Book Review – Clive Cussler’s “The Wrecker”
Earlier today I finished reading Clive Cussler’s adventure story, The Wrecker, the second book in the Isaac Bell series of novels.
Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I read a Clive Cussler novel. I read most of the Dirk Pitt series a few years ago, but it feels like it’s been eons since I last picked up and read one of his books. Thankfully, the most recent Cussler book I read happened to be a great one!
The Wrecker is part of Cussler’s Isaac Bell series of novels and set in the early twentieth century. Specifically, most of this story takes place in the American west during the Fall of 1907. And it involves steam locomotives — lots of them!
The Isaac Bell character is an elite detective, similar to Sherlock Holmes. He’s as quick with his wits as he is with his fists, and he’ll stop at nothing to solve the crime and catch his man.
The Wrecker tells the tale of the Southern Pacific Railway and owner Osgood Hennessy as he strives to complete his latest expansion of the railway. The problem is that somebody intends to stop him in his tracks. A mysterious saboteur known as “The Wrecker” has a nasty habit of derailing and destroying locomotives owned and associated with the Southern Pacific Railway company. Many people are killed in a series of not only train wrecks but other attacks against the railroad company and its construction projects. Determined to stop the Wrecker and finish construction of his expansion, Hennessy hires the elite Van Dorn Detective Agency to solve the case. Along comes lead detective, Isaac Bell.
It’s up to Isaac Bell to use his wits, fists, and some gunplay to identify the Wrecker and stop his evildoing before more people die and the Southern Pacific Railway goes bankrupt. Along the way he’ll use telegraphs and every bit of early twentieth century technology to help him and his fellow detectives solve the case.
Those of you familiar with Clive Cussler’s other works will be right at home with The Wrecker. Just substitute the usual ships and oceanic settings for locomotives and the American west, complete with mountains, rivers, and plenty of bad guys. Cussler’s attention to detail is present here. At some points you’ll feel like you’re riding the rails with Isaac Bell and his companions.
Before reading the novel, you have to remember that early twentieth century America was a different time than what we’re used to today. Communication relied on the telegraph, a system the relied exclusively on wires that crossed the country. Personal automobiles were just starting to become commonplace, and we were in the dawning of aviation and dreams of air travel. Otherwise, the railroads dominated transportation, and railroad companies ran large parts of the country.
People relied on ships to cross oceans, but when it came to traveling on land, the railroads were the dominant form of transportation. Some of the richest and most powerful men were the railroad company owners.
The Wrecker was a fantastic adventure story set in the American west. This is one of my favorite time periods in American history, and I loved the many scenes involving the locomotives. I wouldn’t refer to The Wrecker as a mystery because we know the Wrecker’s identity fairly early in the book. The only real mystery is how the main character, Isaac Bell, is going to come across that information and stop him.
The locomotives were great, the scenes out west were interesting (especially the gorge and train bridge at the end), and the action was plentiful. The Wrecker’s attack in New York City was particularly interesting.
The Wrecker is book number two in the Isaac Bell series. It’s against my standards to jump into a series without reading the first book. However, I recently acquired the hardback version of this book at a ridiculously low price (found it on sale and the concept looked interesting), so I gave it a shot. I have since acquired the first (The Chase) and third (The Spy) books in the Isaac Bell series, and I can’t wait to read them soon.
If you are a lover of adventure stories, especially those involving locomotives, then The Wrecker is a must-have for your collection! I’m glad to have re-discovered Clive Cussler with this book, and I can’t wait to read more of his work.
