Justin Scott (1) (1944–)

This is a terrific action adventure story set in America around 1910. The story centres on a transcontinental airplane race. One of the racers is under a death threat from her insanely jealous wealthy estranged husband. The Van Dorn Detective Agency is hired to protect her and their top agent, Isaac Bell, is assigned to the case. He is larger than life, almost a god, with no obvious faults: he's intelligent, wealthy, good looking and strong. He is so clever that he learned to fly an airplane show more in a couple of days! I think the authors go over the top with him, he's really a cartoon character and I am inclined to think it's all tongue in cheek with him. Despite that, as long as you suspend your disbelief about his perfection, the story is really exciting and will hold your interest up to the end. There's even a surprise winner of the race. Highly recommended reading, but it's not to be taken seriously. show less

I remember reading this over 20 years ago, and was aware that it had something of a cult following amongst cruising sailors. After mentioning it to some of my sister's friends who read Clive Cussler (who I've never read), I thought I'd pick up a copy and see how well it stood a re-read. I was fully expecting it to be dated and trashy and I'm glad to say it was neither of those. Scott takes a simple premise - revenge for the death of a loved one - and weaves a suspenseful tale of love and show more adventure as the hero, Peter Hardin, pursues the worlds biggest supertanker across the shipping lanes from Britain to the Persian Gulf. It's very much a mans world (written in 1978) but the female characters are characters, not decoration. The strongest character is the sea, and as an amateur sailor myself I could find little to fault in the descriptions of boats (I've made some long passages in a 56' Swan and other cruising boats since I first read this), sailing and of the power of the sea. It may get a little technical for non-sailors, but I found it a thrilling adventure story. show less

What I liked most was seeing the fast read, thriller format set in earlier times, in this case the early 1800s. The historical elements were interesting but the story was too predictable. The lead villain does make relevant commentary about the power of media as a propaganda device.

Bought the paperback in 2012, and the audio in 2013, and reread it every year or so. Guilty of adoring anything Cussler, and totally admiring Isaac Bell, but it is the story itself that keeps me coming back. Long ago, I checked up on Cussler's background facts and was satisfied that the historical researches are solid background for the fictional protagonists and the imaginative stories themselves.
Isaac works for the Van Dorn Detective Agency (We never give up. Never), and not only show more investigates the sabotage interfering with this epic air race (across the US) and murders along the way, but also learns to fly planes as avant garde as his automobiles (Cussler is noted for his vintage auto collection).
Fast paced and totally absorbing, this one will keep your nose glued to the page.
Scott Brick gives his usual stellar audio performance. show less