Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Sam Reilly #5

The Cassidy Project

Rate this book
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 1962, at the height of the cold war, the U.S. military experimented with electromagnetic pulses created by detonating high atmosphere nuclear bombs. The project was code named Starfish Prime. The primary objective was to develop the ability to produce an EMP with enough force to knock out an entire nation’s communications, rendering a retaliatory attack impossible. The secondary objective, along with its consequences, was deemed too important to national security to ever be released.In 1983 an American B52 Nuclear Bomber goes missing somewhere near the Bering Strait while delivering a secret cargo at the express order of President Ronald Reagan to an unmapped island. Present day, in the Weddell Sea off the coast of Antarctica, a woman wakes up on a cruise ship to discover she’s the only person left aboard, despite no apparent fault with the ship. Sam Reilly, already on a rescue mission to Antarctica to save five French scientists, may be the only person standing in the way of the completion of The Cassidy Project.

378 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2016

530 people are currently reading
438 people want to read

About the author

Christopher Cartwright

59 books247 followers
Christopher Cartwright writes spellbinding mysteries and suspense novels. Often with a backdrop of ocean adventure. Born in 1983, he has a background as a paramedic, and is an avid sailor and SCUBA diver.

He holds degrees in paramedics, nursing and emergency management.

Chris currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
816 (50%)
4 stars
558 (34%)
3 stars
188 (11%)
2 stars
28 (1%)
1 star
12 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Profile Image for Tulay.
1,202 reviews2 followers
August 20, 2017
Scary story.

Just think off living without electricity, scary story. Many futuristic equipment, politics and little sex. This was the perfect book to read in this hot Texas day. Shivering with them in Antarctica was fun, and learn somethings too.
Auroras Australis - the southern version of the Northern Lights.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,176 reviews2,337 followers
April 27, 2018
The Cassidy Project
Sam Reilly, Book 5
By: Christopher Cartwright
Narrated by: David Gilmore
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
These Sam Reilly books just keep getting better and better! They are part Dan Brown, Indiana Jones, and James Bond but more grounded. Always lots of twists and turns, adventure, action, advanced science or a touch of science fiction, and wonderful characters. By now I feel like the crew is part family! Lol.
The narrator is great and it helps having the same one all the time. He does a wonderful job.
Profile Image for David Taylor.
1,535 reviews25 followers
May 11, 2017
Sam Reilly and crew do it again!

Another awesome Sam Reilly story from Christopher Cartwright. This is a nonstop action/intrigue experience that will have you giving up sleep to finish"just one more chapter" until the night is gone and the story is concluded - sort of because Sam is still on the trail of the Builders.

Keep these stories coming Mr. Cartwright,.
Profile Image for Maggie Deaton.
745 reviews5 followers
June 27, 2021
A Rush of Adrenaline from Start to Finish

From the height of the Cold War to present day, a massive and convoluted conspiracy to save mankind from himself and the pact of MAD ( mutually assured destruction ) via a nuclear Armageddon... Once again we have survived, but the cost this time was almost one that would have been unimaginable and only through a massive effort of Sam Reilly and his crew as well as the US Navy Seals and the might of the federal government is disaster averted and a return to the Dark Ages without electricity averted... And the world at large rolls on unaware how close to disaster we strolled....A barn burner!
22 reviews
June 30, 2017
Another Great Sam Reilly Book

I totally enjoy this series. The Cassidy Project is very well written. The characters are well developed and interesting. The plot was great and definitely thought provoking. Add a bit of romance and a lot of intrigue and you have the makings for a really good book. I would highly recommend m end the series.
Profile Image for Henry Northcott.
176 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2017
Great book

Fifth in the series and gripping as ever weaving real events into a brilliant story. Will be reading the sixth presently. I may as well find out what happens as I'll be waiting on a seventh book if not.
82 reviews
June 29, 2017
Another outstanding read...

If you're looking for an author to keep you guessing and compelling you to give up sleep to find out what happens next, well Read this book and Thank Christopher Cartwright when your blurry eyes awaken the next morning. Thank You Christopher
489 reviews5 followers
September 18, 2017
Great!

Entertaining, fast paced and exciting as usual. Sam's exceptional team once again takes on a brilliant and destructive threat. Well written and very captivating read. Well done Mr. Cartwright
43 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2017
Couldn't put it down easily

Of the entire series so far, this is one of the best. The level of mystery in this far exceeded the rest of the others I have read. A true page Turner.
Profile Image for Gilbert Stack.
Author 92 books77 followers
March 23, 2023
This is one of the better Sam Reilly novels I’ve read. After providing an historical mystery that always features into the storyline, Cartwright introduces a woman who takes some drugs that helps her go to sleep on her cruise ship only to wake up and discover that absolutely every human being on the vessel has disappeared. It’s a great mystery and it really caught my attention. At the same time, Sam Reilly is responding to a call for help from a group of scientists in Antarctica who have also disappeared. That the two problems will be linked is a certainty, but my interest in this investigation stayed strong for the first half of the novel, and then it turned into more of a James Bond thriller which I also frankly found fascinating. Many of the challenges that Sam and his friend Tom face would feature well on the big screen so long as the budget was big enough to do them justice.

If I have a complaint, and I think I do but it’s a very minor one, the big bad guy’s acceptance of the circumstances at the very end of the story bothered me. I realize that he was religiously motivated and that he believed the destruction he was trying to inflict on the billions of people living on the planet would somehow make everyone better off (you know, except for the seven or eight billion who died), but he was just a little too happy and nice at the end for my believability factor. But seriously, that’s a small complaint in a very enjoyable novel. I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Profile Image for Brad.
816 reviews
April 29, 2019
I have read the Sam Reilly series 1-4, so I am well acquainted with the improbable action adventure that is standard for this series. This book however just didn't draw me in.
The story starts with a nuclear bomb laden b-52 bomber going missing over the Bering Straight during the height of the cold war. Yup, I'm interested.
Then we switch to modern day Antarctica with a cruise line and action, action, action. I lose interest :(
It is only in the closing pages that the two story lines finally link together and we get some coherent story line. It is then only in the epilogue that we get a link back to the previous story and a link to the next story.

So yes it is a high action packed story, but it just didn't work for me.
Profile Image for Jan Miller.
732 reviews7 followers
May 13, 2018
Wow! I could not stop listening to this book. I was pulled into the story from the very beginning. Christopher Cartwright does an incredible job weaving the story. It is full of suspense, mystery, science, politics, and adventure. The Cassidy Project is a standalone listen that features the character of Sam Reilly. He is a larger than life action hero in my mind, that I absolutely love. David Gilmore adds to the enjoyment of this book with his wonderful performance. Without giving away spoilers, I never saw the end coming. Well done Christopher Cartwright. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.
Profile Image for Lyn Richards.
566 reviews6 followers
June 18, 2020
Another great Sam Reilly adventure with his fellow favourite mates (Elise and Tom) on the Helena-Maria. What would life be like if we didnt have electricity. Follow along with an action packed story that takes you on an adventure in the Antarctica. As always Cartwright mixes in fact and fiction. I loved learning about the myths surrounding the Hungarian Suicide Song "Gloomy Sunday". Its always fun to listen to an amazing adventure story that keeps you wondering which parts are real and which parts are fiction. The sign of a great story.

A brilliantly narrated audio book

On to book Sam Reilly's next adventure for me.
524 reviews6 followers
May 28, 2023
Nail biting drama

Sam Reilly and one of his constant companions, Tom, are again on the trail of adventure, murder and mystery. Beginning with the mysterious disappearance of a plane, some 20 years earlier, they then become involved with finding an intellectual mastermind who is intent to turn the whole world back a hundred years by producing a phenomenon that suppresses all the electrical systems around the globe. How did a packed cruise ship have almost all its passengers disappear? Only one person remained on the ship, probably one of the most intelligent of beings, a Harvard scholar who becomes the only person who can solve the mystery.
Profile Image for Sheila Walker.
456 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2021
Adventure life threats experiments beyond word

Another rush to save the world save humanity. We have a scientist who wants to take the drastic step to send humidity back to the dark ages Sam was never going to let that happen.Alexis wakes up and is entirely alone on the cruise ship what on earth is going on. Sam and his team in a race to stop madness happening. A great adventure twists and red herrings it's all here it's time to follow Sam's latest adventure. You will love this ride
820 reviews
September 24, 2024
Audio book review: I would rate this a 3.5 if half stars were allowed. The narration is very good. The story is your typical man saves world from disaster and of course there is a beautiful smart woman involved. The story is entertaining revolving around some historical facts and then using that as a basis for the thrilling adventure story. We enjoy listening to this series as we drive long distances. The locations are always different and new characters, both good and evil ones, are introduced in each book. The final outcome is predictable but the way Sam achieves it is exciting.
Profile Image for Roger.
5,550 reviews28 followers
February 21, 2019
My second read from author Christopher Cartwright. Well-written and captivating with well-developed main characters reminding one of a poor man’s Vince Flynn. It’s hard coming into a series in the middle, books #4 & #5, I’ve obviously missed much. I’ll be reading more by this author, especially since I just went out & discovered that I own the next book in the series! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1,339 reviews30 followers
March 10, 2020
So book 5 of the Sam Reilly series and we are now reliving into hydroncolliders and electromagnetic pulses that take out electricity. When Sam and his team find a cruise ship in the middle of Antarctica with only one passenger left aboard they put their lives on the line again to find out what is going on and why this woman seems to be the only person left behind. Surely it can’t be a coincidence who she is. As with all of these books we see Sam and his team risk life and limb to get to the bottom of what is going on and the adventure does not stop. This is what Indian Jones should be like.
98 reviews
September 4, 2019
This is Sam Reilly book #5 It's about military experimentation with electromagnetic pulses. The protagonist has decided to take down all the technology humans have introduced on the earth in the hope of saving the environment of the planet. Different scientific ideas are introduced as you make your way through the story.
It's a good story. It keeps your interest and is adventurous.
13 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2021
Always Exciting Adventure

This author is always able to keep your interest riveted to the story line brought alive by the cast of colorful characters, each with his or her own unique talents. The action is ongoing from the first chapter right up to the last with seldom a lull. Great fun reading.
Profile Image for Rosario Barrera.
679 reviews2 followers
April 26, 2023
saving the world …

I’ve been reading this series out of order, but these books are totally standalone, so it’s no big deal. I enjoyed this one, not only because of the science, but because it showed Sam Reilly had a romantic interest! Makes him more human. This book was great fun. Mixing reality with fiction. Recommended.
421 reviews
June 14, 2023
Another great adventure

I really like this series. The adventures are all believable with a little imagination. There is always just the right amount of humanity, romance and adventure, along with some convincing fictional scenarios, to excite the imagination. A strong recommendation for almost everyone.
Profile Image for lovestoread.
961 reviews11 followers
June 29, 2023
Sam Reilly to the rescue once again! This time, he needs to be rescued first and then he can become the hero.

Alexis is troubled. She wakes from being ill and finds she is the only one on the ship! Luckily, Sam and his crew are nearby and they join forces.

Lots of twists and a real big turn that keep you enthralled. Loved this one!!
Profile Image for Lindsay.
157 reviews33 followers
July 19, 2023
Intrigued me at the beginning but then got very spotty in terms of keeping my interest. Transitions between scenes became choppier. Zero character development. The closer we got to the climax, the less the author seemed to care about making logical sense. But I’m not a fan of this particular genre as a rule, so maybe I’m expecting things that thriller fans wouldn’t. I don’t know.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,838 reviews9 followers
July 8, 2024
Another unbelievable story. Great entertainment though. We listened to this book while on a road trip.

This has Sam Reilly & crew trying to save the world from having their electricity dimmed for centuries. The author weaves a story that is hard to believe but thoroughly entertaining.

We listened to the story while on a road trip.
Profile Image for Toni.
9 reviews
July 9, 2024
I would not say that this book is bad BUT it was definitely not as good as I expected it to be. The German translation is not very good either. The theme of the book was great and it had a lot of potential and good plot twists but at some points it was very hard for me to get through the book because it just got boring. I still liked it though.
Profile Image for Anita Watson.
75 reviews
January 25, 2019
A floating top secret island. The continent of Antartica and a particle colider. Except for some of the detail in the actions the characters take, that might seem too much, an amazing read. Full of mystery and suspense.
Profile Image for Trevor.
1,436 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2019
Sam Reilly returns, this time rushing to the aid of a distress call from Antarctica, but he is soon knee deep in a mystery that could alter the world forever. Good book with Sam & his team pulling together to save the world one more time.
Profile Image for Aviar Savijon.
1,220 reviews19 followers
February 11, 2023
The Cassidy Project

Amazing unrelenting adventure to make this book great. Each book of Christopher Cartwright just makes you want to read more. I loved it!!!!!!! Get your copy today.
35 reviews
July 25, 2023
Stupendous!

Had me from the first page! Cleverly written, factual information throughout the book, which only brings the reader more involved with the story. Adrenalin rushing moments were many. Couldn't put the book down!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.