The Sea Wolves

Isaac Bell #13

by Jack Du Brul, Clive Cussler

An old nemesis. A secret technology. The outcome of a Great War at stake...

Summer, 1914. As New England swelters, Detective Isaac Bell is asked to investigate a cache of missing rifles. But whoever broke into this Winchester factory wasn't looking to take weapons - they wanted to leave something in the shipping crates: a radio transmitter, set to summon a fleet of dreaded German U-boats to their location in the seas.

This means only one thing: someone is trying to keep American supplies from reaching British shores. If Bell doesn't crack the conspiracy in time, the Atlantic Ocean will run red with blood.

With the outcome of the war in the balance and Franklin Roosevelt's orders on the line, Bell must confront an old enemy, and hunt down a new piece of technology that is allowing the Germans to rule the seas from New York to England. In the high-stakes, high seas pursuit of explosive suspense, Bell will risk everything to stop the U-boats, before they strike again...

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Action, Audiobook

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2022

About the author

Jack DuBrul is a New York Times Best-Selling Author from Vermont who writes techno thrillers. Recently, he has been co-authoring "The Oregon Files" novels with Clive Cussler, taking over from Craig Dirgo with the third novel.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isaac Bell takes on German spies just before WWI. An old enemy is involved. Bell tracks them down, at first reluctantly, but then things start to heat up.

Really has that dime novel feel.

[Kevin Halter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clive Cussler the Sea Wolves by Jack Du Brul is a strong entry in the Isaac Bell series. I have to say I have always been partial to the Bell series over some of the others and am glad to see it is still going strong and in capable hands. The thirteenth in the series is also the third in the series by Mr. Du Brul following the Titanic Secret, and the Saboteurs and can be read as part of a sub-series within the overall Isaac Bell series.
In this installment "Detective Isaac Bell is asked to investigate the disappearance of a cache of rifles—only to discover something much more sinister. Whoever broke into this Winchester Factory wasn’t looking to take weapons, they wanted to leave something in the shipping crates: a radio transmitter, set to summon a fleet of dreaded German U-boats. Someone is trying to keep American supplies from reaching British shores, and if Bell doesn’t crack the conspiracy in time, the Atlantic Ocean will run red with blood."
Those familiar with Clive Cussler and his novels will find all the history, naval history and adventure that they have come to expect. While Clive Cussler may have died in 2020 the series that he began seems to be in very good literary hands.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #PinguinGroupPutnam, and Jack Du Brul for the ARC of #CliveCusslersTheSeaWolves!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Isaac Bell action packed novel. Got what I wanted reading it. I like the history that is woven into the tales.

[Sarah-Grace (Azrael865) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isaac Bell adventures just keep getting better. I love the way history comes alive around the character. In this story WWI just began and the United States fully intends to remain neutral....we know how that ended.
Somehow, German Spies are receiving Intel on ships heading to England, with materials that are vital to their war effort. The Uboats keep sinking the ships just before they reach their destination, and a young U.S. Ensign has noticed a disturbing pattern. He approaches Bell and the Van Dorns to help track the spy ring.
The story is non-stop action and Bell faces off against a previous nemesis.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. And since it is after publication day, I've purchased a copy for myself.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome back, Jack.

Du Brul remembers how to write a Cussler Tale, and I look forward to more by him.

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed from the start, I hope there is more Issac Bell to come.

[John Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seldom read crime, detective of spy novels but this was an enjoyable and fun read. A departure from my usual history or seafaring adventure. This differed from many of today's popular crime or spy novels in that the setting is 1914 just prior to WW1. The story has a nostalgic feel like watching an old black and white crime movie.

The hero is Isaac Bell, lead private detective for the Van Dorn Detective Agency. Bell and his team of gumshoes discover an east coast German spy network. The spies are using a new secret technology to notify their homeland about merchant ships sailing from New York carrying war materials vital to England and France and setting them up to be sunk by German submarine wolf packs. Since the U.S. government is neutral in the war at this time it is England that hires the detective agency to close down the spy ring and discover this new secret technology.

This is a page turner with an exciting conclusion. This gumshoe always gets his man. This book is part of the Clive Cussler "Isaac Bell Adventure Series" but written by Jack Du Brul.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sea Wolves (G.P. Putnam's Sons 2022), the latest in Clive Cussler's Isaac Bell Adventure series, written by Jack DuBrul, one of my favorite thriller authors, Isaac Bell becomes involved stopping a German spy ring whose goal is to sink armament ships sent from the neutral US to European nations in the early stages of WWII. Isaac Bell is a star detective with the Van Dorn Detective Agency and as such, tasked with this history-changing exploit. He soon finds that the German spies managed to plant a tracking beacon in the cargo as it is loaded that will be activated out at sea and give the cargo ship's position away to a German U2 submarine waiting to sink it. It takes all of Bell's prodigious skills to unravel this mystery, especially since it involves two German masterminds who were thought dead--or at least, imprisoned.

While this could be a typical spy novel based in Pre-WWI, through Du Brul's clever pen (author of the excellent Philip Mercer series), it is so much more. Bell is clever and quick, evaluating the clues and resolving solutions. I thoroughly enjoyed watching his mind at work, all set in the framework of the early 1900's era. 

[Craig Carignan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually it was a pretty good book. Much better then recent Cussler branded books.

[Jessica Nybeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid fan of the Isaac Bell Series, I was thrilled to find that this latest installment lives up to the high standards set by its predecessors. The book is packed with thrilling action and a compelling plot that grips you from start to finish. It’s the kind of read that keeps you turning pages, eager to see what happens next. If you’re a fan of the series, or just looking for an engaging, fast-paced adventure, this book is definitely worth your time.

[Hugh Mcnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a couple of Jack Du Brul's collaborations with Clive Cussler, when Clive was still alive, and I think he does a great job of using the source material to expand upon Clive's vision. I really loved the early 20th century setting of these novels and all of the technological marvels of the time that are introduced throughout. You do need to suspend a little bit of disbelief at Isaac Bell's access to so many resources; Planes, boats, cars, etc. I'm excited to see what future exploits Isaac Bell and his fellow Van Dorn Detectives will get into!

[Stanley McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review on Rosepoint Publishing.

Trying to stay neutral isn’t easy while America is quietly trying to send materiel to Britain. Britain severed Germany’s undersea telephone cable but either the Germans are getting awfully lucky or there was a rat on the east coast harbors.

The Van Dorn Detective Agency is hired to monitor Winchester rifle shipments to Britain. With the Van Dorns is Isaac Bell who discovers a hidden radio transmitter in the consignment of rifles.

Because of that discovery, they are asked to locate a German spy ring. It’s becoming apparent that the Germans have a technology far advanced than that of the Allies.

Isaac Bell is a larger-than-life protagonist and dominates the main character position. The pace picks up quickly after a somewhat leisurely start to the storyline.

I picked up this audiobook as I recognized the name of Clive Cussler and was interested in the WWI plot. It’s a little dismaying to see that it’s “co-authored”(?) in small print.

Interesting the way this author ties his story into the sinking of the Lusitania, making it sound believable, and me wondering why this novel wasn’t considered historical fiction rather than action thriller or crime thriller.

I had a little problem with the narrator at the beginning, but once the storyline took on a lot more action, the delivery was better. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting with a daring escape from St, Joseph's, companion island to the infamous Devil's Island. Forwarding to New York City and a compromised cargo of rifles is discovered even as it is the last official munitions cargo to be shipped to England even as war erupts between England and Germany.

And the First World War that has Isaac Bell and the Van Dorn Agency attempting to find the German spies and the manner that they are conveying information on critical shipments to submarines, cutting into munitions, food and other supplies desperately needed by the people and military of England.

Again, it's the 'little' things that show that the author has done a wide sweep of historical research. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the new regulations regarding iron fire escapes while Bell is sneaking around a building to eavesdrop on a suspected meeting. Nascent radio technology with the use of vacuum tubes. Helium balloons and the dawn of dirigible-type flights. And ending with a trip aboard the luxurious but ill-fated HMS Lusitania.

Again a dramatic adventure which also provides a bit of history.

2023-038

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another typical Cussler-action, adventure and history all wrapped into another fast-paced book that entertains from start to finish. This one is pre-WWI and involves German spies, U-Boats and emerging technology to sink American ships and the efforts to stop them.

[Larry Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar book in my favorite series

[Lance Shortus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a bit to get into, some noticeable differences for the original author but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Eugene Lai · Rating 3 out of 5]

historical fiction - interesting plot, typical Clive cussler book, 6/10

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

love these stories. well written. fast read. always interesting when fiction uses real historical facts.

[Edward Furtak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not happy with the way Jack Du Brul is portraying Issac Bell. First book he wrote, started off with him Jack making Issac seem weak and this book Issac was wafering between taking the case or not taking the case because it was too hard or too complicated or too many obstacles in the way for him to do the case. Stop ruining Issac and take another storyline to write about.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Isaac Bell vs. the German U-boat wolf packs. Increasing terror on the High Seas in the brief time leading up to World War II. One of the best in this series. The Van Dorn detective agency striving to root out spies, secet agents, and saboteurs.

[Yak233aol.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent adventure with a well written story that keeps you guessing all through the book.

Overall a great book.

[Darryl Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my favorite of the Isaac Bell series. Jack Du Brul mixes actual historical facts of the time (early 1910's - early WWI) with fiction, in a way that I learned a lot about the history of NYC, Long Island and New Jersey (including the Curtiss Model H "America" seaplane and its pilot John Porte, the Long Island Motor Parkway built by William Vanderbilt, Blackwell Island (now Roosevelt Island) and the Blackwell Island Bridge (now Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge), Tucker Island Lighthouse, FDR's role as Secretary of the Navy during WWI, etc) combined with an intelligent and exciting story about German spies of the early 1900's. Make sure you have a search tool available to look up things when reading this book! Du Brul is also a much better writer than Justin Scott, who did many of the earlier Isaac Bell novels. Many Clive Cussler books can be corny, but this one is not. I highly recommend (especially if you are a history lover) and look forward to more books in this series. Sidenote: I would prefer a more unique title, especially given this title has little to do with the content. There are many Sea Wolves titled books and finding it in the library search was difficult.

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great scene in Penn Station that reminded me of the Thomas Crown Affair at the Met.

Best line:
When, in the history of matrimonial conversation, has a man’s request for a woman to be reasonable ever worked in his favor?

Franklin D. makes an appearance as a frenemy of Isaac and Asst Secretary of the Navy to hunt spies and U-boats.

Isaac talks about White Star and Cunard Lines and ticket offices on Broadway that we visited. Cunard’s is now an event space for Cipriani. Isaac and Joe take a trip on the Lusitania.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I picked this up to read exclusively because of the cover. And the title. But moreso the over. The story starts out interesting as it involves a prison break from a French prison on an island in the tropics, and then it slows down a bit. Fortunately, it did pick up some speed at the end. The main story begins in 1914 around the period when the United States had declared itself neutral in what became WWI and takes place over a few months. Not being familiar with any of the characters, I had zero investment in most of them and felt the character development in the book was minimal at best. I cannot even say the "side characters" were well-developed, either, which was sad (or maybe more disappointing).

The history of the time the story takes place is interesting, to be honest. It is an interesting mix of "the Old World" and the "New" as NYC is described as being a place that is both fairly modern yet has herds of sheep being directed through its streets at times. It was "amusing" (fun) to read about the "advances in technology" at the time, considering how new airplanes, automobiles, and even the radio was during this time (especially when considering how much we take for granted today in terms of technology and what is available to us).

It is always interesting when authors incorporate historical events (disasters) into their stories because sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. In this case, the author has the heroes transporting captured German tech onboard the Lusitania to England, and that is why the liner was sunk by the Germans - to prevent this advancement in radio technology from reaching the British and thereby altering the course of the sea war in the Atlantic Ocean. I think the author did a great job at incorporating this tragedy into the story by providing a possible reason why the Germans might have attacked the liner like they did.

Foss Guy - I was surprised to see this character in this book. I guess he showed up in a prior story as well involving Eric Bell - I have yet to read that story, although I want to because it ties into one of Clive Cussler's earliest novels - Raise the Titanic!. What surprised me was that there is a character who goes by "Foss Gly" and introduced in Night Probe! and shows up again in Cyclops but I thought his name was also "Foss Guy", hahahah. It has been a while since I have read Cussler's earlier works, but Foss Guy's physical description (before he was infected by parasites in his stomach) and character in this book strongly reminded me of Foss Gly from Cussler's earlier two novels. The muscles, the characters' general build and sizes. Both men are bald. I felt like this was some kind of descendant of the Foss Gly of the future stories (and I had totally confabulated the names of the two characters, thinking they were both "Foss Guy" and only now realized my mistake after I looked up the original character and discovered they have different last names, hahahah!). Good times!

I liked Joe Marchetti as a character and was glad he survived until the end of the book. Were I to keep reading, it would be interesting to discover if he and Helen truly did get married, or if she moved on after the events in this book. He was an interesting character - possibly because I was not sure if he would live or die, so perhaps he had the best character development as I was probably the most concerned about his continued existence, especially after so many Van Dorn agents ended up murdered.

The plot was interesting because of the twist involved. The initial spy ring was quickly foiled by accident (which was a nice touch, on the one hand), only to have a second spy ring take its place that was much harder to find. So that was probably one of the better moments of the plot. I also enjoyed Isaac Bell's interactions with Franklin D. Roosevelt - I did not expect that to take place, but they were interesting all the same. The author's bits of trivia dropped throughout the book was fun as well - such as how some of the Vanderbilts had roads built specifically so they could race their cars on those nice roads.

The group of porters switching handbags in the train station was fun to read and somewhat hilarious - it strongly reminded me of the scene in 1999's The Thomas Crowne Affair where Pierce Brosnan's character hires a bunch of men to wear the same outfit as him and wander around the museum to act as decoys while he returns a painting he stole to the museum to prove his love to Renee Russo's character. It is a fun scene in the book, and the author did a great job with it. One of the better scenes in the book, to be honest.

On the one hand, the book is an interesting look back at how detective agencies might have been utilized during a time period in which I really do not know a lot about. I cannot say the book held my interest throughout - there were more than a few times I was half-tempted to give up on finishing this book because it had become so slow (and involved a lot of talking). But, I did muddle through and finish it, and now that I am on the other side, I am glad that I stayed the course and finished the book. On the one hand, it turned out better than I thought it would, but I do not know if I would ever willingly read it again. Maybe some day. In the distant future. If I am still alive at that time and have absolutely nothing better to do, or even something else to do. In any case, I am glad I took a chance and read it (although it seems The Titanic Secret has a strong tie-in to this novel, so it will be me again reading books in a series out of sequence. Ah, well) even if I never read it again.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Isaac Bell is my favourite Clive Cussler character so I always look forward to his next book. I think this one was interesting and exciting - I definitely learned a few things and enjoyed the journey.

[Jim Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

The Isaac Bell series is one of my favorites. Good plot and history at the same time. Will read the next one

[Susan J McDuffie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Detective!

I had lost interest in the Isaac Bell story but this has restored my enjoyment of this character and you will enjoy it too!!

[Jack Igoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second-biggest mystery in this book was why it wasn’t 100 pages shorter.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is better than the last one.

[Vegard Svenvik · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just what i wanted to read. Not some great piece of art, but non stop 1914 action.