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Jake Sullivan #4
A Pirate Looks at Forty
When a retired United States Senator's passion for deep-sea treasure hunting off the coast of Palm Beach leads to murder, Jake Sullivan, Chief Prosecutor for the Justice Department in Miami, thinks he has an open and shut case: the DNA of the man pulled out of the warm waters near the ill-fated yacht, matches blood found on the deck. But life is never so simple for Jake. In a rush of political maneuvering, Jake's suspect is whisked away by the State Department under a claim of diplomatic immunity. The mystery man is no simple treasure thief; he is a covert operator for the Mossad, Israel's elite intelligence agency.
But, Jake and his investigator, Mike Lang, are no less committed to solving the murders of Senator Daniel Simmons and his wife.
Their instincts are piqued when information leads them to the writings of an ancient Hebrew mystic and the lore behind an iconic relic of Medieval Spain lost in 1715 when a hurricane wrecked a Spanish treasure fleet off the Florida coast.
But tho
But, Jake and his investigator, Mike Lang, are no less committed to solving the murders of Senator Daniel Simmons and his wife.
Their instincts are piqued when information leads them to the writings of an ancient Hebrew mystic and the lore behind an iconic relic of Medieval Spain lost in 1715 when a hurricane wrecked a Spanish treasure fleet off the Florida coast.
But tho
- GenresMystery
214 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2014
About the author
Chip Bell
44 books29 followersCharles L. "Chip" Bell, Jr., lives in the City of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Linda, is the father of two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, and is a practicing attorney specializing in personal injury litigation, with his main office in Arnold, Pennsylvania.
Born on February 23, 1950, in Harrison Township, Pennsylvania, he grew up in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Tarentum High School in 1968, attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, from 1968 to 1972, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. He served in the United States Army from 1972 to 1974, attended Duquesne University School of Law from 1975 to 1979, and graduated Cum Laude. He practiced law as a personal injury trial attorney with the law firm of Rosenberg, Sewak, Pizzi and Bell from 1979 to 2002, and thereafter as a sole practitioner up to and including the present date.
He is a member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (formerly the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association) and has served on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association from 1988 to 1990. He is also a member of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and served on the Board of Governors in 1988. He is a founder and past president of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania, a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
He is the author of the Jake Sullivan series of novels, the first of which, Come Monday, was published in June of 2011, and the second, Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season, in October 2011. His third novel, Havana Daydreamin', was released in April 2012. His fourth novel, A Pirate Looks at Forty.has just been published as of June 2, 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 23, 2015
The publisher offered me an opportunity to read and review this awesome looking novel and there is no way I would turn down that offer. Between the title, the cover and Chip Beck's love of Jimmy Buffet, I knew I had met a kindred soul (as I rub my hands together in eager anticipation of reading the book).
A beautiful sunset, a ship, a relic, a prophecy....
We start out with Abraham Abulafia and his need to recover the relic in 1260 A D. The Rabbi strives to protect it during the time of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492 A D. In 1702 A D, 13 year old Louis Estabar found the hiding place where the Rabbi had secreted it and vowed to keep it forever.
In 1715 A D, Estebar is now a Captain and sets sail from Havana, heading toward the Florida Straits, which at this time belongs to Spain. A monster storm and rogue wave would end their trip home. The Spanish, pirates and looters salvaged much of the treasure and the wreck was abandoned. Until...
U S Senator Daniel Simmons had read about the loss of the Spanish fleet, so when he retired, he bought a yacht, the Treasure Trove, and went hunting. He listed his findings online and asked for help in identifying a relic of a boy with a pretty stone on a leather thong. He did not anticipate what is to come.
Treasure, pirates, storms, sinkings, Florida...what more can I say for the dreamer? An adventure the likes of Indiana Jones, only underwater and off the Florida coast.
Jake Sullivan is the Chief Prosecuting Attorney in the Justice Department Miami Office. When the Senator and his wife are murdered, he's called in to solve the crime. Told this would be a slam dunk, he knew it would be anything but an easy mystery to solve.
The repercussions if the relic falls into the wrong hands, could bring on WWIII.
Is it possible for a small group to rule the world? I believe in conspiracies and it would not surprise me at all if there was.
Worldwide economic collapse. International intrigue, political conspiracies.
Perfect for the upcoming beach reading season.
Some characters are good, some bad, with death on both sides. Even when things are obvious, it is that special investigator that has a gut feeling, or is it intuition, that there is more than meets the eye.
I'm wondering, does Lev, a Special Agent with Mossad, suspect, like I do, who the traitor is? Is it a setup? At first I am disappointed he doesn't suspect who I feel is the culprit. But...WAIT...As I read along, I believe I was very wrong about the spy. The way the story was written, Chip fooled me. I was part right and part wrong. Way to go Chip. I love it. Not only did I not figure it out, I figured it out wrong. LOL
Parts of the novel read like current events. I do believe it is in their best interests for Israel, Palestine and all the rest of the countries in that neck of the woods to figure out a way to get along. Will it ever happen?
Chip Bell's ability to blend the past and the present, treasure hunting, murder and political intrigue, myths and legends, kept me reading from cover to cover. He presented me with so many obstacles to overcome in my search for the answers that I could not quit reading.
I will eagerly be on another adventure with Jake Sullivan in One Particular Harbor.
A beautiful sunset, a ship, a relic, a prophecy....
We start out with Abraham Abulafia and his need to recover the relic in 1260 A D. The Rabbi strives to protect it during the time of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492 A D. In 1702 A D, 13 year old Louis Estabar found the hiding place where the Rabbi had secreted it and vowed to keep it forever.
In 1715 A D, Estebar is now a Captain and sets sail from Havana, heading toward the Florida Straits, which at this time belongs to Spain. A monster storm and rogue wave would end their trip home. The Spanish, pirates and looters salvaged much of the treasure and the wreck was abandoned. Until...
U S Senator Daniel Simmons had read about the loss of the Spanish fleet, so when he retired, he bought a yacht, the Treasure Trove, and went hunting. He listed his findings online and asked for help in identifying a relic of a boy with a pretty stone on a leather thong. He did not anticipate what is to come.
Treasure, pirates, storms, sinkings, Florida...what more can I say for the dreamer? An adventure the likes of Indiana Jones, only underwater and off the Florida coast.
Jake Sullivan is the Chief Prosecuting Attorney in the Justice Department Miami Office. When the Senator and his wife are murdered, he's called in to solve the crime. Told this would be a slam dunk, he knew it would be anything but an easy mystery to solve.
The repercussions if the relic falls into the wrong hands, could bring on WWIII.
Is it possible for a small group to rule the world? I believe in conspiracies and it would not surprise me at all if there was.
Worldwide economic collapse. International intrigue, political conspiracies.
Perfect for the upcoming beach reading season.
Some characters are good, some bad, with death on both sides. Even when things are obvious, it is that special investigator that has a gut feeling, or is it intuition, that there is more than meets the eye.
I'm wondering, does Lev, a Special Agent with Mossad, suspect, like I do, who the traitor is? Is it a setup? At first I am disappointed he doesn't suspect who I feel is the culprit. But...WAIT...As I read along, I believe I was very wrong about the spy. The way the story was written, Chip fooled me. I was part right and part wrong. Way to go Chip. I love it. Not only did I not figure it out, I figured it out wrong. LOL
Parts of the novel read like current events. I do believe it is in their best interests for Israel, Palestine and all the rest of the countries in that neck of the woods to figure out a way to get along. Will it ever happen?
Chip Bell's ability to blend the past and the present, treasure hunting, murder and political intrigue, myths and legends, kept me reading from cover to cover. He presented me with so many obstacles to overcome in my search for the answers that I could not quit reading.
I will eagerly be on another adventure with Jake Sullivan in One Particular Harbor.
March 17, 2018
With each successive release in the Jake Sullivan series, this is the 4th novel, it gets less about local Key West, FL, locales, and characters or novels labeled with Jimmy Buffett song titles and more about serious political thrills.
A PIRATE LOOKS AT FORTY is a terrific read and filled with enough history and political game-play to rival say the works of David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer or Steve Berry. This novel finds Florida Chief Prosecutor, Jake Sullivan, and his right-hand man, Mike Lang, involved in a plot that is grounded in religious history.
Yes, this novel does a great job of setting up a great historical back-drop involving relics of Hebrew mysticism. In modern day, we see a plot that involves a coup to overthrow the peace meeting between the heads of Israel and the Palestinian State and causing a war that will see Palestine wiped off the face of the earth while the rest of the world powers and United Nations sit by helplessly. It is up to Jake, Mike and a few people who may not be who they claim to be as the only ones able to stop this calamity before it becomes reality.
Filled with non-stop, cliff-hanging action to please the staunchest of action fans and the intrigue and political chess gameplay to keep Brad Thor or Tom Clancy fans happy! I can only hope in some small way my reviews are getting the word out about this top-notch series.
A PIRATE LOOKS AT FORTY is a terrific read and filled with enough history and political game-play to rival say the works of David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer or Steve Berry. This novel finds Florida Chief Prosecutor, Jake Sullivan, and his right-hand man, Mike Lang, involved in a plot that is grounded in religious history.
Yes, this novel does a great job of setting up a great historical back-drop involving relics of Hebrew mysticism. In modern day, we see a plot that involves a coup to overthrow the peace meeting between the heads of Israel and the Palestinian State and causing a war that will see Palestine wiped off the face of the earth while the rest of the world powers and United Nations sit by helplessly. It is up to Jake, Mike and a few people who may not be who they claim to be as the only ones able to stop this calamity before it becomes reality.
Filled with non-stop, cliff-hanging action to please the staunchest of action fans and the intrigue and political chess gameplay to keep Brad Thor or Tom Clancy fans happy! I can only hope in some small way my reviews are getting the word out about this top-notch series.
October 11, 2025
3.8. Liked it.
February 25, 2015
Former United States Senator Daniel Simmons and his wife, Adele, were murdered on their yacht, Treasure Trove. They had been exploring the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida for treasures from a Spanish Fleet that perished in the 18th century. However, their killers weren't successful in finding the special relic that Daniel and Adele uncovered.
What is this relic otherwise known as "Mem?" Throughout the centuries this relic has been sought after from the Judean Desert to Barcelona to the Gold Coast of Florida. A rogue faction in the Israeli Army believes that this relic is the key to a Greater Israel and domination of the Middle East. It is up to Chief Prosecuting Attorney, Jake Sullivan, and investigator, Mike Lang, to uncover the truth. Jake and Mike find help from an unlikely or likely source, depending on your view, from Lev Har-Even. I must admit that Lev is a force to be reckoned with, and someone I couldn't stop rooting for.
This is a book that keeps you guessing and guessing, and on the edge of your chair. Will the world be saved from WWIII? How successful will the peace accord between the Israelis and Palestinians hold at Camp David?
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What is this relic otherwise known as "Mem?" Throughout the centuries this relic has been sought after from the Judean Desert to Barcelona to the Gold Coast of Florida. A rogue faction in the Israeli Army believes that this relic is the key to a Greater Israel and domination of the Middle East. It is up to Chief Prosecuting Attorney, Jake Sullivan, and investigator, Mike Lang, to uncover the truth. Jake and Mike find help from an unlikely or likely source, depending on your view, from Lev Har-Even. I must admit that Lev is a force to be reckoned with, and someone I couldn't stop rooting for.
This is a book that keeps you guessing and guessing, and on the edge of your chair. Will the world be saved from WWIII? How successful will the peace accord between the Israelis and Palestinians hold at Camp David?
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
April 14, 2015
A Pirate Looks at Forty by Chip Bell
This is the fourth Chip Bell book I have read and the best so far. Bell is maturing as a writer and his character interaction is even better in this book than the last. This is another Jake Sullivan novel. Jake and his "sidekick" Mike are pulled into another international thriller by an act of piracy in Jake's domain of south Florida.
The plot in this novel is introduced by a couple of chapters of seemingly unconnected historic anecdotes. As the book progresses you realize the foundation of the plot was laid out in the historic perspectives.
Somewhat reminiscent of Clive Cussler, the mystery within mystery is captivating. Jake and Mike's interaction provide an admirable camaraderie.
Once again, Bell does a very good job combining current events with a fictional thriller. In this case the hopes for peace in the Middle East and the recognition that other countries have the same fractional divides that our nation faces.
I recommend the book.
I highly recommend.
site: http://www.chipbellauthor.com/
This is the fourth Chip Bell book I have read and the best so far. Bell is maturing as a writer and his character interaction is even better in this book than the last. This is another Jake Sullivan novel. Jake and his "sidekick" Mike are pulled into another international thriller by an act of piracy in Jake's domain of south Florida.
The plot in this novel is introduced by a couple of chapters of seemingly unconnected historic anecdotes. As the book progresses you realize the foundation of the plot was laid out in the historic perspectives.
Somewhat reminiscent of Clive Cussler, the mystery within mystery is captivating. Jake and Mike's interaction provide an admirable camaraderie.
Once again, Bell does a very good job combining current events with a fictional thriller. In this case the hopes for peace in the Middle East and the recognition that other countries have the same fractional divides that our nation faces.
I recommend the book.
I highly recommend.
site: http://www.chipbellauthor.com/
March 17, 2015
"A Pirate Looks at Forty" is a thriller/mystery novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. I read this novel in one sitting and for the most part had an easy time reading it although I felt that I had to keep going back and re-reading sections because I was confused with the amount of characters introduced at one time. I have to say that I was totally surprised as to who "Mem" was and everyone that was involved with trying to regain the ancient relic. There is tons of murder and suspense in this novel therefore I think anyone from a teenager to an adult would enjoy reading this book. Looking forward to reading more from Chip Bell.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2015
I loved this book. It was a fast paced mystery, easy read with twists and turns all the way to the end. I like the way bits and pieces of the characters were developed through the story. I am looking forward to reading more of Chip Bell’s books. The perfect beach book.
“I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”
“I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”
August 7, 2020
Another great read from Chip Bell!
This book started out reminiscent of a Clive Cussler novel. Historical background is a good opener to a book. As usual, the story is well written and clever. A must read for action/adventure lovers.
This book started out reminiscent of a Clive Cussler novel. Historical background is a good opener to a book. As usual, the story is well written and clever. A must read for action/adventure lovers.
February 18, 2019
Another entertaining book
Easy quick read. Neat series to follow if you like the Buffett/tropical life style with intrigue. Fun and flowing...enjoy the series
Easy quick read. Neat series to follow if you like the Buffett/tropical life style with intrigue. Fun and flowing...enjoy the series
March 15, 2019
Just one thing...it’s a magazine, not a clip. 😉
May 22, 2020
Chip Bell wants again doesnt disappoint. This book was great from begining to end. I highly recommend it
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews