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323rd out of 525 books
—
310 voters
The Wrecker (Isaac Bell #2)
by
Clive Cussler,
Justin Scott (Goodreads Author)
In The Chase, Clive Cussler introduced an electrifying new hero, the tall, lean, no-nonsense detective Isaac Bell, who, driven by his sense of justice, travels early-twentieth-century America pursuing thieves and killers . . . and sometimes criminals much worse.
It is 1907, a year of financial panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Souther...more
It is 1907, a year of financial panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Souther...more
Hardcover, 470 pages
Published
November 17th 2009
by Putnam Adult
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It took me a whole month to finish this book and I usually finish about a book on average a week so I was frustrated reading this book but I tried not to let that influence my rating. My first impression of the book was, "Wow, these guys know a lot about 1907 America." I always have more respect for the historical fiction writers because of how much work they have to put into research to be historically correct. I knew about the San Francisco earthquake and some about the railroad but these guys...more
This was such a bad book that half of the time I didn't quite get what was going on and the other half I didn't care. The characters are not bidimensional... they are unidimensional. Enough to say that by the end of the book the Wrecker's motivation is at the very best "fuzzy." Accomplices are thrown in with even less rhyme and reason, and sometimes we are told about them at the very end in this fashion: this is an accomplice, no questions asked, just deal with it.
I think the main fault of this...more
I think the main fault of this...more
The famed Van Dorn agent, Isaac Bell, is up against a new rival, the Wrecker. In the thrilling second book of the series, Bell is back with more excitement and adventure, traveling across the United States to hunt down the Wrecker. In The Wrecker, just like the other Isaac Bell books, the point of view switches between the criminal and the detective throughout the novel.
There has been a chain of sabotages on the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Winter is approaching fast and Osgood Hennessy, t...more
There has been a chain of sabotages on the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Winter is approaching fast and Osgood Hennessy, t...more
Clive Cussler is writing books with collaborators these days, but it hasn't affected the quality of the stories. As much as I like the Dirk Pitt books, this series is in some ways even better. Cussler and his writing partners really bring the early 1900's to life on the page in a way that is totally convincing. Isaac Bell is a millionaire's son who has decided that he would rather be a private detective with the Van Dorn agency than take over the family business. This agency takes on cases that...more
The reason I read Clive C is the same reason I read John Grisholm, except for that my expectations are much less. The guy creates popcorn for the eyes not too salty and not too filling. The Wrecker is just like the fluff offered in every other Cussler novel and tolerable provided you don't normally expect any literary artistry or innovation to get in the way of the words on the page. The characters are formulaic, their actions are predictable, and Clive manipulates the plotline so that it all li...more
The second of the Isaac Bell novels, and the first where Cussler has a co-author for this series. Isaac Bell and the Van Dorn Detective Agency are back, this time chasing after someone who is deliberating sabotaging the Southern Pacific Railroad's expansion efforts into Oregon. Yes, this book is set in 1906, in the age of railroads and when the West was still a bit wild, and it's an ideal period for Cussler's imaginative storytelling. There's a lot more lawlessness to play with, and a lot more h...more
I thought it was somewhat predictable. I read it all, but was a little disappointed.
In The Chase, Clive Cussler introduced an electrifying new hero, the tall, lean, no-nonsense detective Isaac Bell, who, driven by his sense of justice, travels early-twentieth-century America pursuing thieves and killers . . . and sometimes criminals much worse.
It is 1907, a year of financial panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad's Cascades express line...more
In The Chase, Clive Cussler introduced an electrifying new hero, the tall, lean, no-nonsense detective Isaac Bell, who, driven by his sense of justice, travels early-twentieth-century America pursuing thieves and killers . . . and sometimes criminals much worse.
It is 1907, a year of financial panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad's Cascades express line...more
A ripping yarn. Full disclosure - Co-author Justin Scott is a dear friend, and both Bruce and I appear in this book! What's not to like?
The tale is a classic adventure thriller, set in 1907, with an unscrupulous and devious villain, The Wrecker, out to destroy the burgeoning railroads connecting the American West. Our dashing hero, Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Investigative Agency, races from San Francisco to New York and back through the railyards and tent cities of the rail-building network, in...more
The tale is a classic adventure thriller, set in 1907, with an unscrupulous and devious villain, The Wrecker, out to destroy the burgeoning railroads connecting the American West. Our dashing hero, Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Investigative Agency, races from San Francisco to New York and back through the railyards and tent cities of the rail-building network, in...more
This is the second book in the Isaac Bell series, and it is set in the early 1900s. I enjoyed the period detail, and I think Cussler writes great dialogue. The plot of this book centers around a saboteur known as “The Wrecker” who is doing his best to destroy the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. The Van Dorn Detective Agency, with Isaac Bell at the head, is hired to stop the destruction on a tight deadline. Explosions, assassination attempts, and high-speed chases are sprinkled liberally throu...more
This is an samazing book by Clive cussler and Jastin Scott. This book may possibly be a new favorite. It is in the 1700's when the railroads are pushing there way across the nation. This book is a meager 470 pages but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in plot and intensity. This fast paced book is for Adults because it is to amazing for the youth of this day and age.Super-fantabulous!
This book starts with a man named Isaac Bell. He is a Van Dorn agent. He hunts down criminals an...more
This book starts with a man named Isaac Bell. He is a Van Dorn agent. He hunts down criminals an...more
A Cussler that had nothing to do with the sea, no DIrk Pit or Steve Austin in sight. No lost treasures either. No this one is set in primarily the northwest US in the early 1900s and involves a Railroad baron who is trying to complete a stretch of track that will cut time and distance from one of his lines. He is being plagued by accidents or maybe sabotage and hires a big national detective agency to find the truth and protect against future damage. He is running against the clock in getting th...more
This really got me hooked on Clive Cussler's new series. Issaac Bell is a definative Cussler character. The Van Dorn Agency he works for has a motto: "We never give up, Never." The story starts in Germany with Issaac coming upon a castle in the middle of a blizzard in 1934. Then it jumps to 1907 and catches steam from there. The story goes from Oregon to Ogden, Utah. Then to New Jersey and back to Oregon, then to New York and all the way back to Oregon. Clive takes you across the country by the...more
If you like Clive Cussler you will enjoy this book. While he may not be the greatest author in the world, he is one of the best story tellers. His books are always lively, fun, full of history, and action packed. He creates main characters like Issac Bell that we all can look up to and yet relate to. A main character with passion and strength, balanced by humility and honor. In this book he is chasing a man who seeks power through control of America's railroads back when the railroads were just...more
I've enjoyed several Clive Cussler books in the past and I enjoyed this one but I found it tedious at times. Very tedious.
I can tell that the authors did their research on San Fransisco, the Pacific Northwest, trains and 1907 in general, but I don't care what type of railroad engines are driving the trains. I don't care what type of guns they are carrying and what type of ammunition they shoot. All these details slowed the action for me. I wanted to focus on the people--the dashing Isaac Bell an...more
I can tell that the authors did their research on San Fransisco, the Pacific Northwest, trains and 1907 in general, but I don't care what type of railroad engines are driving the trains. I don't care what type of guns they are carrying and what type of ammunition they shoot. All these details slowed the action for me. I wanted to focus on the people--the dashing Isaac Bell an...more
Just finished Clive Cussler's, The Wrecker, the second in the Isaac Bell series. Bell and the Van Dorn Detective Agency are hired by the tycoon of the Southern Pacific Railroad to put an end to the sabotage attacks that threaten the completion of the Cascades express line. The diabolical Wrecker leads Bell on a chase through the Pacific Northwest and across the country to New York and Jersey City, wreaking havoc, and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
As usual, the story is filled with...more
As usual, the story is filled with...more
This book (which my husband and I listened to in the car, via the audiobook edition) is the second in the series of thrillers starring Isaac Bell, chief detective of the Van Dorn Detective Agency in the early years of the 2oth century. We are listening to the books out of order, but they stand alone very well, and we have enjoyed each book, including this one.
It is 1907, and the Southern Pacific Railroad is putting through a new cutoff route through the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. The construct...more
It is 1907, and the Southern Pacific Railroad is putting through a new cutoff route through the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. The construct...more
I like this new series. Stepping back in time seems to reinvigorate the writing or maybe there's a decent co-author in Justin Scott. Whatever it is Isaac Bell is an interesting character and the exploits of a detective in the early years of the 20th century are fun to read about. Having the Wrecker be a U.S. Senator is a good device. It seems like it takes Bell a little too long to make the connection but there that usually seems to be the case with these books. If the connection is made too soo...more
Dec 03, 2009
Richard
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Adventure lovers, people who like to read how the West was won, railroad buffs.
Recommended to Richard by:
I read all Mr. Cussler's work
Co-written with Justin Scott.
In the fine, old tradition of yellow journalism, the events described in this continuation of the adventures of Isaac Bell and the Van Dorn Detective Agency are all fabulous. The families are either filthy rich, or have been and remain genteel or else they are truly wicked and cruel. Some are both rich and wicked.
This reads like the Perils of Pauline set primarily in the wilds of Western America, 1907, as the railroads are expanding at a fantastic rate.
It is a fun re...more
In the fine, old tradition of yellow journalism, the events described in this continuation of the adventures of Isaac Bell and the Van Dorn Detective Agency are all fabulous. The families are either filthy rich, or have been and remain genteel or else they are truly wicked and cruel. Some are both rich and wicked.
This reads like the Perils of Pauline set primarily in the wilds of Western America, 1907, as the railroads are expanding at a fantastic rate.
It is a fun re...more
Not a Cussler fan, but read this because it's setting is near my home. I like Isaac Bell better then most of the rest of Cussler I've read, but still not a fan. The big problem with this book for me, was despite all the research on trains in the early 1900's, and all the work at setting a scene on the railroad in 1907 America, I never got a sense of actually being there. A train ride across the country and back, ends up feeling just like a flight and back. Also, Bell, our hero, has a picture of...more
Isaac Bell's 2nd adventure builds nicely on where the first story left off. With a wider range of characters both helping Bell and working against him, the stakes are high as a crazed yet intelligent villain, the Wrecker, manages to thwart Bell by staying a step or two ahead of him at every turn.
The plot seems to chug along at a more laboured pace early on but definitely picks up steam towards the climatic end. Cussler again pushes the details to the limit to the level where you feel the muscle...more
The plot seems to chug along at a more laboured pace early on but definitely picks up steam towards the climatic end. Cussler again pushes the details to the limit to the level where you feel the muscle...more
Like all of Cussler's books this was an adventure based on historical events Dating back to 1907, a year of financia panic, but also a time of railroad building towards the northwest. The rail road hires a famous detective agency to track down a mysterious saboteur named, the "Wrecker".
The chase goes all over the country--via railroad, of course, involving banking, the telegraph system, the workers and their environment, the lush living of the rich--and the chase.
The main reason this did not get...more
The chase goes all over the country--via railroad, of course, involving banking, the telegraph system, the workers and their environment, the lush living of the rich--and the chase.
The main reason this did not get...more
What I liked most was the feeling of riding in an old railroad train.
My grandfather was station cheif of the railroad and at my early age had the opportunity to ride the old chu, chu trains. While in Europe I traveled by train in coach sometimes and in pullman (Wagon Litts Cook) other times. It was exciting.
In this book they go into construction of the railroad but the story is mostly about a man, the Wrecker, who is trying to sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad so he can later purchase the s...more
My grandfather was station cheif of the railroad and at my early age had the opportunity to ride the old chu, chu trains. While in Europe I traveled by train in coach sometimes and in pullman (Wagon Litts Cook) other times. It was exciting.
In this book they go into construction of the railroad but the story is mostly about a man, the Wrecker, who is trying to sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad so he can later purchase the s...more
What can I say? I love my Cussler's. They are one of my secret pleasures in life. As much as loved NUMA, Dirk Pitt, and friends, I now find my self attached to his new train series and Van Dorn detective, Issac Bell. The Wrecker is an excellent follow-up to The Chase. We follow Issac and fellow detectives as they try to locate and twart "the Wrecker" who was causing train wrecks. What did the Wrecker have to gain, and why was he so intent on destroying one particular train company following the...more
Aug 08, 2011
Craig Leimkuehler
added it
This was a typical Cussler novel with a little help from Justin Scott. From page one you know that the flawless hero, Isaac Bell will get The Wrecker and thwart everyone of his dastardly plans. The Wrecker blows up tunnels, bridges, piers, derails trains, kills various people. THe only cliche he misses, he fails to tie Mr. Bell's fiance to the railroad tracks as a runaway locomotive barrels down the track. Still it was a nice change of pace to see a story set in a different era. Better than a po...more
I am addicted now. This is really the perfect series to listen to while running. The scenes are filled with period detail that serves the forward moment of the story. It is action from beginning to end that stimulates the running muscles and brings one into another world. I wished for my running sessions so that I could rejoin Isaac Bell in his hunt for the Wrecker and when the book ended (ten minutes before my run was done that day) I mourned that I was now without him. I hope they write many m...more
This may be one of my favorite Cussler books. I still like Dirk Pitt a lot, but I like the slightly more historical character in The Wrecker. Cussler knows how to make a mans-man kind of hero that pulls you into the story and delivers results before the end. He's also not overly constrained by reality, which always makes for a more impressive hero. I enjoyed the railroad setting, the early detective agency, and the historical flavor of the novel. It reminded me a bit of a Wild, Wild West storyli...more
This was my first Clive Cussler book, and I found a lot to like. It kept me turning the pages, and the characters were for the most part well-rounded. I also noted that he was surprisingly restrained in the use of street language, a trait not often found in writers of thrillers. I did think that Cussler often said more than he needed to say, telling where he should have shown. And he unnecessarily drug out the ending. But for people who just want a good read that isn't too deep, this fills the b...more
Mr. Custler, in concert with his usual co-writer - in this case, Justin Scott, has done what he should have long ago and that is to write historical fiction. As any Custler fan should know, he is responsible for more underwater archaeology than probably any other private citizen alive. His knowledge of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is legendary to many. It is excellent then, to read a novel from that time period which is written in his inimical style.
There is the usual buff ma...more
There is the usual buff ma...more
#2 in his Isaac Bell mystery series. Bell, a lead detective for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, is typical of the Cussler daring do protagonists who is able to over come all odds to get his man. In this case, he and the whole Van Dorn Agency is involved in dealing with a man who is sabotaging a major rail road company. It is a high stakes game that has Bell dashing all over the U.S. in 1907 trying to stop "the wrecker's" efforts.
A bit long for my tastes, but a good story in the Cussler tradition...more
A bit long for my tastes, but a good story in the Cussler tradition...more
This was a good, suspenseful novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the plot with its twists and turns. I found it to be a bit far fetched and unbelievable at times, but that also contributed to the suspense of the storyline. I enjoyed Isaac Bell, the classic American hero who is a crack shot until it comes to shooting the evil bad guy. I found Kincaid despicable, especially since he was always one step ahead of Bell. I found the ending a bit lacking, because I wanted Bell to final...more
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| Brown Bag Book Club: Have You Finished It Yet? | 1 | 2 | Apr 01, 2013 06:40pm | |
| Clive Cussler | 2 | 9 | Aug 29, 2012 08:24am | |
| The elusive Wrecker | 7 | 38 | Jun 27, 2012 12:39pm |
Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time...more
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