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Sam Reilly #1
The Last Airship
In 1939 a secret airship departed Nazi Germany in the dark of night filled with some of the most influential people of its time.
Its cargo: a complement of rich Jewish families carrying their most valuable possessions. One such item amongst them was as dangerous as it was priceless.
The airship never reached its destination.
In 2015 Sam Reilly, a marine biologist and wealthy son of shipping mogul James Reilly discovers a missing clue about the lost airship and what follows is a violent treasure hunt, kept secret by the most powerful men in the world today, driven by their greed and need for that which all are motivated: the opportunity for unlimited power.
Its cargo: a complement of rich Jewish families carrying their most valuable possessions. One such item amongst them was as dangerous as it was priceless.
The airship never reached its destination.
In 2015 Sam Reilly, a marine biologist and wealthy son of shipping mogul James Reilly discovers a missing clue about the lost airship and what follows is a violent treasure hunt, kept secret by the most powerful men in the world today, driven by their greed and need for that which all are motivated: the opportunity for unlimited power.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2015
1988 people are currently reading
2256 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Cartwright
67 books249 followersChristopher 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.
He holds degrees in paramedics, nursing and emergency management.
Chris currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
March 28, 2018
The Last Airship
Sam Reilly, Book 1
By: Christopher Cartwright
Narrated by: David Gilmore
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I love this kind of book! Something lost for the past, holds a secret, others are after it.... so exciting! I have another of this author's books and it got me hooked, like a Lay's potato chip, lol. It is full of action, adventure, mystery, and intrigue. You'll have to read it to see if they find what they are looking for without getting too many bullet holes in them!
The narrator was great, kept the action and emotions flowing well!
Sam Reilly, Book 1
By: Christopher Cartwright
Narrated by: David Gilmore
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I love this kind of book! Something lost for the past, holds a secret, others are after it.... so exciting! I have another of this author's books and it got me hooked, like a Lay's potato chip, lol. It is full of action, adventure, mystery, and intrigue. You'll have to read it to see if they find what they are looking for without getting too many bullet holes in them!
The narrator was great, kept the action and emotions flowing well!
October 21, 2018
One dimensional female character (there's just the one) whose "personality" is being hot.
Completely stunted and unbelievable dialogue.
And any technical information (diving, climbing, helicopters, etc) reads like someone copied and pasted a Wikipedia article.
I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough at the romantic relationship. Ya know, with the hot girl you've known for about 24 hours, but who you decide you "love" after spotting her ass on a climb in the Alps. Cool, bro.
Completely stunted and unbelievable dialogue.
And any technical information (diving, climbing, helicopters, etc) reads like someone copied and pasted a Wikipedia article.
I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough at the romantic relationship. Ya know, with the hot girl you've known for about 24 hours, but who you decide you "love" after spotting her ass on a climb in the Alps. Cool, bro.
August 22, 2021
Great start to an enticing series. Boys own adventures, drama on and under water up and inside mountains.
Looking forward to reading many more of his escapades.
Looking forward to reading many more of his escapades.
April 26, 2022
A secret airship vanished during the second world war, its cargo has some very powerful and power hungry people salivating on their over expensive clothes. Besides tons of gold it also holds a very deadly virus. To them, it’s a way to bring forth a new world order and there’s nothing they won’t do to get their greedy little hands on it. Former marine Sam Reilly is the only one who can beat them in this exciting and epic treasure hunt.
The action is intense, fast paced and completely over the top. The story embraces its pulpy nature and it’s all the better for it. The writer also definitely knows a thing or two about diving, contributing to a more realistic feel of the adventurous side of the story.
A bit of a lengthy start but it does its job and raises a lot of questions, hooking me from the start. The love subplot can feel a bit generic and unfortunately there’s quite a bit of telling instead of showing at times. But it doesn’t hurt the book as a whole too much, considering the intense and larger than life action scenes are the real heart of this story.
Overall, a pretty cool pulpy action thriller with a fun treasure hunt as the glue to hold it all together.
The action is intense, fast paced and completely over the top. The story embraces its pulpy nature and it’s all the better for it. The writer also definitely knows a thing or two about diving, contributing to a more realistic feel of the adventurous side of the story.
A bit of a lengthy start but it does its job and raises a lot of questions, hooking me from the start. The love subplot can feel a bit generic and unfortunately there’s quite a bit of telling instead of showing at times. But it doesn’t hurt the book as a whole too much, considering the intense and larger than life action scenes are the real heart of this story.
Overall, a pretty cool pulpy action thriller with a fun treasure hunt as the glue to hold it all together.
September 11, 2018
This was not the best read. It had a bit of... I don't know? Positive lilt? But it was a pare of Bobby Sioux(s) and a Mary Sue saving the world in an improbably Atlantis story. The plot was okay but the writing seemed to lack a bit of.... something... in the description. Ultimately it was "Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt stories... lite."
There is enough here that somebody will enjoy it. The characters weren't bad, and it had some neat historical things in it but it seems like much of what it needed was left on the cutting room floor. It might have been better if they took the sex out of it, and turned the clock back on our hero(s) and Heroines to the age somewhere between 16 and 18, and make it one of the old Tom Swift and His Flying Lab and Johnny Quest meet's Nancy Drew: #1-64. Or maybe a modern The Tower Treasure meet and get goo-goo-eyed over Nancy Drew and the Drew Crew?
As it was, it was a "cozy read" at best. Give it a three for interesting things. THat's about it.
There is enough here that somebody will enjoy it. The characters weren't bad, and it had some neat historical things in it but it seems like much of what it needed was left on the cutting room floor. It might have been better if they took the sex out of it, and turned the clock back on our hero(s) and Heroines to the age somewhere between 16 and 18, and make it one of the old Tom Swift and His Flying Lab and Johnny Quest meet's Nancy Drew: #1-64. Or maybe a modern The Tower Treasure meet and get goo-goo-eyed over Nancy Drew and the Drew Crew?
As it was, it was a "cozy read" at best. Give it a three for interesting things. THat's about it.
April 20, 2022
This reminds me so much of a Clive Cussler adventure. I absolutely enjoyed it. Sam and his sidekick, Tom, somehow manage to escape the odds. They are being hunted before they even realize it but the two manage to prevail. Of course it is a bit unbelievable but the adventure of it all kept me reading when I should have been sleeping. I will definitely read more in this series.
October 8, 2015
This is a novel in the style of an Ian Fleming book. Intelligent, well-to-do, handsome leading man meets femme fatale while vacationing in exotic location, he has harrowing adventures with sinister figures both before and after, femme fatale ends up falling for him [I'm not giving anything away, the books are formulaic, you don't read it for the plot twists]. It was enjoyable enough, nothing world-changing. Kept whatever the male equivalent of bodice-ripping is to a minimum, which is good. I've seen breasts, thanks, I don't need to have them pop up every chapter.
The author either researched or just loves the activities that are featured in the book: SCUBA diving/piloting a boat, flying aircraft, and mountain climbing. With the level of detail, I would have to say the author performs and enjoys the activities, and didn't just research them. From that perspective, the book was quite impressive, like how Tom Clancy novels have great levels of detail because the guy was illegally given access to classified workspaces and documents, for which some high-up brass and politicians should probably be imprisoned. But I digress. The level of detail had someone who's actually dove and piloted an aircraft go "yeah, that's how you'd do it," which is better than when they make stuff up, "right then his headlight fluid ran out, and the car died!" No, hoss. This book sticks to reality in that regard.
Anyway, enjoyable beach read, lots of outdoor action, a rather weak MacGuffin (but enough for a spy tale), and some rather loose writing when it comes to whose working for/crossing who, what parties are involved, etc. Turn your brain off for a few hours, it's fine. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a dramatic or serious read.
The author either researched or just loves the activities that are featured in the book: SCUBA diving/piloting a boat, flying aircraft, and mountain climbing. With the level of detail, I would have to say the author performs and enjoys the activities, and didn't just research them. From that perspective, the book was quite impressive, like how Tom Clancy novels have great levels of detail because the guy was illegally given access to classified workspaces and documents, for which some high-up brass and politicians should probably be imprisoned. But I digress. The level of detail had someone who's actually dove and piloted an aircraft go "yeah, that's how you'd do it," which is better than when they make stuff up, "right then his headlight fluid ran out, and the car died!" No, hoss. This book sticks to reality in that regard.
Anyway, enjoyable beach read, lots of outdoor action, a rather weak MacGuffin (but enough for a spy tale), and some rather loose writing when it comes to whose working for/crossing who, what parties are involved, etc. Turn your brain off for a few hours, it's fine. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a dramatic or serious read.
January 22, 2017
Confusing, poorly edited, implausible real life and technical senarios.
January 27, 2021
Similar to Clive Cussler or Alastair McLean's work. Take your pick. Action adventure looking for a lost gold treasure and lost German airship.
Several follow on novels. Not sure I'll continue, though.
Several follow on novels. Not sure I'll continue, though.
September 6, 2019
Didn't finish. One of the worst books I've scrounged from Kindle Unlimited. The main plot was implausible, the side stories were uniformly ludicrous and there are probably better writers in many middle schools. Two questions - are there no more editors? how can anyone fail to find a publisher if this drivel can be published?
May 26, 2021
Exciting and dangerous treasure hunt! A story about something lost in the past, somebody keeping secrets, and someone being after it.
I enjoyed reading this a lot. 🥳 Story not only took me on a trip around the world - from Australia to Italian Alps, but also brought me back in history. The adventure was captivating and kept me on my toes all the time. I loved detailed descriptions of diving, climbing, and flying. And if action is not enough, there is a lot on top of it - wealth and power, greed and blackmail, back-stabbing and sabotage, courage and weakness, friendship, and a lot of unresolved family drama.
It was an easy and fast read but took me some time to get used to switching between a variety of POVs. At first, it got confusing, and I struggled to understand which character's chapter it was. I believe the story was built this way to make it all more mysterious and harder to unriddle.
The only part I did not like in this book was a not-so-great romance. As an advanced Romance reader, I found this one pretty blank and too insta.😅
I enjoyed reading this a lot. 🥳 Story not only took me on a trip around the world - from Australia to Italian Alps, but also brought me back in history. The adventure was captivating and kept me on my toes all the time. I loved detailed descriptions of diving, climbing, and flying. And if action is not enough, there is a lot on top of it - wealth and power, greed and blackmail, back-stabbing and sabotage, courage and weakness, friendship, and a lot of unresolved family drama.
It was an easy and fast read but took me some time to get used to switching between a variety of POVs. At first, it got confusing, and I struggled to understand which character's chapter it was. I believe the story was built this way to make it all more mysterious and harder to unriddle.
The only part I did not like in this book was a not-so-great romance. As an advanced Romance reader, I found this one pretty blank and too insta.😅
August 21, 2016
Interesting concept, certainly; a mystical treasure aboard a Second World War airship has been lost, and our hero must discover it before the enemy does—the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
That being said, the execution is somewhat lackluster. The author attempts to create a 'good vs. good' scenario by showing us one of the antagonists' point of view, to get an idea of his motivations and the reasons he's trying to harm our hero. However, he doesn't do the best job of explaining exactly what these motivations are in the first place. Hence, you are generally left scratching your head as to who exactly wants this treasure, and what exactly they're going to do with it.
In addition, the characters hardly feel like real people in terms of how they react to events. I'm not sure if Cartwright is attempting to criticize how the very rich are very detached emotionally from the 'common folk' (as nearly every character in this books is unimaginably wealthy and powerful), or if he is simply inexperienced in writing characters. Additionally, the 'sympathetic antagonist' mentioned previously suddenly makes a heel face turn and becomes very callous and disregarding of life, without much internal justification (nor any setup whatsoever), which is very jarring and really prevents you from feeling too much about the character.
Lastly, the author appears to be both a diving and mountain climbing enthusiast, as he mentions several prominent pieces of gear by their full branded names. To me, this takes me out of the novel, as I start to wonder if the author just wanted an excuse to add his favourite piece of gear into the story. Of course, this could be just due to extensive research by the author.
All in all, it was a decent book, but the uninteresting characters, unclear explanations as to which characters want what, and general lack of motivations lead to a fairly unsatisfying story. While I did finish the book, I am in no way interested in the rest of the series.
That being said, the execution is somewhat lackluster. The author attempts to create a 'good vs. good' scenario by showing us one of the antagonists' point of view, to get an idea of his motivations and the reasons he's trying to harm our hero. However, he doesn't do the best job of explaining exactly what these motivations are in the first place. Hence, you are generally left scratching your head as to who exactly wants this treasure, and what exactly they're going to do with it.
In addition, the characters hardly feel like real people in terms of how they react to events. I'm not sure if Cartwright is attempting to criticize how the very rich are very detached emotionally from the 'common folk' (as nearly every character in this books is unimaginably wealthy and powerful), or if he is simply inexperienced in writing characters. Additionally, the 'sympathetic antagonist' mentioned previously suddenly makes a heel face turn and becomes very callous and disregarding of life, without much internal justification (nor any setup whatsoever), which is very jarring and really prevents you from feeling too much about the character.
Lastly, the author appears to be both a diving and mountain climbing enthusiast, as he mentions several prominent pieces of gear by their full branded names. To me, this takes me out of the novel, as I start to wonder if the author just wanted an excuse to add his favourite piece of gear into the story. Of course, this could be just due to extensive research by the author.
All in all, it was a decent book, but the uninteresting characters, unclear explanations as to which characters want what, and general lack of motivations lead to a fairly unsatisfying story. While I did finish the book, I am in no way interested in the rest of the series.
January 7, 2017
Things are way too easy for this guy. All the answers just fall into his lap. Even in extreme circumstances everything is exactly where it is supposed to be, and it all works perfectly. A bit too perfectly. There is not any real suspense because things don't have to be thought through, the answers are already there for the characters. And of course every plan goes exactly as expected. Some things made absolutely no sense to me (the whole thing with the draining cave, that then takes an hour for them to appear?huh?) (almost dying of hypothermia after swimming for about 5 minutes but then swimming for an hour with barely a warmth problem??) and it was hard to keep track of all the characters points of view. Ends pretty much like you expect it too. The swearing was completely unnecessary. I did stay up all night reading it so it was an engaging story, I also was drawn in by the landscape and kept trying to google the places in the story but didn't have any luck.
March 31, 2018
This book was a breezy read, and incorporated history and adventure. The main character is clearly set up for future endeavors with death and thrilling escapades in subsequent titles within the series.
Sam Reilly is like a much muskier version of Cussler characters. The book is inexplicably peppered with needless profanity (either stated or thought by the primary characters). Despite all of that, I did find myself turning pages to find out if Mr. Reilly would escape from numerous trials of harrowing suspense. In that, the book is a respectable, if not groundbreaking thriller that did entertain.
I'm not prepared to embark on another mission with Cartwright's Reilly character. After all, I have hours left to spend with Dirk Pitt, Isaac Bell, and the NUMA team.
Sam Reilly is like a much muskier version of Cussler characters. The book is inexplicably peppered with needless profanity (either stated or thought by the primary characters). Despite all of that, I did find myself turning pages to find out if Mr. Reilly would escape from numerous trials of harrowing suspense. In that, the book is a respectable, if not groundbreaking thriller that did entertain.
I'm not prepared to embark on another mission with Cartwright's Reilly character. After all, I have hours left to spend with Dirk Pitt, Isaac Bell, and the NUMA team.
April 26, 2016
The story was overall entertaining, but there were a lot of detractors that made it difficult to finish the book. Way too many product name drops just to display extravagance. Every character is super wealthy, highly educated, physically attractive, and athletic, which made them very difficult to relate to. Who decides to go on a mountaineering date immediately after a group of Navy SEALS try to kill you? Flying a 75 year old airship? All you need is some fuel and she'll crank right over. Need dynamite? Just go to the local adventure store and they'll fix you right up. I really tried to enjoy the book, but I certainly won't continue the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2019
It's hard to find a place to begin.
It was around chapter six that the whole thing went into the toilet and believability left the room. If this would have been an episode of a Marvel Comic Movie it might have had a chance at redemption, but alas that was not the case. But the real high point of incredulity was when the hero decide that the 75 year silent Mercedes diesels could be
hand propped back to life without much problem. Also the pilot as they were going down over the jungle failed to realise that all he needed to do was crank up the heating element to regain altitude. Unfortunately I continued to read to see if it got any dumber and low and behold it did.
It was around chapter six that the whole thing went into the toilet and believability left the room. If this would have been an episode of a Marvel Comic Movie it might have had a chance at redemption, but alas that was not the case. But the real high point of incredulity was when the hero decide that the 75 year silent Mercedes diesels could be
hand propped back to life without much problem. Also the pilot as they were going down over the jungle failed to realise that all he needed to do was crank up the heating element to regain altitude. Unfortunately I continued to read to see if it got any dumber and low and behold it did.
April 2, 2017
Could not finish. Perhaps this was the Kindle edition but the editing was distractingly bad. Like "periods in the wrong place" bad. Also, I could not get on board with the love story being rammed into the pages. Seriously, we go from "we met on a beach and you lied to me about why you were there" to "I'll buy you a coffee while we wait for your helicopter" to "After a half hour of chatter, Sam was willing to fly anywhere in the world so he could spend a short time in her company". Yuck. This is romance novel stuff, not what I expected.
May 17, 2023
Not worth another chance
It is hard to find any single redeeming feature to this book and especially, it’s author.
The characters are comical. And annoying beyond belief.
The plot, or lack there of, is absurd and almost embarrassing to even try to understand.
I mean, I know it’s fiction but, come on.
I started out making notes of grammatical errors, inconsistencies, etc. but literally gave up. There were just too many.
I hope the writing improved with the continued series, but I seriously doubt it.
It is hard to find any single redeeming feature to this book and especially, it’s author.
The characters are comical. And annoying beyond belief.
The plot, or lack there of, is absurd and almost embarrassing to even try to understand.
I mean, I know it’s fiction but, come on.
I started out making notes of grammatical errors, inconsistencies, etc. but literally gave up. There were just too many.
I hope the writing improved with the continued series, but I seriously doubt it.
July 1, 2017
I downloaded it on kindle when I saw an offer for the book not expecting too much. However I was surprised. It was a good read with a decent plot and good suspense.
February 25, 2017
Good action even if the main people are just a little too good to be true but this did not detract from the great story
June 17, 2017
Reminded me of Dirk Pitt, in Clive Cusslers books. This one was more like kids going on an adventure,playing to be heroes. I got lost in the cave, with all the high and low tide.... Pleasant read.
September 12, 2017
( Format : audiobook )
"Do you want to have an adventure?"
Well written and narrated, The Last Airship is a fast moving adventure story of wealth and power, greed and blackmail, betrayal and friendship, courage and frailty, sabotage and family and the sea. In the early days of World War II, a state of the art luxury airship, the Magdalene, hurriedly lifted off from Munich, Germany, with a skeleton crew, it's passengers two very wealthy families and an academic professor, friend of the owner. It was never seen again. 75 years later the hunt is on after a small gold ingot, stamped with one of the families' crests, is discovered by two climbers in the Alps. But far more than gold is being sought by the pursuers. One of these is Sam Reilly, caught up in a life and death struggle he had never anticipated.
Parts of the book are dramatically atmospheric, all is exciting. Michael Stene narrates clearly and well, in a suitably fast pace, giving an almost newsreel effect to the commentary. The voicings of each protagonist is identifiably distinctive and the whole gives extra excitement to the reading. Occasionally, however, events occuring in different places are run together without break, which can be momentarily confusing: a brief pause between such scenes would have been advantageous. There are also a number of editorial glitches where repeated phrases have not been removed, but these are few and do not interfere with the enjoyment.
As has been noted by other reviewers, the story was surprising as it is set, not in wartime but in the present day ( apart from the introductory chapter) and requires the reader to step into a world of high powered millionaire wealthies, all, apparently, afflicted with a sense of personal superiority and entitlement as well as the luxuries which attend their money. Need to suspend disbelief? Probably, big time. But the story does sweep the reader along with it, rarely pausing sufficiently long to let in trickles of doubt. My thanks to the rights holder who gifted me a complementary copy of The Last Airship, via Audiobook Boom. A fast and fun listen which should appeal to the readers of books which favour the glitzy James Bond type of plots and society.
"Do you want to have an adventure?"
Well written and narrated, The Last Airship is a fast moving adventure story of wealth and power, greed and blackmail, betrayal and friendship, courage and frailty, sabotage and family and the sea. In the early days of World War II, a state of the art luxury airship, the Magdalene, hurriedly lifted off from Munich, Germany, with a skeleton crew, it's passengers two very wealthy families and an academic professor, friend of the owner. It was never seen again. 75 years later the hunt is on after a small gold ingot, stamped with one of the families' crests, is discovered by two climbers in the Alps. But far more than gold is being sought by the pursuers. One of these is Sam Reilly, caught up in a life and death struggle he had never anticipated.
Parts of the book are dramatically atmospheric, all is exciting. Michael Stene narrates clearly and well, in a suitably fast pace, giving an almost newsreel effect to the commentary. The voicings of each protagonist is identifiably distinctive and the whole gives extra excitement to the reading. Occasionally, however, events occuring in different places are run together without break, which can be momentarily confusing: a brief pause between such scenes would have been advantageous. There are also a number of editorial glitches where repeated phrases have not been removed, but these are few and do not interfere with the enjoyment.
As has been noted by other reviewers, the story was surprising as it is set, not in wartime but in the present day ( apart from the introductory chapter) and requires the reader to step into a world of high powered millionaire wealthies, all, apparently, afflicted with a sense of personal superiority and entitlement as well as the luxuries which attend their money. Need to suspend disbelief? Probably, big time. But the story does sweep the reader along with it, rarely pausing sufficiently long to let in trickles of doubt. My thanks to the rights holder who gifted me a complementary copy of The Last Airship, via Audiobook Boom. A fast and fun listen which should appeal to the readers of books which favour the glitzy James Bond type of plots and society.
November 8, 2019
This book delivers pretty much what I was expecting from it - an easy-to-read story that moves at a rapid pace, in much the same vein as Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler, although with less polish - understandable as this is the first book (or perhaps second) that the author has released. The plot is pretty straightforward and none of the plot twists came as a huge surprise. The characters are pretty two-dimensional.
These kind of stories generally require a certain level of suspension of disbelief, and this is no different. Compared to some of the other offerings in this field, this is not too incredulous.
There were a couple of things that irritated me - the main character's sidekick (Tom) had a traumatic experience on the ocean as a child and vows never to go to sea again. When he grows up he joins the Marines ???!!! as a helicopter pilot. Really? If you want to avoid going to sea, surely you would join the Army, not the Marines. Secondly, when he leaves the service at a relatively young age, he comments that he had never intended to stay in long enough to become an Admiral. Ah, the Marines have Generals, not Admirals. As these type of stories often appeal to people with a modicum of military knowledge, these are the kind of details that the author should get correct, and really don't take much research to discover.
Overall, it was a fun read, not requiring much thought. I expect I will dip back into the series at irregular intervals.
These kind of stories generally require a certain level of suspension of disbelief, and this is no different. Compared to some of the other offerings in this field, this is not too incredulous.
There were a couple of things that irritated me - the main character's sidekick (Tom) had a traumatic experience on the ocean as a child and vows never to go to sea again. When he grows up he joins the Marines ???!!! as a helicopter pilot. Really? If you want to avoid going to sea, surely you would join the Army, not the Marines. Secondly, when he leaves the service at a relatively young age, he comments that he had never intended to stay in long enough to become an Admiral. Ah, the Marines have Generals, not Admirals. As these type of stories often appeal to people with a modicum of military knowledge, these are the kind of details that the author should get correct, and really don't take much research to discover.
Overall, it was a fun read, not requiring much thought. I expect I will dip back into the series at irregular intervals.
August 21, 2021
This is a novel that reminds me a lot of Clive Cussler. It starts with an “historic” flight—the last airship trying to escape from Nazi Germany with two super wealthy Jewish families and a very high-ranking Nazi with something critical to the war effort in his briefcase—something he doesn’t want Hitler to have. The ship is damaged by machinegun fire as it lifts off and it crashes in the Alps not to be seen again for 75 years. Let me just say now that the crash and why the airship had remained hidden from the many people who searched for it, was absolutely outstanding—just brilliantly thought out by Cartwright.
The story is also a lot of fun. Cartwright has two characters—Sam and Tom—that just make great heroes. They are daring, smart, but still capable of being fooled in ways that didn’t upset me as utterly stupid. The action is fast and furious, and I was happily turning pages (actually listening, but you know what I mean) from beginning to end.
If you’re looking for an actually thrilling “thriller” you should read this novel.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The story is also a lot of fun. Cartwright has two characters—Sam and Tom—that just make great heroes. They are daring, smart, but still capable of being fooled in ways that didn’t upset me as utterly stupid. The action is fast and furious, and I was happily turning pages (actually listening, but you know what I mean) from beginning to end.
If you’re looking for an actually thrilling “thriller” you should read this novel.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
November 13, 2022
This summer I read #14 in this series and this what I wrote, “If you’re not gonna make a full commitment to the series there is no character development. The action was extremely well written. I’m still on the fence whether I’m going to commit.” The
Last Airship is the first in the series and I was wrong. There really isn’t any deep character development at all I’m assuming in the entire series. So if I pick one of these up occasionally it’s really just for when I need ‘brain bleaching’.
Last Airship is the first in the series and I was wrong. There really isn’t any deep character development at all I’m assuming in the entire series. So if I pick one of these up occasionally it’s really just for when I need ‘brain bleaching’.
February 15, 2021
Germany Almost Won
This book story of a German super virus that could wipe out 80 % of mankind would have brought the allied forces down. Some great minds did come from Germany but so did great evil. Great mystery read. Big D
This book story of a German super virus that could wipe out 80 % of mankind would have brought the allied forces down. Some great minds did come from Germany but so did great evil. Great mystery read. Big D
May 11, 2018
Historical fiction about WWII, very plausible. Suspense, historical, military, lots of action.
January 3, 2017
This is a good fast paced crime thriller with a big dose of conspiracy and mystery thrown in for good measure. Our lead, Sam Reilly, has had a very privileged upbringing which allows him to chase down a 75 year old mystery and also contributes to his involvement in the first place. Thankfully he is generally quite a likeable character but he maybe a little too nice and understanding at times, I'm hoping that this settles down as the series continues otherwise it could be too much. The rest of the characters I found a little flat and predictable but there were hints of something more going on behind the masks of some, especially his dad. On the whole the story was really enjoyable but there were a few moments where it leaped a little bit and I found myself going back to see if I missed something (I hadn't) but as an early work this isn't a major issue (assuming it is addressed in the rest of the series). As a start to a series it's not too bad, not brilliant but definitely has a lot of potential.
July 18, 2022
Too convoluted
I was looking forward to a good adventure yarn when I started this book. It starts out with several vignettes with no obvious connection. One third of the way into the book there are STILL (now mildly-related) vignettes appearing. The story jumps back and forth between several sets of characters, a new character being introduced every couple of chapters . Finally 40% of the way into the book, I gave up. It was just to much work to keep track of everything; and I found myself skimming. The plot was starting to come together, but I didn't care anymore. There was not one character that mattered to me what happened to him or her.
Maybe this would make a decent action adventure movie, where you could see and maybe relate to the people. But for me, I don't think would even bother to watch that.
I was looking forward to a good adventure yarn when I started this book. It starts out with several vignettes with no obvious connection. One third of the way into the book there are STILL (now mildly-related) vignettes appearing. The story jumps back and forth between several sets of characters, a new character being introduced every couple of chapters . Finally 40% of the way into the book, I gave up. It was just to much work to keep track of everything; and I found myself skimming. The plot was starting to come together, but I didn't care anymore. There was not one character that mattered to me what happened to him or her.
Maybe this would make a decent action adventure movie, where you could see and maybe relate to the people. But for me, I don't think would even bother to watch that.
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