The Race: An Isaac Bell Adventure, Book 4

After finishing off the enjoyable but somewhat convoluted The Spy, I immediately dove into the next Isaac Bell book The Race, which is centered around a plane race across the USA. Bell is brought in to protect one of the front runners in the race from her murderous-yet-intelligent gangster husband who plans to end her after she witnesses him killing a man.Overall it's a really fun read. Being set in the early 1900s where airplanes were still being developed, I found the descriptions of the construction and operation of the flying machines very interesting and a reminder that the things we take for granted today were once rarer then gold. Harry Frost is an intriguing villain and I enjoyed the backstory of how he and Bell first crossed paths. It all comes together in the fast paced adventure style I always expect from Cussler.The only negative is the ending was just kind of blah for me. For such a great story it all ends rather abruptly with no real epilogue on how things worked out for most of the characters. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise entertaining read.

I always enjoy reading Clive Cussler's Isaac Bell stories and this was no exception. It is full of thrills, mystery, intrigue, humor and just the right amount of romance. Go ahead, read them! I dare you!

I am a Clive Cussler fan and also am a fan of his co-authored books. I have grown to love the Isaac Bell series and always wait with anticipation for the next installment. Unfortunately this one left me a little wanting. I had a hard time getting through it.The premise is great and the writing is fine. The action comes like you would expect from a Clive Cussler novel, it is plentiful and suspensefull at times. But for whatever reason I felt a lack of development of characters in the story.The story is about an airplane race from coast to coast. Starting on the East Coast and ending on the West Coast in San Francisco. It takes place in the early 1900's when air flight was still in its infancy. So, to think that a lone pilot could fly a monoplane across the country is almost unbelievable. That's what Preston Whiteway is banking on. The Newspaper magnet wants to attract attention from a public that needs a new American hero. He wants to give them that hero in the guise of "The Sweetheart of the American Airways." In steps Josephine, a simple farm girl who just happens to have a love for flying. She is going to challenge a large group of men for the Whiteway Cup and the $50,000.00 prize. Can she do it? Can any of them do it?Now enters our antagonist, Harry Frost, the former husband of Josephine. He is angry at her for what he feels is her immoral relationship with her aircraft mechanic, Marco Celere. The book starts with Harry killing Marco, or did he? It then has him fleeing from the law but making a commitment to kill Josephine before she can either start or finish this race.The Van Dorn Detective Agency is brought in to protect Josephine from Harry and to do their best to catch him and bring him to justice. Isaac Bell is given the task of overseeing this protection detail and the hunt for Harry Frost. Harry and Isaac have a history that goes back 10 years to when Isaac was just starting out as a detective.The story is going to revolve around Josephine, Harry, Isaac and Marco Celere. Our other characters from previous books have appearances, such as James Dashwood and Isaac's fiancé Marion. But this is where I think we loose some of the wonderful story development that is characteristic of Clive Cussler novels. These other characters take a backseat much more than they ever have in other books. They are not woven into the story as well as they could be.Even Harry Frost is developed as much as I would like for the antagonist. Then there are several other characters brought in, such as the other pilots, the daughter of an aircraft designer, several young machinists, etc. They make appearances and have parts in the story, but they seem to come and go at odd times and not developed as much as they could be.One final point from me, I was a bit disappointed in the ending. I felt that several things were left undone, not tied up like they could or should have been. Maybe it was just me.Anyway, I still enjoyed the read, I like the chase, I like the logic games that Isaac and Harry delve into. I also liked the details about the flying machines.I think if you like Clive Cussler you will like this book, it just won't end up being your favorite of his writings.Enjoy!

The Race is a fun book with one exciting adventure after another in an interesting period of history, detailed descriptions of a cross county flight using the earliest aircraft able to do it, with hints of future advances in aviation. Good guys, bad guys, dames, heroes, guns, railroads, intrigue, plots, no foul language or gratuitous sex, this book has it all and makes for a good read.

Isaac Bell, the Van Dorn Agency's lead investigator, is back in "The Race". It is 1910, and airplanes are still in their infancy. The Van Dorns have been hired by newspaper magnate Preston Whiteway. Whiteway is sponsoring a cross-county airplane race from New York to San Francisco. The winner of the race will win $50,000. The rules are simple: the planes must be in the air at least 2 hours per day, the cross-country flight must be completed in 50 days, and the same pilot must make the complete flight.One of the entrants is Josephine Frost. Josephine, being sponsored by Whiteway himself, had the displeasure of watching her husband, thug and all-around bad guy Harry Frost, shoot her lover. Now Frost, knowing that Josephine witnessed the murder, has set off across the country, following Josephine's flight while trying to catch and kill her, too. This is where Bell and his Van Dorn associates come in.Over the course of the race, Bell is faced with protecting Josephine, while dealing with sabotage of competitor's aircraft, visiting a beautiful Italian woman in an asylum, and watching someone come back from the dead. On top of all of this, Harry Frost is not only after Josephine, but Isaac as well.I've enjoyed reading Clive Cussler's books, and I really like the Isaac Bell series. Isaac is a prototype turn-of-the-century investigator: mustache, white suit, hat, and a derringer pistol. He's easy to root for. On the other hand, Harry Frost, who Cussler makes out to be stocky and violent-tempered, is the quintessential bad guy. These characters, along with the others in the book, are well-developed and interesting to follow. I thought the story was interesting and fast-paced. Being a fan of airplanes, I especially liked the story line. There are lots of twists and surprises along the way to keep the reader interested, too.I recommend this book and the other Isaac Bell books. Filled with action and intrigue, "The Race" is an exciting new addition to the Cussler collection.

Clive Cussler's early 20th Century detective Isaac Bell returns in what has to be one of the better of his adventures. After flying ace Josephine Josephs is the victim of an attempted murder, by her husband, Isaac Bell and the Van Dorn detective agency are recruited to protect her as she attempts a cross-America air race.The plot actually works quite well, although there are a few twists along the way that make the story so far seem a little redundant. The use of early aircraft neatly fits into the sequence of Bell stories that have already covered trains, cars and boats, and the 1900s setting sets it apart from the other series of books released under the Cussler 'brand'.Sadly it's not all great and parts of the novel seem rough. There are mistakes in the use of the title of a British baronet which perhaps wouldn't be noticed by a US audience but really throw me out of the flow every time they crop up, and the repeated meme of having characters called Josephine Josephs and Steve Stevens feels lazy. I'm also bugged by how little growth there is for the main characters - in the first book of the series Bell changes, but since then he's been a static player and his relationships haven't moved on.Overall though this is certainly the best of Cussler's current output and put the modern day spin-offs of his Dirk Pitt series to shame. The adversary in this story is realistic and pitted at a perfect level to provide a nemesis for the investigator. A slow start to the narrative maybe, but once it got flowing the twists did keep me interested. I had almost decided to drop future Cusslers from my reading list but this has convinced me that the old genius might be starting to peek though again.

I have been a great fan of Clive Cussler for years having started with his epic book Sahara.This book is unfortunately very disappointing because I found the whole plot so predictable.The idea of the book reminded me of the film & era of Those magnificent men in their flying machines, of which I thought would make a great story.The book gets a thumbs down from me which I found such a shame as I really wanted it to work.

Surprisingly not the first person across the line, but that is not important. The intrigue within the race itself is very entertaining, with some powerful characters. Research on gang types and practices in Chicago leads to an understanding of the loyalties and fear involved in the actions of certain people. Isaac Bell is a worthy investigator with excellent physical and mental prowess. A very competitive contest.

After reading "The Spy" I was a little disappointed with these books as they seemed to be getting very busy with too many characters and complicated plots,but I'm pleased to say that we are well back on track with this book great story a bit predictable after the half way point but well recommended. I am now looking forward to "The Thief"

I am a fan of Clive Cussler and have all of the Isaac Bell series and most of the Dirk Pitt and Numa series. Thoroughly enjoy the writing.