The Wrecker

September 14, 2009
Set in 1907, the rousing second thriller to feature detective Isaac Bell (after The Chase
) from bestseller Cussler and Scott pits Bell against “the Wrecker,” who's been destroying trains and railroad facilities around the country for no apparent reason. These horrific incidents are wreaking havoc on the plans of Osgood Hennessy, the Southern Pacific Railroad's president, who's constructing the massive Cascade Canyon Bridge in Oregon. If the project isn't completed by winter, Hennessy's bankers will withdraw financing and his company will be destroyed. As in the first book, the purposefully stilted writing style takes a little getting used to, but there's plenty of excitement to be had in a world where massive, fire-breathing trains fly along at speeds of up to 120 mph. While the Wrecker's identity is revealed early on and there's never any doubt that Isaac will get his man, readers will find many thrills and much diabolical cleverness along the way.

October 15, 2009
Following his refreshing and exciting foray into early 20th-century California with "The Chase", Cussler returns to the land of yesteryear. Someone is out to destroy a major railroad by wrecking trains, blowing up tunnels and bridges, and killing people. Railroad detective Isaac Bell is brought in to bring the Wrecker to justice. He is ably assisted by much of the same group who appeared in "The Chase". Unlike Cussler's other adventure novels (the "NUMA® Files" and Dirk Pitt series), which depend on over-the-top futuristic technology, this new book is limited by history and cannot extend reality too far, all of which makes the novel work. It doesn't hurt that Bell is a more realistic hero and not a superman, although he is very much capable of taking care of himself. VERDICT Richly enhanced with well-researched historical and technological details, Cussler's latest offers a welcome change of pace from the Dirk Pitt books. A very enjoyable romp. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/09.]Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2009
Cussler, known primarily for his contemporary high-tech thrillers, steps back in timemore than a century, in factin this rousing sequel to The Chase (2007). Van Dorn Detective Agency operative Isaac Bell returns, this time to track down a clever saboteur whos been dubbed the Wrecker. Seems the Wrecker has it in for the Southern Pacific Company, and he will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep the company from putting through a new railway line between San Francisco and northern California. Isaac is a sharply drawn series lead, and the story, as befits a railroad-themed thriller, moves at a brisk clip. In addition, theres a very nice surprise in the final scenes. Readers who have sensed a certain been-there-done-that feeling in some of Cusslers recent novels will be pleased to find a new spark here. More Isaac Bell novels would be most welcome.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)