Product Description

For decades, Clive Cussler has been delighting readers with novels filled with suspense, action, and sheer audacity. Now he does it again, in one of the wildest, most entertaining historical thrillers in years.

April 1950: The rusting hulk of a steam locomotive rises from the deep waters of a Montana lake. Inside is all that remains of three men who died forty-four years before. But it is not the engine or its grisly contents that interest the people watching nearby. It is what is about to come next . . .

1906: For two years, the western states of America have been suffering an extraordinary crime spree: a string of bank robberies by a single man who cold- bloodedly murders any and all witnesses and then vanishes without a trace. Fed up by the depredations of the "Butcher Bandit," the U.S. government brings in the best man they can find-a tall, lean, no-nonsense detective named Isaac Bell, who has caught thieves and killers coast to coast.

But Bell has never had a challenge like this one. From Arizona to Colorado to the streets of San Francisco during its calamitous earthquake and fire, he pursues what is quickly becoming clear to him is the sharpest criminal mind he has ever encountered, and the woman who seems to hold the key to the bandit's identity. Using science, deduction, and intuition, Bell repeatedly draws near only to grasp at thin air, but at least he knows his pursuit is having an effect. Because his quarry is getting angry now, and has turned the chase back on him. The hunter has become the hunted. And soon it will take all of Isaac Bell's skills not merely to prevail . . . but to survive.

Filled with intricate plotting, dazzling signature set pieces, and not one but two extraordinary villains, this is the work of a master writing at the height of his powers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12301 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Cussler takes a breather from his several ongoing series with this historical thriller set in the western states, circa 1906. The U.S. government hires the renowned Van Dorn Detective Agency and its equally renowned lead agent, Isaac Bell, to capture the bank robber known as the Butcher Bandit. The Butcher has gunned down 38 men and women and two children, leaving behind neither witnesses nor clues. Bell heads the manhunt and finally figures out the Butcher's true identity, which is when the real chase begins. Unfortunately, Cussler's style is patterned on the clunky dialogue (I pray you catch the murdering scum) and improbable characters of the period's dime novels, and his in-depth research makes his descriptions sound like advertising. Once San Francisco gets hit by the 1906 earthquake and the principals climb aboard a pair of fire-breathing locomotives, the novel cranks up a head of steam and some high-speed thrills. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Cussler fans will discover a change of pace in this thriller, set in 1906. The Butcher Bandit is on the loose across the West, emptying bank vaults and ruthlessly killing scores of innocent people, including women and children. Isaac Bell, lead agent of the top-notch Van Dorn Detective Agency, crisscrosses the colorful territory to crack the case. Reader Scott Brick breathes life into the clichŽd characters and stilted dialogue. Through BrickÕs capable voice, Bell is a savvy and quick-shooting manÕs man, who is capable of showing sensitive interest in a woman. BrickÕs excellent phrasing and skilled pacing enhance CusslerÕs heavy-handed but loving descriptions of the eraÕs locomotives. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake kicks off the fast-paced conclusion, including one of CusslerÕs trademark chase scenes. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Cussler is the author or coauthor of 33 books, including 19 Dirk Pitt novels and 7 NUMA Files books. This latest adventure involves the hulk of a steam locomotive that comes to the surface of a lake in Montana in 1950. It contains the bodies of three men who died 44 years before. Flash back to 1906 and a two-year crime spree out west. There's a series of bank robberies by an evil person who murders any witnesses. The government brings in a detective to solve the case, but soon the hunter becomes the hunted. As always, Cussler ties everything together in the end. The author's many fans probably know that at the start, but they will want to read the novel anyway. Cohen, George

Customer Reviews

A Great Action Adventure in 19th Century West
Referring to the Audio Version:

Isaac Bell is the newest of the Clive Cussler heroes a tall, handsome, wealthy, educated, intelligent man charged by the Van Dorn Investigative Agency with the enviable task of hunting down the "Butcher Bandit".

A bank robber who uses stealth, disguises, and detail planning to pull off a series of bank robberies/murders across the west. Do not dismiss this book as another story of the old west, it's not, while it takes place in the west it is set in the early 20th Century.

The tale takes you from Denver to San Francisco and the Earthquake of 1906 and then north toward Canada. You have automobiles racing trains, ruthless bank robberies, pursuit of trains and love. The settings were perfect, the characters two dimensional, the descriptions vivid, a plot that draws you in and a perfect ending.

The narrator was good, setting the mood of the story; he handles the female roles with care. Most narrators try a little too hard to imitate a female voice that most times results in some very odd or strange and sometimes comedic female voices.

I dearly hope this won't be the only book featuring Isaac Bell.

Good read but factually erroneous
Definitely a very entertaining read. However, the LV&T Railroad did not reach even the outskirts of Rhyolite, Nevada, until December of 1906. Further, trains on the LV&T did NOT go to San Francisco - they went South thru Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

Where's Dirk
Great story. The whole time I was reading it I kept waiting for Dirk to arrive. Even though he didn't appear, this was a fun filled, can't pull the book down, adventure.