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Swashbuckling counter Spy Alex Hawke returns in New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell's most explosive tale of international suspense to date. There dwells, somewhere in Russia, a man so powerful no one even knows his name. His existence is only speculated upon, only whispered about in American corridors of power and CIA strategy meetings. Though he is all but invisible, he is pulling strings and pulling them hard. For suddenly, Russia is a far, far more ominous threat than even the most hardened cold warriors ever thought possible.
The Russians have their finger on the switch to the European economy and an eye on the American jugular. And, most importantly, they want to be made whole again. Should America interfere with Russia's plans to "reintegrate" her rogue states, well then, America will pay in blood.
In Ted Bell's latest pulse-pounding and action-packed tour de force, Alex Hawke must face a global nightmare of epic proportions. As this political crisis plays out, Russia gains a new leader. Not just a president, but a new tsar, a signal to the world that the old, imperial Russia is back and plans to have her day. And in America, a mysterious killer, known only as Happy the Baker, brutally murders an innocent family and literally flattens the small Midwestern town they once called home. Just a taste, according to the new tsar, of what will happen if America does not back down. Onto this stage must step Alex Hawke, espionage agent extraordinaire and the only man, both Americans and the Brits agree, who can stop the absolute madness borne and bred inside the modern police state of Vladimir Putin's 'New Russia'.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2008
237 people are currently reading
1465 people want to read
About the author
Ted Bell
51 books858 followersTed Bell was the author of 12 consecutive New York Times best sellers and a former advertising executive. He began his advertising career in the 1970’s as a junior copywriter at Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), New York. At the age of 25, he sold his first screenplay to Hollywood, as well as became the youngest vice-president in the storied history of DDB. He then joined Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, as a creative director and four years later, he was named President, Chicago Creative Officer where he was credited with developing numerous innovative and award-winning advertising campaigns. In 1982, Bell joined Young & Rubicam, London, and in 1991 he became the Vice Chairman and Worldwide Creative Director. Ted won every award the advertising industry offers, including numerous Clios and Cannes Gold Lions, and while at Young & Rubicam, the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival. In 2001, Ted retired to write full time. He has 10 New York Times Bestsellers to his credit: The Alex Hawke series of spy thrillers published by HarperCollins and the young adult targeted time travel adventure series, Nick of Time and The Time Pirate published by St. Martins Press.
A native Floridian, Bell graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and was a former member of the college’s Board of Trustees. He held an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College in Michigan. Bell was also an Adjunct Professor of English Literature at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. He was a member of the Defense Orientation Conference Association (DOCA), a program run by the Department of Defense in support of America’s military. He served on the Advisory Board at George Washington’s Home at Mount Vernon, a group chaired by former Secretary of the Army, Togo West. He also served for a time as an advisor to the Undersecretary for Domestic Relations at the U.S. Department of State.
For the 2011-2012 Academic Year, Sir Richard Dearlove, Former Chief of MI6, British Intelligence, sponsored Ted to become a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University (UK). In addition, he was named Writer-in-Residence at Sydney-Sussex College, Cambridge and studied at the University’s Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLIS) under the tutelage of Sir Dearlove, who was the Master of Pembroke College.
In May 2018, Ted published OVERKILL, the 10th book in the popular Alex Hawke spy thriller series.
In January 2019, Ted and Jon Adler of Jon Adler Films formed El Dorado Entertainment, a feature film and television production company based in New York.
In July 2019, Ted signed a two-book deal with Random House.
In July 2020, the 11th Alex Hawke thriller, DRAGONFIRE, was published.
On December 7, 2021, the 12th Alex Hawke thriller, SEA HAWKE was published.
Ted appeared on numerous television and radio programs and was a featured speaker at associations, clubs, libraries and organizations across the country.
Ted traveled the world and lived in Italy, London, France, Palm Beach, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Maine. He last lived in a beloved 19th century farmhouse in Connecticut.
A native Floridian, Bell graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and was a former member of the college’s Board of Trustees. He held an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College in Michigan. Bell was also an Adjunct Professor of English Literature at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. He was a member of the Defense Orientation Conference Association (DOCA), a program run by the Department of Defense in support of America’s military. He served on the Advisory Board at George Washington’s Home at Mount Vernon, a group chaired by former Secretary of the Army, Togo West. He also served for a time as an advisor to the Undersecretary for Domestic Relations at the U.S. Department of State.
For the 2011-2012 Academic Year, Sir Richard Dearlove, Former Chief of MI6, British Intelligence, sponsored Ted to become a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University (UK). In addition, he was named Writer-in-Residence at Sydney-Sussex College, Cambridge and studied at the University’s Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLIS) under the tutelage of Sir Dearlove, who was the Master of Pembroke College.
In May 2018, Ted published OVERKILL, the 10th book in the popular Alex Hawke spy thriller series.
In January 2019, Ted and Jon Adler of Jon Adler Films formed El Dorado Entertainment, a feature film and television production company based in New York.
In July 2019, Ted signed a two-book deal with Random House.
In July 2020, the 11th Alex Hawke thriller, DRAGONFIRE, was published.
On December 7, 2021, the 12th Alex Hawke thriller, SEA HAWKE was published.
Ted appeared on numerous television and radio programs and was a featured speaker at associations, clubs, libraries and organizations across the country.
Ted traveled the world and lived in Italy, London, France, Palm Beach, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Maine. He last lived in a beloved 19th century farmhouse in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
June 19, 2022
I love the Alexander Hawke series by Ted Bell, and TSAR is #5 in this series.
Part I of the book is a slow build up of characters and background, but once we end up in Part II, it is a roller coaster ride all the way until the runaway end. What a thrill…what an adventure!!
Part I of the book is a slow build up of characters and background, but once we end up in Part II, it is a roller coaster ride all the way until the runaway end. What a thrill…what an adventure!!
June 8, 2022
Russia is resorting to terrorist tactics to bring the breakaway states back into the fold. Alex Hawke has to stop them.
Somehow, this one just didn't quite have it.
Somehow, this one just didn't quite have it.
February 16, 2018
This book starts with a prologue set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Fittingly, the basis for the 'mission' that Hawke is assigned is patently absurd - going after a secret Soviet listening post on a Norwegian Island, covered in a way that makes no sense. Then as he is being shot at (during a "rainy and foggy day" he somehow "sees" a "glint of sunlight" off of his would be killer's binoculars. Also,Bell has Castro "importing" Russian "ICBMs". Castro didn't "import" them and they were intermediate range missiles, not intercontinental. Then Bell has what he tries to make into a larger-than-life character named Hawke who is single handedly going to penetrate a Soviet installation on an emergency basis to steal information. Seriously? But the best part is when a sniper takes a shot at Hawke, misses of course, and then sprays the area blindly. Hawke kills him with one shot. After all, he was carrying only one bullet. The entire five pages are just ridiculous - and that's just the beginning of the book. It gets progressively worse.
These absurdities do a good job setting the tone, though. From there, it's downhill.Historical inaccuracies aside (this is a fiction after all), "Tsar" jumps off the deep end into the ridiculous. By the 20th chapter Hawke will be bedding the "Tsar's" beautiful daughter; by the 25th chapter Hawke teams up with a CIA officer to rescue the Director of MI6 and the former Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard after they were captured by Jamaican drug smugglers Don't ask how or why,just go with it. Forget how ridiculous it is that aged MI6 director is running around a tropical island with a handicapped former Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard spying on drug dealers who are spying on Hawke. Don't bother.
Later, some Chechens get blown up in Miami, while a singer from the Cape Verde Islands doesn't, for reasons. There's a sci-fi Russian airship floating around, and a Russian srial killer. All sorts of things are happening, but it's not clear why, and the book's historical and linguistic inaccuracies (note to Ted Bell: Russians don't call Chechens "hornye" -- that's not even a word in Russian) go a long way towards muddying the waters even further.
There are others who can pull of this kind of thing. Clive Cussler is one of them. Cussler's plots are elaborate fantasies, his characters outrageously incredible - but Cussler can pull it off. Bell cannot.
Next we are introduced to the son of the aforementioned spy who, of course, is described in great physical detail. That's important, because we are introduced to him as he lies nude on a secluded Bermuda beach. Of course, the most beautiful woman in the world (nude, of course) appears unexpectedly from the water, obviously a passenger from the luxurious yacht just offshore. Yes, yes, this is the world of the perfectly formed spy meeting the perfectly formed woman who just happens to be the daughter of the most evil man in the world, the Kremlin's mysterious new "Tsar."
Noting the lead character in this book is Ex- Royal Navy you would think Mr Bell would ensure he has some of the basics down pat, he doesn't. From Uniforms (Cdr Hawke seems to have invented a Tropical Mess Kit where his gold stripes are on his sleeve, not his shoulder boards), to rank (the XO of SEAL Team 6 is unlikely to be a Naval CAPT (Of-5) or Army/Marine Officers (Of-2) are unlikely to be an XO, to basic understanding of the Navy (Ensigns are not enlisted, are unlikely to be working in pairs firing a gun etc).
He writes of a "German" ZR-1 Zeppelin as having bombed London during WWII. Huh? The ZR-1 was a German built, but US NAVY Zeppelin ship known as the USS Shenandoah. It was built in 1923 and crashed in 1925. It didn't even exist during WWII.The author also identifies an Ensign as an Enlisted man's rank.
He describes a Gulfstream IV business jet as capable of 400 kph. The Gulfstream will do nearly twice that speed. He has the pilot risking death by making a high speed landing in order to get our hero on the ground quicker. A Gulfstream can be slowed down by about a hundred miles per hour in the last ninety seconds of flight using air brakes and flaps. A hot landing buys no significant time and no rational pilot would do that.
It's hard to explain exactly what I am talking about unless you have read the book. But to give one example, let me tell you about the villains. These include the Tsar, who rides around in a supercharged Zeppelin, kills his victims using methods borrowed from Vlad the Impaler, and builds computers with remote-controlled bombs in them, and Happy the Baker, a demented psychopath who dresses all in white and enjoys rape and murder and delivering bombs in wedding cake boxes (The events that take place rely on the reader's gullibility in order to be plausible, but not even a 15 year old would buy the ridiculous story Happy the Baker gave the policemen in Salina, Kansas) I know Fleming got away with supercharging his villains, but for me, these guys were just too far over the top for me to believe in them.
Other absurdities:
Hawke fought "Hezbollah jihadists in the Amazon" (What?)
- Zeta is"`the last word in the Greek alphabet" (it is?)
- Someone to be executed in a federal prison for a federal crime gets a `stay of execution' from a state governor? For a federal crime? Huh?
- "A bloody billion dollar Bushehr reactor for Iran which will produce enough spent plutonium to produce sixty bombs minimum" There's no such thing as 'a Bushehr reactor'. Bushehr is a town in Iran not a reactor brand.
- The Russians "could bring Europe to its knees in under an hour by simply turning off the oil and gas taps." Under an hour?
- Pravda was one of the Russian president's favorite newspapers. "There were three newspapers arrayed there beside his place setting. Pravda, the New York Times and the London Times."Pravda still exists in print form?
- The Russians were upset because we were "putting missiles into Poland and Czechoslovakia." Czechoslovakia still exists?
Other nonsense:
-The hero's love is free to go anywhere she wants throughout most of the book. She is portrayed as woman who does what she wants where she wants throughout the book. In the end, when it is of paramount importance that she be anywhere that her father isn't, she suddenly is welded to him like glue, powerless to get away. It didn't make a lot of sense to me other than it was guaranteed way to make sure she didn't survive. I pretty much knew she was doomed when they fell in love. It would have been difficult writing stories with her hanging around the hero's neck. Romances are exciting in a thriller novel. But marriages?
-The hero finds some thugs torturing his friends. He could just waste the thug but sets up a boxing match instead. What? I thought Hawke was an intelligence officer?
-One of the baddies has an opportunity to whack the only two witnesses to his crime (blowing up a city). This baddie whacked more people in the book than anybody. He decides to let the two witnesses go because he couldn't think of a good reason to kill them. They of course turn right around and their information is used to foil the grand plan of the evil doer. This same bad guy felt it was necessary to kill two children, rape and murder their mother, kill their father, etc... He is supposed to be some kind of "elite" Russian professional. For somebody "elite", this idiot isn't half as smart as me. Somewhat laughably, this "elite" killer and two of his cronies are taken out by a common female pop singer. In what world are Russian mobsters wimpier than divas?
These absurdities do a good job setting the tone, though. From there, it's downhill.Historical inaccuracies aside (this is a fiction after all), "Tsar" jumps off the deep end into the ridiculous. By the 20th chapter Hawke will be bedding the "Tsar's" beautiful daughter; by the 25th chapter Hawke teams up with a CIA officer to rescue the Director of MI6 and the former Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard after they were captured by Jamaican drug smugglers Don't ask how or why,just go with it. Forget how ridiculous it is that aged MI6 director is running around a tropical island with a handicapped former Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard spying on drug dealers who are spying on Hawke. Don't bother.
Later, some Chechens get blown up in Miami, while a singer from the Cape Verde Islands doesn't, for reasons. There's a sci-fi Russian airship floating around, and a Russian srial killer. All sorts of things are happening, but it's not clear why, and the book's historical and linguistic inaccuracies (note to Ted Bell: Russians don't call Chechens "hornye" -- that's not even a word in Russian) go a long way towards muddying the waters even further.
There are others who can pull of this kind of thing. Clive Cussler is one of them. Cussler's plots are elaborate fantasies, his characters outrageously incredible - but Cussler can pull it off. Bell cannot.
Next we are introduced to the son of the aforementioned spy who, of course, is described in great physical detail. That's important, because we are introduced to him as he lies nude on a secluded Bermuda beach. Of course, the most beautiful woman in the world (nude, of course) appears unexpectedly from the water, obviously a passenger from the luxurious yacht just offshore. Yes, yes, this is the world of the perfectly formed spy meeting the perfectly formed woman who just happens to be the daughter of the most evil man in the world, the Kremlin's mysterious new "Tsar."
Noting the lead character in this book is Ex- Royal Navy you would think Mr Bell would ensure he has some of the basics down pat, he doesn't. From Uniforms (Cdr Hawke seems to have invented a Tropical Mess Kit where his gold stripes are on his sleeve, not his shoulder boards), to rank (the XO of SEAL Team 6 is unlikely to be a Naval CAPT (Of-5) or Army/Marine Officers (Of-2) are unlikely to be an XO, to basic understanding of the Navy (Ensigns are not enlisted, are unlikely to be working in pairs firing a gun etc).
He writes of a "German" ZR-1 Zeppelin as having bombed London during WWII. Huh? The ZR-1 was a German built, but US NAVY Zeppelin ship known as the USS Shenandoah. It was built in 1923 and crashed in 1925. It didn't even exist during WWII.The author also identifies an Ensign as an Enlisted man's rank.
He describes a Gulfstream IV business jet as capable of 400 kph. The Gulfstream will do nearly twice that speed. He has the pilot risking death by making a high speed landing in order to get our hero on the ground quicker. A Gulfstream can be slowed down by about a hundred miles per hour in the last ninety seconds of flight using air brakes and flaps. A hot landing buys no significant time and no rational pilot would do that.
It's hard to explain exactly what I am talking about unless you have read the book. But to give one example, let me tell you about the villains. These include the Tsar, who rides around in a supercharged Zeppelin, kills his victims using methods borrowed from Vlad the Impaler, and builds computers with remote-controlled bombs in them, and Happy the Baker, a demented psychopath who dresses all in white and enjoys rape and murder and delivering bombs in wedding cake boxes (The events that take place rely on the reader's gullibility in order to be plausible, but not even a 15 year old would buy the ridiculous story Happy the Baker gave the policemen in Salina, Kansas) I know Fleming got away with supercharging his villains, but for me, these guys were just too far over the top for me to believe in them.
Other absurdities:
Hawke fought "Hezbollah jihadists in the Amazon" (What?)
- Zeta is"`the last word in the Greek alphabet" (it is?)
- Someone to be executed in a federal prison for a federal crime gets a `stay of execution' from a state governor? For a federal crime? Huh?
- "A bloody billion dollar Bushehr reactor for Iran which will produce enough spent plutonium to produce sixty bombs minimum" There's no such thing as 'a Bushehr reactor'. Bushehr is a town in Iran not a reactor brand.
- The Russians "could bring Europe to its knees in under an hour by simply turning off the oil and gas taps." Under an hour?
- Pravda was one of the Russian president's favorite newspapers. "There were three newspapers arrayed there beside his place setting. Pravda, the New York Times and the London Times."Pravda still exists in print form?
- The Russians were upset because we were "putting missiles into Poland and Czechoslovakia." Czechoslovakia still exists?
Other nonsense:
-The hero's love is free to go anywhere she wants throughout most of the book. She is portrayed as woman who does what she wants where she wants throughout the book. In the end, when it is of paramount importance that she be anywhere that her father isn't, she suddenly is welded to him like glue, powerless to get away. It didn't make a lot of sense to me other than it was guaranteed way to make sure she didn't survive. I pretty much knew she was doomed when they fell in love. It would have been difficult writing stories with her hanging around the hero's neck. Romances are exciting in a thriller novel. But marriages?
-The hero finds some thugs torturing his friends. He could just waste the thug but sets up a boxing match instead. What? I thought Hawke was an intelligence officer?
-One of the baddies has an opportunity to whack the only two witnesses to his crime (blowing up a city). This baddie whacked more people in the book than anybody. He decides to let the two witnesses go because he couldn't think of a good reason to kill them. They of course turn right around and their information is used to foil the grand plan of the evil doer. This same bad guy felt it was necessary to kill two children, rape and murder their mother, kill their father, etc... He is supposed to be some kind of "elite" Russian professional. For somebody "elite", this idiot isn't half as smart as me. Somewhat laughably, this "elite" killer and two of his cronies are taken out by a common female pop singer. In what world are Russian mobsters wimpier than divas?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2018
Another adventure for the modern version of James Bond, Alexander Hawke. Not the book version of Bond, this is more akin to the movie Bond. Faced with a Russian threat lead by a megalomaniac, billionaire super genius MI6 and the CIA have to send in their best men. English Lord Hawke and his associates.
This story started off as a slow burn introducing new villains and setting up the dastardly plot. Once it all came together it was a thrill ride to the end. The action ranged from the USA to Bermuda, Russia and there was also some interesting stuff on board the Russian billionaires revolutionary airship. Some people may not like the ending, but in this case it was one I saw coming a mile off so was not much of a shock. Some of the plot is totally implausible, but that's the sort of thing we have come to expect from the Bond or Mission Impossible movies. If you like either of those then you will enjoy this book.
This story started off as a slow burn introducing new villains and setting up the dastardly plot. Once it all came together it was a thrill ride to the end. The action ranged from the USA to Bermuda, Russia and there was also some interesting stuff on board the Russian billionaires revolutionary airship. Some people may not like the ending, but in this case it was one I saw coming a mile off so was not much of a shock. Some of the plot is totally implausible, but that's the sort of thing we have come to expect from the Bond or Mission Impossible movies. If you like either of those then you will enjoy this book.
March 23, 2015
This is hardly the page-turner I was anticipating ...
The hallmark of this series is that Bell gleans just enough information from headlines to pull together a convincing series of intertwining scenarios that form the skeleton for the action in the story.
The main characters are larger-than-life, full of bravado with a wry humor and the action is hyperbolic.
It took about 30 chapters for the storylines to even begin to come together, but they never really seemed to coalesce. All of the elements are either lacking or missing completely; the characters are cardboard-ish, the action falls flat, and the great romance at the center of Alex's actions makes no sense. In fact, the roles played by both Fancha and Anastasia just left me bewildered.
I am going to treat this episode as a blip in the series -- I was wavering between 1 and 2 stars -- but went in favor of the series. The next book is actually very good -- it was the first one I read -- with all the elements on display.
If this had been the first book I had picked up, I honestly don't know if I would have continued reading the series.
The hallmark of this series is that Bell gleans just enough information from headlines to pull together a convincing series of intertwining scenarios that form the skeleton for the action in the story.
The main characters are larger-than-life, full of bravado with a wry humor and the action is hyperbolic.
It took about 30 chapters for the storylines to even begin to come together, but they never really seemed to coalesce. All of the elements are either lacking or missing completely; the characters are cardboard-ish, the action falls flat, and the great romance at the center of Alex's actions makes no sense. In fact, the roles played by both Fancha and Anastasia just left me bewildered.
I am going to treat this episode as a blip in the series -- I was wavering between 1 and 2 stars -- but went in favor of the series. The next book is actually very good -- it was the first one I read -- with all the elements on display.
If this had been the first book I had picked up, I honestly don't know if I would have continued reading the series.
December 24, 2008
My stepmother occasionally gives me books, and while they're often not exactly my cup of tea, I've learned to stop for a minute & realize that my stepmother is the reason I still have a job. She's one of the only people I know who buys books! She doesn't take them out of the library or obtain them secondhand at the Strand -- no, she'll be at a store shopping for other, completely unrelated things, and suddenly be like, "Hmm, that looks like a cool book, I think I'll buy it." Totally randomly -- without regard for author popularity, good reviews, etc. She'll just see a book and casually spend $30 on it because it catches her eye. And she does this FREQUENTLY! In hardcover!
So she gave me this one, and at first I conveniently "left" it at her house, and then I felt bad (for the reasons above), so the next time I saw her I made a point of retrieving it, and made a vow to myself that, GODDAMMIT I WILL READ THIS THING COVER-TO-COVER COME HELL OR HIGHWATER!
Finished it today, and must say that the writing quality is surprisingly, refreshingly -- dare I say -- excellent for a thriller. But that's the only reason I'm giving it more than zero stars.
If this book contained any more testosterone, it would have given me a female boner. It's got it all: superfluous acronyms, pages and pages of weaponry stats, post-arms-shed "man-to-man" duels, references to any objects besides actual human-being men as "she", sailboats, submarines, zeppelins, helicopters, motorcycles, yachts, various politically-important (and of course simultaneously bombshell) women on multiple continents sweating and/or outright pleasuring themselves in the mere presence of the hero... I mean, the list goes on and on. And the irony is that the male protagonist doesn't really "do" a whole hell of a lot. He mainly just strides around lookin' pertty.
But the writing is more than decent -- poetic, even. It's actually kind of cute that a guy would take the time to read this instead of just renting porn or going on a shooting spree at the mall.
I sure wish authors like this would use their powers for good rather than evil.
So she gave me this one, and at first I conveniently "left" it at her house, and then I felt bad (for the reasons above), so the next time I saw her I made a point of retrieving it, and made a vow to myself that, GODDAMMIT I WILL READ THIS THING COVER-TO-COVER COME HELL OR HIGHWATER!
Finished it today, and must say that the writing quality is surprisingly, refreshingly -- dare I say -- excellent for a thriller. But that's the only reason I'm giving it more than zero stars.
If this book contained any more testosterone, it would have given me a female boner. It's got it all: superfluous acronyms, pages and pages of weaponry stats, post-arms-shed "man-to-man" duels, references to any objects besides actual human-being men as "she", sailboats, submarines, zeppelins, helicopters, motorcycles, yachts, various politically-important (and of course simultaneously bombshell) women on multiple continents sweating and/or outright pleasuring themselves in the mere presence of the hero... I mean, the list goes on and on. And the irony is that the male protagonist doesn't really "do" a whole hell of a lot. He mainly just strides around lookin' pertty.
But the writing is more than decent -- poetic, even. It's actually kind of cute that a guy would take the time to read this instead of just renting porn or going on a shooting spree at the mall.
I sure wish authors like this would use their powers for good rather than evil.
December 5, 2008
I'm sort of addicted to the Lord Alex Hawke series. They're quirky spy-story page-turners with fun characters and more gadgets and machines than Bond himself. They're fast reads, but still give you something to think about as the plots are crazy incarnations of current events.
The latest Hawke adventure pits him against a self-styled Russian tsar scheming to bring back the great Soviet Union. There are fantastic new air ships! Antique motorcycles! Fast boats! Beautiful girls! Brain-shaped computers!
My favorite plot twist by far is the total demolition of my home town. The bad guy decides to make an example of Salina, Kansas by blowing it up. It's in the exact center of the continental US - a strike to the heart! It was sort of fun, sort of creepy, to read the description of the bad guy driving down Crawford, delivering explosive-laden donuts to Central High (I went to South), watching the town explode from the vantage point of the Hill. Thankfully all the good citizens were evacuated first, so my family and friends were (fictionally) safe.
Hawke's love life ends sadly, as usual. But I can't wait to see what kind of crazy situation he and his friends get thrown into next.
The latest Hawke adventure pits him against a self-styled Russian tsar scheming to bring back the great Soviet Union. There are fantastic new air ships! Antique motorcycles! Fast boats! Beautiful girls! Brain-shaped computers!
My favorite plot twist by far is the total demolition of my home town. The bad guy decides to make an example of Salina, Kansas by blowing it up. It's in the exact center of the continental US - a strike to the heart! It was sort of fun, sort of creepy, to read the description of the bad guy driving down Crawford, delivering explosive-laden donuts to Central High (I went to South), watching the town explode from the vantage point of the Hill. Thankfully all the good citizens were evacuated first, so my family and friends were (fictionally) safe.
Hawke's love life ends sadly, as usual. But I can't wait to see what kind of crazy situation he and his friends get thrown into next.
June 8, 2015
I was all set to rate this two stars until the normally solid Bell concluded this story most disappointingly, leaving characters and plots uncleanly finished. Lowest rating of Hawke series, despite Shay's excellent narration as always. 2 of 10 stars
September 12, 2012
The Bond movies have almost always been smash hits at the box office and many fans know 007 was based on a double agent who hung out in Portugal during World War II, but I’m pretty sure Alex Hawke is a completely fictitious character from the mind of Ted Bell. Hawke is the playboy super agent for the 21st century with a little late 90′s metrosexual emotional bull tossed in.
Now don’t get me wrong. He’s a man’s man shooting around Bermuda on a vintage racing bike at speeds well beyond those recommended for safe travel after far too many hi-balls of Gosling’s Black Seal rum. Why do I know the brand name? One, because I like it myself, and B because Bell makes a Herculean effort to throw it in every chance he gets. The guy must have a deal with the rum runners that rivals Tiger’s Nike deal. But the thing is, when it comes to women Hawke does not take the Sean Connery slap the girl around approach. He’s all weepy. Though to be fair, his lovers tend to leave him in sudden and tragic ways, which I imagine can be traumatic after a while. I just wish we could have a super spy somewhere between the chauvinist and the metrosexual.
At any rate, if you’ve read any of the Hawke books, there are a total of six now, you’ll find the fifth book Tsar to be a bit different. Most of the action in the beginning of the novel does not follow Hawke, but instead centers around his good friend and private contractor for the CIA, Stokes, and the contract killer whose boss is a bit of an enigma, Paddy, as in all-beef. As far as villainous sidekicks go, he’s no Jaws or Oddjob. He’s much more of a Red Grant. The kind of guy who is very good at killing people and takes sick pleasure from it. Sick pleasure that spreads into the most graphic scene I can recall in a Hawke novel. The series features plenty of sex scenes, I mean Hawke is a playboy, but this is the first scene in which it was not between two consensual adults and I was not impressed.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I can withstand a great deal more violence involving death and explosions and what not than I can violence that is restricted to the bedroom. I can’t really say why, it just offends me much more easily.
The rest of Tsar contains a great deal more of the exciting action and intrigue I seek in these books. Bell is very good at presenting threats to life, liberty, and happiness that seem highly plausible in our current world climate and, call me a paranoid post Cold War nut if you must, but seeing Russia once again rise up to resume its intimidation and bullying does not feel in any way far-fetched. I mean, they elected a former KGB agent president. Would you want a CIA operative in the White House? I’m glad they’re there to do what they do best, but I don’t thing running a peaceful, free nation falls into that category. Oddly enough the threat is not from Communism, but instead a business tycoon rises to the position of, ready for it? you had to have seen it coming, Tsar. That’s right. Bell’s Russia wants to throw out 90 some years of history and return to a Tsar regime.
Of course the guy turns out to be a few too many vodkas off his game to rule with any kind of sanity, so in comes Lord Hawke and his plucky, easy come, easy go attitude to save the day. But wait. Who is this illusive third man who seems to be pulling the strings behind the curtain of Oz?
Hawke’s love interest this time around is not a particularly strong part of the novel. She doesn’t seem to know her role in the novel and by the time the gritty details of her life are revealed they seem so out-of-place and confusing that they don’t have time to sink in. Especially when the timing is at the very climax of the action. Her big reveal is trampled on by the drama playing out between Hawke and the baddie and it’s over so quickly the information can’t be fully absorbed before we’re back in Bermuda and the credits are rolling. And Mr. Weepy-Weepy Sad-Sad is back to thumbing is way down the road to his next adventure. Which, by the, came out this month.
These issues are a nuisance but they do little to detract from the overall novel. Bell always puts together an exciting and well executed, not to mention at times over the top (just wait until you see how he kills the bad guy), thriller that takes you from the height of cigar smoking snifter drinking luxury to the depths of a radioactive prison and back again. It’s got everything including Q-esque inventions, which are usually not sported by the Brit Lord Hawke, and in case you hadn’t noticed, exotic locales. Oh, and one of the sweet toys is a giant zeppelin! So why hasn’t this series made the leap to the big screen? After all, Bond isn’t coming back any time soon. I’m still bitter about Clive Owen being passed over in favor of Daniel Craig anyway. Who’s ever heard of a blond Bond? Come to think, I wonder how Owen would do as Hawke?
In the mean time I’m very much looking forward to Warlord.
Now don’t get me wrong. He’s a man’s man shooting around Bermuda on a vintage racing bike at speeds well beyond those recommended for safe travel after far too many hi-balls of Gosling’s Black Seal rum. Why do I know the brand name? One, because I like it myself, and B because Bell makes a Herculean effort to throw it in every chance he gets. The guy must have a deal with the rum runners that rivals Tiger’s Nike deal. But the thing is, when it comes to women Hawke does not take the Sean Connery slap the girl around approach. He’s all weepy. Though to be fair, his lovers tend to leave him in sudden and tragic ways, which I imagine can be traumatic after a while. I just wish we could have a super spy somewhere between the chauvinist and the metrosexual.
At any rate, if you’ve read any of the Hawke books, there are a total of six now, you’ll find the fifth book Tsar to be a bit different. Most of the action in the beginning of the novel does not follow Hawke, but instead centers around his good friend and private contractor for the CIA, Stokes, and the contract killer whose boss is a bit of an enigma, Paddy, as in all-beef. As far as villainous sidekicks go, he’s no Jaws or Oddjob. He’s much more of a Red Grant. The kind of guy who is very good at killing people and takes sick pleasure from it. Sick pleasure that spreads into the most graphic scene I can recall in a Hawke novel. The series features plenty of sex scenes, I mean Hawke is a playboy, but this is the first scene in which it was not between two consensual adults and I was not impressed.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I can withstand a great deal more violence involving death and explosions and what not than I can violence that is restricted to the bedroom. I can’t really say why, it just offends me much more easily.
The rest of Tsar contains a great deal more of the exciting action and intrigue I seek in these books. Bell is very good at presenting threats to life, liberty, and happiness that seem highly plausible in our current world climate and, call me a paranoid post Cold War nut if you must, but seeing Russia once again rise up to resume its intimidation and bullying does not feel in any way far-fetched. I mean, they elected a former KGB agent president. Would you want a CIA operative in the White House? I’m glad they’re there to do what they do best, but I don’t thing running a peaceful, free nation falls into that category. Oddly enough the threat is not from Communism, but instead a business tycoon rises to the position of, ready for it? you had to have seen it coming, Tsar. That’s right. Bell’s Russia wants to throw out 90 some years of history and return to a Tsar regime.
Of course the guy turns out to be a few too many vodkas off his game to rule with any kind of sanity, so in comes Lord Hawke and his plucky, easy come, easy go attitude to save the day. But wait. Who is this illusive third man who seems to be pulling the strings behind the curtain of Oz?
Hawke’s love interest this time around is not a particularly strong part of the novel. She doesn’t seem to know her role in the novel and by the time the gritty details of her life are revealed they seem so out-of-place and confusing that they don’t have time to sink in. Especially when the timing is at the very climax of the action. Her big reveal is trampled on by the drama playing out between Hawke and the baddie and it’s over so quickly the information can’t be fully absorbed before we’re back in Bermuda and the credits are rolling. And Mr. Weepy-Weepy Sad-Sad is back to thumbing is way down the road to his next adventure. Which, by the, came out this month.
These issues are a nuisance but they do little to detract from the overall novel. Bell always puts together an exciting and well executed, not to mention at times over the top (just wait until you see how he kills the bad guy), thriller that takes you from the height of cigar smoking snifter drinking luxury to the depths of a radioactive prison and back again. It’s got everything including Q-esque inventions, which are usually not sported by the Brit Lord Hawke, and in case you hadn’t noticed, exotic locales. Oh, and one of the sweet toys is a giant zeppelin! So why hasn’t this series made the leap to the big screen? After all, Bond isn’t coming back any time soon. I’m still bitter about Clive Owen being passed over in favor of Daniel Craig anyway. Who’s ever heard of a blond Bond? Come to think, I wonder how Owen would do as Hawke?
In the mean time I’m very much looking forward to Warlord.
March 11, 2010
Boy of boy, this by far has been the worst spy thriller I have ever read. What can you say when some of the main characters in the novel keep saying baby to each others. The characters are not two or one but zero dimensional. The timelines are ridiculous. The main character is 33 years old yet fought in Gulf War 1 as at Harrier pilot. If that is the case he must have been
April 30, 2022
These books with Alex Hawke remind me of the James Bond movies, over the top with the villians and Hawke is so smooth. Just a fun read. Only recommend for British Bond lovers! LOL!
June 28, 2022
Haven't seen this many unnecessary SAs since I tried to watch Game of Thrones. Also, does Bell know that some Americans have last names that don't start with "Mc"?
January 24, 2020
I borrowed this book from my mom (which she borrowed from my Grandfather) and was hooked when I started reading. Although this is the fifth book of the series, I was able to understand the story without the need to read the first four books.
I read somewhere that this is being compared to James Bond or something like that, but surprisingly, I didn't! I saw Alex Hawke as a more rugged type compared to Bond's dapper style or approach so maybe that's why I wasn't able to see similarities.
Read this as it is, without prejudice or comparison. I really enjoyed this especially this touched some Russian Jargon Terms and although I am not very fond of romance in these genres, I really pushed the team hard (So yeah it was a sad ending for me)
Anyway, I have the first book and I hope I can read this book again once I finish the first four books :)
I read somewhere that this is being compared to James Bond or something like that, but surprisingly, I didn't! I saw Alex Hawke as a more rugged type compared to Bond's dapper style or approach so maybe that's why I wasn't able to see similarities.
Read this as it is, without prejudice or comparison. I really enjoyed this especially this touched some Russian Jargon Terms and although I am not very fond of romance in these genres, I really pushed the team hard (So yeah it was a sad ending for me)
Anyway, I have the first book and I hope I can read this book again once I finish the first four books :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2013
I almost didn't rate this book at all because it doesn't even deserve one star. It is one of the worst books I've ever read, and couldn't even get 100 pages in before putting down the book. That's not even an eighth of the way through the book. Which is pitiful.
I honestly don't know how Tsar got any good reviews. The characters are boring and flat. I have no interest in them whatsoever. The bird (which more than likely will never be mentioned again) was more interesting than any of the characters that were introduced within the first 78 pages.
Ted Bell is over-descriptive and seems over-eager to create a suspenseful scene (describing basic pink shells as "violently pink", the shack is "edgy" and supposedly used by other spies). Often times, when describing things, he uses synonyms for the first word he used to describe something (like saying "dull, tedious, and boring" to describe one thing; pretty redundant) or describes them in a very cheesy fashion.
Everything is overdramatic. I can understand that to an extent, seeing as this is a spy thriller, but this is crossing the line. A guy talks to a woman once, and suddenly they're considered romantic interests. A serial killer's execution is stayed, so instead of fixing the problem in a subtle way, they just blow up the entire prison, no big deal. It's only hundreds of people just killed in excess because one thing went wrong.
Besides that, the language is used very inconsistently. One page will have all kinds of curse words (fuck, damn, hell, goddamn), the next page will contain overused substitutes for those words (friggin', heck, freaking, frickin', etc.), and yet another page will have something like, "He uttered something unprintable." I'm pretty sure that's okay, seeing as you have a myriad of offensive language on other pages of the book that is already printed.
All of these things I got from only 78 pages. This is not worth reading, and definitely not worth buying. I'm disappointed and regret the time I've wasted trying to get through this nonsense.
I honestly don't know how Tsar got any good reviews. The characters are boring and flat. I have no interest in them whatsoever. The bird (which more than likely will never be mentioned again) was more interesting than any of the characters that were introduced within the first 78 pages.
Ted Bell is over-descriptive and seems over-eager to create a suspenseful scene (describing basic pink shells as "violently pink", the shack is "edgy" and supposedly used by other spies). Often times, when describing things, he uses synonyms for the first word he used to describe something (like saying "dull, tedious, and boring" to describe one thing; pretty redundant) or describes them in a very cheesy fashion.
Everything is overdramatic. I can understand that to an extent, seeing as this is a spy thriller, but this is crossing the line. A guy talks to a woman once, and suddenly they're considered romantic interests. A serial killer's execution is stayed, so instead of fixing the problem in a subtle way, they just blow up the entire prison, no big deal. It's only hundreds of people just killed in excess because one thing went wrong.
Besides that, the language is used very inconsistently. One page will have all kinds of curse words (fuck, damn, hell, goddamn), the next page will contain overused substitutes for those words (friggin', heck, freaking, frickin', etc.), and yet another page will have something like, "He uttered something unprintable." I'm pretty sure that's okay, seeing as you have a myriad of offensive language on other pages of the book that is already printed.
All of these things I got from only 78 pages. This is not worth reading, and definitely not worth buying. I'm disappointed and regret the time I've wasted trying to get through this nonsense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2010
I wish I could have been one of the chosen few to write the Praise for Ted Bell quotes on the back cover. Those guys must have been paid pretty handsomely to give this book a positive review.
There are several aspects of this book that are bad, questionable, unnecessary or that just plain baffle me, but I'll just give you the big ones and move on:
-- There is a terribly long and fairly pointless buildup to what is eventually the main plot line. It isn't until page 140 or so that the primary plot line is finally put forth. Way, way too long for me.
-- Bell is overly descriptive on pointless things but not nearly descriptive enough on others. A pack of Marlboro Lights, a bottle of rum and a ferry pilot's pipe in a window are broken down like an errant pass play in the Super Bowl. Crucial plot points like an air ship siege over the Atlantic, how Alex Hawke got from the middle of the Atlantic to Stockholm in a matter of hours and how MI6 got their hands on a Russian political giant and the Tsar's right hand man (without the Tsar being any the wiser) are glanced over or not mentioned at all.
-- There are about a billion characters in this novel. How many do you need? Who gives a toss about the Russian movie moguls who are only there to prop up a weak plot aspect anyway? Same with the Tsar's two young sons who are mentioned once and never again. Why waste my time like that?
-- Czechoslovakia? Really? When was this book written? 1981?
-- There is very poor flow throughout the book, making it a choppy and ultimately unfulfilling read.
-- The main character is bland; not unlikeable, but someone I was indifferent toward. The only reason I rooted for Hawke was because he was less ingratiating than Tsar Korsakov.
Apparently this Ted Bell guy is a big-time author, but this book should have relegated him to the minor leagues.
There are several aspects of this book that are bad, questionable, unnecessary or that just plain baffle me, but I'll just give you the big ones and move on:
-- There is a terribly long and fairly pointless buildup to what is eventually the main plot line. It isn't until page 140 or so that the primary plot line is finally put forth. Way, way too long for me.
-- Bell is overly descriptive on pointless things but not nearly descriptive enough on others. A pack of Marlboro Lights, a bottle of rum and a ferry pilot's pipe in a window are broken down like an errant pass play in the Super Bowl. Crucial plot points like an air ship siege over the Atlantic, how Alex Hawke got from the middle of the Atlantic to Stockholm in a matter of hours and how MI6 got their hands on a Russian political giant and the Tsar's right hand man (without the Tsar being any the wiser) are glanced over or not mentioned at all.
-- There are about a billion characters in this novel. How many do you need? Who gives a toss about the Russian movie moguls who are only there to prop up a weak plot aspect anyway? Same with the Tsar's two young sons who are mentioned once and never again. Why waste my time like that?
-- Czechoslovakia? Really? When was this book written? 1981?
-- There is very poor flow throughout the book, making it a choppy and ultimately unfulfilling read.
-- The main character is bland; not unlikeable, but someone I was indifferent toward. The only reason I rooted for Hawke was because he was less ingratiating than Tsar Korsakov.
Apparently this Ted Bell guy is a big-time author, but this book should have relegated him to the minor leagues.
August 19, 2010
Ted Bell is channeling Ian Fleming, there is no question about it! Reading this book, you will be put in mind immediately of "Live and Let Die", "Dr. No", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and numerous other Bond classics, though plagiarism isn't Bell's game. Emulation, more like. His hero, Alex Hawke, may as WELL be old "J.B.", though... he has the same sense of cool, the same sort of British and American connections, and DEFINITELY the same eye for the ladies! The villain in this book is right out of latter day Bond, as he is megalomaniac in the extreme, seeking to turn Russia into a czarist empire again, using THAT to establish a GLOBAL empire using a fiendishly concocted and delivered device that would have been worthy of Philip K. Dick!
Bell has a way of writing that puts the scenes right in your head like some sort of telepathic projection from John Glen or Tony Richardson! You see, quite clearly, the scene as any movie director might envision it, and this makes the book so much more enjoyable than the usual vaguely described novelistic tableaux.
If you like a good, slick adventure story written for adults, look no further than this rollicking novel by Ted Bell!
Bell has a way of writing that puts the scenes right in your head like some sort of telepathic projection from John Glen or Tony Richardson! You see, quite clearly, the scene as any movie director might envision it, and this makes the book so much more enjoyable than the usual vaguely described novelistic tableaux.
If you like a good, slick adventure story written for adults, look no further than this rollicking novel by Ted Bell!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2016
Tsar , by TED BELL is definitely one of the best books in the series so far.I still have 4 more books in the series to actually finish reading the series,but i must say this series is awesome.It just continues to get better and better as the series progresses on.They are many great writers in this genre that we all love to read ,i must and will say that TED BELL is and should remain in the top 5.The books in this series are all 5 stars ,they are just impossible to put down.I am an avid reader and book collector.I also have a used book online selling business,in the 19 years that i have been reading,collecting and selling books avidly ,i have read hundreds of books and i will say that this series is one of the best i have read in my years following and enjoying this hobby that i love so much.I recommend this entire book series to all the readers who love.Brad Thor, Daniel Silva,Mark Sullivan,Vince Flynn,David Baldacci,James Patterson,Eric Van Lustbader, Greg Hurwitz , Ben Coes , Brad Taylor.These are my favorite writers and i honestly believe the best in the world.Ted Bell is right in this list with them,he is truly a literary great.
July 23, 2010
My review is - I'm so glad that's over! Unbelievable situations, ridiculous characters, juvenile dialogue, physical impossibilities ... I don't think I need to go on.
I'm a fan of Clive Cussler & that vein of action/adventure and I love a good spy novel but this was really a waste of time.
I think there were just too many holes in the plot. I can suspend disbelief in search of a fun tale (ala Cussler) but seriously? It takes a subcontracted security guy to solve the bomb scenario? A guy without a background in Russia put in charge of a joint US/Great Britain strike force to neutralize a growing threat? A woman who was brutalized by her father eager to see him, spend time with him, & bring home the new boyfriend, not to mention hanging his portrait on her wall? And don't get me started on how oh-so-smart Tzar conveniently forgets to have a Russian sub or boats positioned to intercept the hostage rescue.
I'm a fan of Clive Cussler & that vein of action/adventure and I love a good spy novel but this was really a waste of time.
I think there were just too many holes in the plot. I can suspend disbelief in search of a fun tale (ala Cussler) but seriously? It takes a subcontracted security guy to solve the bomb scenario? A guy without a background in Russia put in charge of a joint US/Great Britain strike force to neutralize a growing threat? A woman who was brutalized by her father eager to see him, spend time with him, & bring home the new boyfriend, not to mention hanging his portrait on her wall? And don't get me started on how oh-so-smart Tzar conveniently forgets to have a Russian sub or boats positioned to intercept the hostage rescue.
November 28, 2008
If you are into James Bond type spy mysteries/novels, this is as good as any recent, and there are a lot of them out there (I'm barely scraping through "Stone Cold" by Baldacci right now).
The author is better than most in plot, conflict, character development, and descriptions, but a little too heavy on decor and architecture.
He even adds some interesting quotes such as Mark Twain's comment about Bermuda, "You can go to heaven, I'm staying right here."
This is a fast action thriller that is a little far fetched but timely and believable.
I rate it a "good read", a 4 in "my book".
-Joe
The author is better than most in plot, conflict, character development, and descriptions, but a little too heavy on decor and architecture.
He even adds some interesting quotes such as Mark Twain's comment about Bermuda, "You can go to heaven, I'm staying right here."
This is a fast action thriller that is a little far fetched but timely and believable.
I rate it a "good read", a 4 in "my book".
-Joe
July 10, 2014
I gave this book an F--- (that's three minuses) on my personal A to F scale. I would have given it no stars on Goodreads, but I figured that wouldn't count against it in the tallies of all reader reviews. So I gave it one star, which is more than it deserves.
This is quite literally one of the worst books I have ever bothered to read all-the-way through. The plot is so ridiculously implausible, and the author has nowhere near the writing skill to convince me (at least) to suspend disbelief.
This "book" was a complete and total waste of the time and money it took to buy and read it. I wish I'd had my teeth cleaned.
This is quite literally one of the worst books I have ever bothered to read all-the-way through. The plot is so ridiculously implausible, and the author has nowhere near the writing skill to convince me (at least) to suspend disbelief.
This "book" was a complete and total waste of the time and money it took to buy and read it. I wish I'd had my teeth cleaned.
June 14, 2009
I eagerly awaited this new Hawke...so far, it doesn't disappoint...the West's interests are threatened, beautiful women and a trusty sidekick all weave a page turner...parts of the book are torn from the front pages of European papers...decent background on a rising threat of renewed Russian nationalism...Hawke's love interest again proves to be problematic...a fun ride!!!
October 28, 2015
Another case for reading an abridged version of a story! Way too long, at 15 audio CD disks, and when they spend over 5 minutes describing a Troika, I ask myself "Why??". There was definitely suspense and intrigue, but when that doesn't come until 2/3 the way through the story, and then ends on a devastating note, I can only give 3 out of 10 on this one.
Read
September 16, 2009A more Navy Seal type "James Bond" is called on to save the democratic free world from the clutches of a strong Russia. I'm reading it for action and it has a present-day conspiracy feel to it...
Ted Bell may be my new "Tom Clancy" Fix... I plan to read more of is titles
Ted Bell may be my new "Tom Clancy" Fix... I plan to read more of is titles
December 6, 2009
Amazing. Never had a dull moment, and the ending was incredible.
December 27, 2009
Outstanding winter read, the Tsar's plan for world domination came from left field and made perfect sense. Got me wondering why it hasen't been tried already.
February 20, 2010
A good beach book even in the winter. Intersting technology; likeable main characters.
July 16, 2009
First sentence - "The end of the world was in plain sight."
September 1, 2017
The last 100 pages was the most intense, but had a slow start dwelling on this guy on an island.
Author has a flippant writing style. Maybe that is some sort of British thing. He also continually diminishes women with comments such as "she was in her 30's but still a babe" (and this was referring to a professional woman who was a supervisor). Also used a woman who was pregnant for a forced emotional tug. (Still, there was one point where a woman was a hero, although there was no transition to that: prior she seemed to be constantly scared and in need of her man). The women were not really developed characters: just things inserted to make a point and to show that men were needed. There were several scenes between the man and woman I just skimmed because all the "baby, oh baby" was getting annoying.
A Russian genius wants to reexpand Russia to its former Soviet glory and is quite willing to kill millions to do so.
The author guesses wrong about Putin--that he was overthrown and is even a rather sympathetic character who helps out the hero.
The book cover said that reading this book was like reading Clancy, Ludlum and Stephen King. I saw nothing that reminded me of King.
Author has a flippant writing style. Maybe that is some sort of British thing. He also continually diminishes women with comments such as "she was in her 30's but still a babe" (and this was referring to a professional woman who was a supervisor). Also used a woman who was pregnant for a forced emotional tug. (Still, there was one point where a woman was a hero, although there was no transition to that: prior she seemed to be constantly scared and in need of her man). The women were not really developed characters: just things inserted to make a point and to show that men were needed. There were several scenes between the man and woman I just skimmed because all the "baby, oh baby" was getting annoying.
A Russian genius wants to reexpand Russia to its former Soviet glory and is quite willing to kill millions to do so.
The author guesses wrong about Putin--that he was overthrown and is even a rather sympathetic character who helps out the hero.
The book cover said that reading this book was like reading Clancy, Ludlum and Stephen King. I saw nothing that reminded me of King.
January 24, 2018
Ted Bell clearly fancies himself a modern-day Ian Fleming. This is the fifth installment of his Alex Hawke series. The author's voice seems to change all over the place, from an overly eloquent and vocabulary-strewn tone to more of a "let's get this thing done" attitude when he's trying to connect the billowing prose pieces. Seemed like he was trying to meet a deadline, which makes sense since he just killed off the villain and the love interest in a big explosion from afar. There was a also an interesting passage where Hawke meets Putin in the dungeon of a radioactive prison, and Putin seems to know EVERYTHING about what's going on behind closed doors outside. I understand why a lot of the women who reviewed this book gave it low marks and why a lot of the men were more sympathetic. This was like a late-Roger-Moore Bond movie--good for the fan, but (hopefully) not representative of the series as a whole. I want to give one of the Connery-style Bell books a shot, and I suspect I will be pleasantly surprised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2019
A new author to me recommended by a friend. This book was one of the scariest ever involving the rise of Russia and its demand of not just annexing again the former Soviet Union countries but to control the whole world through electronic devises, bombs and terrorists who love to kill many innocent people at a time.
I found the book difficult to follow in the beginning chapters; so many people involved and so many hard-to-remember Russian names as well as all the 'agents' and political people in Britain and USA. Because I hadn't read any of the 4 previous books in the Lord Alex Hawke series, I was not familiar with Hawke's cohorts and his relationship to them..
By the middle of the book, I was totally engrossed in the story which then became a real 'thriller' as advertised. Much cruelty...impaling for one which I find hard to forget.... involved so not a book for those who want a simple mystery.
I found the book difficult to follow in the beginning chapters; so many people involved and so many hard-to-remember Russian names as well as all the 'agents' and political people in Britain and USA. Because I hadn't read any of the 4 previous books in the Lord Alex Hawke series, I was not familiar with Hawke's cohorts and his relationship to them..
By the middle of the book, I was totally engrossed in the story which then became a real 'thriller' as advertised. Much cruelty...impaling for one which I find hard to forget.... involved so not a book for those who want a simple mystery.
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