the swirling war clouds of WWI and the nascent ”moving pictures” business (Edison Trust, monopolies). Of the books in this series this is the best one so far.
November 25, 2023
4 Stars
The Thief is the fifth book in the Isaac Bell series by Clive Cussler. The series is made up of historical detective stories. Savvy private investigator, Isaac Bell, seeks justice, hunting down killers, criminals, and thieves. He finds himself in plenty of dangerous situations, facing cunning adversaries, overcoming challenges, getting caught in games of cat and mouse, where the hunter becomes the hunted, and sees lots of action and adventure along the way. Intriguing reading.
->2023 Reading Challenge.
->Glennie's Collection
-> This one's for you Glennie 🥰🙏💗📚📖
Clive Cussler novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his work. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written.
Since my mother passed away over a year ago, I have been making my way through her book collection, finally- reading each one as part of my reading challenge, as well as a way to pay tribute to my mum, who was such a voracious reader..... Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly really great ones of our shared love of reading. I am forever grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me. 🥰🙏💗📚📖
The Thief is the fifth book in the Isaac Bell series by Clive Cussler. The series is made up of historical detective stories. Savvy private investigator, Isaac Bell, seeks justice, hunting down killers, criminals, and thieves. He finds himself in plenty of dangerous situations, facing cunning adversaries, overcoming challenges, getting caught in games of cat and mouse, where the hunter becomes the hunted, and sees lots of action and adventure along the way. Intriguing reading.
->2023 Reading Challenge.
->Glennie's Collection
-> This one's for you Glennie 🥰🙏💗📚📖
Clive Cussler novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his work. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written.
Since my mother passed away over a year ago, I have been making my way through her book collection, finally- reading each one as part of my reading challenge, as well as a way to pay tribute to my mum, who was such a voracious reader..... Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly really great ones of our shared love of reading. I am forever grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me. 🥰🙏💗📚📖
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