- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Most Helpful Favorable Review
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
This Book has it all
Mystery, romance, and great characters, all told my a master storyteller. I loved this book and can't wait for Ted Bell to write another. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
posted by Anonymous on July 1, 2003
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Most Helpful Critical Review
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Horrible
Wow, this book was bad. We're supposed to believe that Alex Hawke has been traveling the world performing feats of daring do, is a military pilot and has trained with the British SBS (The British version of the US Navy SEALs). With all of this experience he doesn't know...Read More
Wow, this book was bad. We're supposed to believe that Alex Hawke has been traveling the world performing feats of daring do, is a military pilot and has trained with the British SBS (The British version of the US Navy SEALs). With all of this experience he doesn't know what a HAHO jump is, doesn't know what HUMINT is or know what a SAT phone looks like. And Mr. Bell, it's CINCLANTFLT not CINCANTFLT. I finished the book but I couldn't wait to get it over with.Show Less
posted by NomDePlumeIL on March 24, 2010
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.-
Horrible
Wow, this book was bad. We're supposed to believe that Alex Hawke has been traveling the world performing feats of daring do, is a military pilot and has trained with the British SBS (The British version of the US Navy SEALs). With all of this experience he doesn't know what a HAHO jump is, doesn't know what HUMINT is or know what a SAT phone looks like. And Mr. Bell, it's CINCLANTFLT not CINCANTFLT. I finished the book but I couldn't wait to get it over with.
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted July 1, 2003
This Book has it all
Mystery, romance, and great characters, all told my a master storyteller. I loved this book and can't wait for Ted Bell to write another. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
bvMI
Posted August 24, 2009
Flawed, but fun.
A lot like Clive Cussler only slightly more believable. A lot of fun to read but it reaches too far beyond believability to make it a truly great read. The pacing is good and the story keeps you involved despite its lack of believability. When shopping for books I tend toward the thicker novels, which is what drew me to this one originally. I did some quick research on the author and the series and settled on this one since it is the first in the Alex Hawke series. The references to the fact that Alex is a direct descendant of the pirate Blackhawke become rather tedious, but it's a good action book nevertheless.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted November 15, 2006
Loved it!
This book had everything. And I thought Johnny Depp was a great pirate! I'm hooked.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2006
Non-stop action and adventure
I read 2-3 books a week and I just discovered Ted Bell. The writing is ingenious and the fast paced action keeps you turning the pages. Recommend you read his books in chronological order, since many of the same characters appear in each book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted August 4, 2006
CUBA AFTER CASTRO???
This book was ahead of its time. It's all about what might happen in Cuba if Fidel was out of the picture. The answer is scary. And so is the book. Wow. Highly recommended!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted November 3, 2003
'Certainly shivered my timbers!!'
For somebody who gulps down a ton of thrillers, which I definitely do, it was a thrill to find a new one. Alex Hawke could be the next James Bond in my book! Just great fun and deeply absorbing too. Like a pirate book for grown-ups. Keep 'em coming!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted October 25, 2003
ENORMOUSLY SASTIFYING READ!
I was beginning to think this whole genre was getting bloated and formula-ridden but this thing kept me riveted and deeply absorbed. It's a new voice and well worth buying. I'd give it six stars just for standing the thriller category on its tin ear!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2003
Bloody Good!
Great fun in the english spy tradition, Hawke was transporting and a delight. Most appreciated were a flawed hero and a believable love interest. A coup by Cuban generalissimos was credible and timely...Alex Hawke is a modern day Captain Blood and heralds (one hopes) the beginning of a long and exciting saga. Definitely recommend.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted October 23, 2003
'This thriller kills!'
Just kept me up all night long and thrilled, not just with the story but the idea that here is a new guy on the scene who hopefully will be around for a long time to come! The whole idea of a coup in Cuba and that it rapidly gets a whole lot worse in a post-Castro world is plausible and there is plenty of detail to make it credible too. A new hero to root for, finally, by a killer storyteller!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2003
'Hop in the back, Mr. Bond!'
Whoa. Whoever said Alex Hawke is the new James Bond got that right! This thriller made my summer! Hawke goes to the Caribbean with an unforgettable cast of characters and confronts a villain to die for. Slam-bang action from the get- go. When's the movie coming out? Think Johnny Depp the pirate in a Savile Row suit. Hey, JD, call your agent!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted July 7, 2003
AN ACTION PACKED READING
Actor/voice performer John Shea has said, 'When I read a role, I try to find something I can bring to the role and something that the role can bring to me. Something that I don't know anything about and that the character can teach me.' Such in depth study and exploration of a character is obvious in his commanding reading of Ted Bell's debut action/adventure 'Hawke.' Directly descended from the notorious English pirate Blackhawke, Lord Alexander Hawke knows a lot about seafaring, and a bit about skullduggery himself. As a child he witnessed a horrific scene - the brutal murder of his parents aboard their yacht. Hidden in a compartment the boy was privy to the brutality of the crime and the identity of the killers. As an adult and one of the most decorated heroes in England, Hawke returns to the Caribbean waters where his parents were slain. He's on a secret mission for the U.S. government - find a Soviet built experimental sub carrying 40 nuclear warheads before there is mass destruction. Is there any connection between the criminals controlling the sub and the murderers of Blackhawke's parents? Those with a taste for seagoing adventure and international intrigue will find 'Hawke' much to their liking.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
action adventure thriller
Seven-year-old Alex Hawke is with his parents on their yacht when his father suddenly takes him into a secret room and tells him to hide. The pirate brothers, (Manso, Juanito, and Carlos) demand the treasure map that the pirate Blackhawke made before his hanging three centuries ago. They claim that BlackHawke stole the gold from their ancestor. They torture, rape and kill the Hawkes but fail to obtain the map, which is with Alex in the secret room. Alex blocks out the tragedy and much of the first seven years of his life. He becomes a powerful and wealthy adult who does intelligence work for the British and the American governments. The de Herrera siblings become a force in the Cuban government having access to millions of dollars. They buy a stealth submarine from the Russians that is virtually undetectable and carries forty nuclear warheads. The trio obtains a biological weapon that they sneak into Guantanemo Bay, which they intend to use if the Americans don¿t vacate the base and lift the embargo. The Americans use intelligence gathered by Alex to make war plans but it is his destiny to have the final showdown with the men who killed his parents. Move over James Bond, Lord Alex Hawke is on the scene and he is more realistic, believable and personable than Ian Fleming¿s character ever was. This is an action adventure thriller with the emphasis on action. There is no chance readers will ever feel ennui reading Hawke, a twenty first century pirate novel that takes place on the high seas and in a Cuba where Castro¿s control is waning. Harriet Klausner
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted September 26, 2010
Only the beginning...but wow.
This is the first Alex Hawke book. I liked a later one and went back. Now I understand what all the excitement is about. This series stands alone as maybe the most unique spy adventure saga out there. Everything about it defies convention. There is humor throughout, there are 3-D characters you will never find in genre fiction of this nature, and they are all completely satisfying reads. If you haven't read one or heard of this series, do yourself a favor and read any of the novels. You'll go back to this one and you'll understand why many people say it's the best of the best.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
susi914
Posted June 10, 2009
This is a book men will really enjoy and women will love the character.
The hero, Alex Hawke, is everything a hero should be. He is a straight arrow with morals and loyal to people he cares about. He is a super hero, he is very wealthy, governments know him at the highest levels - the President (USA) calls on him, the Brits call on him. He is handsome, strong, daring, driven, he is the kind of character you begin to know through Ted Bell's writing and you care about him! I had not read anything by Ted Bell until I found three of his books at out local library once I started reading I was hooked and really vexed when I couldn't find the book titled "Hawke". I read "Assassin", "Spy" and "Pirate" and boy was I hooked! The paperbacks are large "Spy" was 699 pages long and you will be sorry when you reach the end because you want the story to go on and on. "Tsar" isn't on sale until September 23rd, a long time to wait but, ultimately, worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted August 4, 2004
Hawke is fast moving and predictable.
I enjoyed this book, I really did. I knew I was buying a spy novel in the flavor of a James Bond episode -- cardboard characters and pedestrian level martial arts and other action sequences. And I was not disappointed. I'll review Assassin too, once I get it from the library... This is a cheap thriller that didn't deliver as much as other cheap thrillers. But as a first effort, not bad, though you could predict each event before it happened. A wee technical boo-boo: the fluffy white teddy bear would not sink instantly but would float, so the exploding canister would release agents into the air after all. However, if the bear was loaded with the bomb and it was very heavy (1 lb or more), the child would notice; in fact anyone would notice. And also modern stuffed toys are filled with electronics boxes, and any child with even a 1/10 IQ would have given the bear a good squeeze and discovered a hard object in it, and go and tell daddy/mommy and it would have been discovered way before having to rely on any tense countdown. The toy and child's reaction were way too old fashioned, more of a forties or fifties type kid, not a 2003 child, nor even a 1980s kid.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted September 4, 2004
Awesome thriller!
Has to be the book of the summer, thriller or not. I read Assassin, loved it, then went and got this one. It is a wonderful read. Great suspense and nonstop action. Highly recommended to all.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted June 9, 2003
'James Bond Meets The 21st Century!'
Lord Alex Hawke was seven when he witnessed the brutal murder of his parents in the Caribbean. It haunts the courageous Royal Navy commander the rest of his life. It also drives him to become a deadly, bigger than life hero in a time when most heroes are getting smaller than life. Set in the islands, and modern day Cuba, action, romance, even humor keep the pages turning deep into the night. A great cast of supporting characters and evil Cuban villains. Best adventure thriller in years. Wow. Double wow.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted June 18, 2003
Hawke
Hawke, like the painting on the cover, is bigger than life. Author Ted Bell has written a captivating adventure that vividly reflects our current political climate and technical achievements , yet is timeless, imaginative, and appealing to all who relish a truly enthralling tale. Although the devastating loss of his parents at a tender age makes Alex Hawke sweetly vulnerable, our hero is handsome, brave, intelligent, dashing, and at all times a true gentleman. We loved Bell's good guys,were appropriately appalled by the bad characters, and enjoyed each turn and twist in this story. We are keeping fingers crossed that we will see much more of Alex Hawke in the future.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. -
Anonymous
Posted June 20, 2003
Hawke
Loved the book - cannot wait for the movie. Let's hope that Ted Bell will allow Alex Hawke to share more adventures with us.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.