A James Bond for the 21st century, Alex Hawke is suave, sexy, smart, wealthy, and deadly. And he's got the bloodlines to prove it--the direct descendant of a famous English pirate, the British secret agent is back in the Caribbean where his ancestor once amassed a legendary fortune and where, decades ago, his own parents were brutally tortured and murdered for a secret Alex, to this day, doesn't know he has in his possession. What brings Alex back to the scene of a crime he only vaguely remembers witnessing as a child is a mission to find and recover a stealth submarine that's gone missing less than a hundred miles from the American mainland, complete with 40 nuclear warheads and a rogue terrorist's finger on the countdown button. It's a hoary premise, but Bell makes it work with skillful plotting, quick characterizations, and a lively hero who deserves a sequel, not to mention the big screen treatment. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
Bell's action-adventure novel actively courts comparisons to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, even touching down on Thunderball Atoll in the Bahamas, in a nod to Fleming's 1961 Thunderball. Bell's hero is Alex Hawke, a jet-set business mogul who does "highly secret freelance work for the governments of the United States and Britain." Thirty years before the story begins, seven-year-old Alex Hawke watches from a hiding place as his mother and father are slaughtered by three modern-day pirates. The adult Hawke, descendant of the famous English pirate, Blackhawke, owns the finest of the world's goods, makes love to the most beautiful women and defeats the world's most heinous villains. He is, in short, a cartoon. When his friend and ex-lover, Consuelo de los Reyes, the beautiful and foul-mouthed secretary of state, asks him to save America with a difficult and exceedingly dangerous piece of derring-do, he leaps at the chance. The assignment involves a cabal of Cubans who have deposed Castro, bought themselves a secret submarine from the Russians and are preparing to launch 40 nuclear missiles at the United States. Hawke assembles an arsenal of cool weapons and exotic machinery, calls in a squad of deadly ex-SEAL anti-terrorist pals and saves the world. Along the way, he avenges his parents' brutal murder. Bell's first effort, Nick of Time, was a well-received pirate book for boys. This novel is a pirate book for adult boys. It's a fast, fun read, but the elaborately constructed homage to the master-Fleming and the inimitable Bond-tips over into unintentional parody more often than it should. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Lord Alexander Hawke is a larger-than-life figure who carries out secret missions for the Americans and British with the buccaneer style of his ancestor, the legendary pirate Blackhawke. He suffers from a childhood trauma--having witnessed his parents' murder during a Caribbean trip--which haunts him as he tries to deal with a threat from a new Cuban government. Hawke's offbeat character enhances the typical race-against-time thriller, even if John Shea's portrayal of the character is exaggerated. Shea handles the action and drama well, giving nuances to the characters' motivations and thoughts. The result is a fun adventure that introduces a character listeners will want to follow. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
In the same vein as James Bond and Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, Alexander Hawke is a daring, dashing, and devastatingly handsome billionaire adventurer who occasionally does "favors" for the American and British governments. A descendent of the infamous English pirate Blackhawke, seven-year-old Hawke watched modern-day pirates murder his mother and father aboard their yacht in the Caribbean. Now 30 years later, and with an extensive military and counterintelligence background, Hawke agrees to help out an ex-girlfriend (the U.S. secretary of state) and search for a missing experimental Russian stealth submarine armed with 40 nuclear missiles built at the end of the cold war. Unfortunately for the U.S., the submarine has fallen into the hands of three diabolical brothers who have overthrown Castro and taken control of the Cuban government. And surprise, surprise--the brothers are the same erstwhile pirates who murdered Hawke's parents. Predictable and formulaic, but Clancy and Cussler fans will gobble this testosterone fest down whole and come back looking for more. Michael Gannon
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
James Patterson Climb on board Hawke for the best adventure in years. Hawke is a swashbuckling, spine-tingling, bloody good masterpiece of an adventure novel.


Book Description
"Hawke is a fast-paced adventure...truly an exciting read," says Nelson DeMille. "Rich, spellbinding, and absorbing, Hawke is packed with surprises," raves Clive Cussler. Readers beware, this stunning, high-caliber thriller is not recommended for the faint of heart. Lord Alexander Hawke is a direct descendant of the legendary English pirate Blackhawke and highly skilled in the cutthroat's deadly ways himself. While still a boy, on a voyage to the Caribbean, Alex Hawke witnesses an act of unspeakable horror. Hidden in a secret compartment on his father's yacht, Alex sees his parents brutally murdered by three modern-day pirates. It is an event that will haunt him for the remainder of his life. Now, fully grown and one of England's most decorated naval heroes, Hawke is back in the same Caribbean waters on a secret mission for the American government. A highly experimental stealth submarine, built by the Soviets just before the end of the Cold War, is missing. She carries forty nuclear warheads and is believed to be in the hands of a very unstable government just ninety miles from the American mainland. Hawke is in a race against time. His mission: Find the deadly sub before a preemptive strike can be launched against the U.S., and confront the murderous men behind the personal nightmare that haunts him before they find him first. Featuring breathtaking action, international intrigue, and a hero worthy of the very finest adventure fiction, Hawke heralds the exciting debut of a bold new talent.


Download Description
"""Hawke is a fast-paced adventure...truly an exciting read,"" says Nelson DeMille. ""Rich, spellbinding, and absorbing, Hawke is packed with surprises,"" raves Clive Cussler. Readers beware, this stunning, high-caliber thriller is not recommended for the faint of heart. Lord Alexander Hawke is a direct descendant of the legendary English pirate Blackhawke and highly skilled in the cutthroat's deadly ways himself. While still a boy, on a voyage to the Caribbean, Alex Hawke witnesses an act of unspeakable horror. Hidden in a secret compartment on his father's yacht, Alex sees his parents brutally murdered by three modern-day pirates. It is an event that will haunt him for the remainder of his life. Now, fully grown and one of England's most decorated naval heroes, Hawke is back in the same Caribbean waters on a secret mission for the American government. A highly experimental stealth submarine, built by the Soviets just before the end of the Cold War, is missing. She carries forty nuclear warheads and is believed to be in the hands of a very unstable government just ninety miles from the American mainland. Hawke is in a race against time. His mission: Find the deadly sub before a preemptive strike can be launched against the U.S., and confront the murderous men behind the personal nightmare that haunts him before they find him first. Featuring breathtaking action, international intrigue, and a hero worthy of the very finest adventure fiction, Hawke heralds the exciting debut of a bold new talent. "


About the Author
Ted Bell is the former Vice-Chairman of the Board and World-Wide Creative Director of one of the world's leading advertising agencies, Young & Rubicam.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lord Alexander Hawke is a direct descendant of the legendary English pirate Blackhawke and highly skilled in the cutthroat's deadly ways himself. While still a boy, on a voyage to the Caribbean, Alex Hawke witnesses an act of unspeakable horror. Hidden in a secret compartment on his father's yacht, Alex sees his parents brutally murdered by three modern-day pirates. It is an event that will haunt him for the remainder of his life. Now, fully grown and one of England's most decorated naval heroes, Hawke is back in the same Caribbean waters on a secret mission for the American government. A highly experimental stealth submarine, built by the Soviets just before the end of the Cold War, is missing. She carries forty nuclear warheads and is believed to be in the hands of a very unstable government just ninety miles from the American mainland. Hawke is in a race against time. His mission: Find the deadly sub before a preemptive strike can be launched against the U.S., and confront the murderous men behind the personal nightmare that haunts him before they find him first.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bell's action-adventure novel actively courts comparisons to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, even touching down on Thunderball Atoll in the Bahamas, in a nod to Fleming's 1961 Thunderball. Bell's hero is Alex Hawke, a jet-set business mogul who does "highly secret freelance work for the governments of the United States and Britain." Thirty years before the story begins, seven-year-old Alex Hawke watches from a hiding place as his mother and father are slaughtered by three modern-day pirates. The adult Hawke, descendant of the famous English pirate, Blackhawke, owns the finest of the world's goods, makes love to the most beautiful women and defeats the world's most heinous villains. He is, in short, a cartoon. When his friend and ex-lover, Consuelo de los Reyes, the beautiful and foul-mouthed secretary of state, asks him to save America with a difficult and exceedingly dangerous piece of derring-do, he leaps at the chance. The assignment involves a cabal of Cubans who have deposed Castro, bought themselves a secret submarine from the Russians and are preparing to launch 40 nuclear missiles at the United States. Hawke assembles an arsenal of cool weapons and exotic machinery, calls in a squad of deadly ex-SEAL anti-terrorist pals and saves the world. Along the way, he avenges his parents' brutal murder. Bell's first effort, Nick of Time, was a well-received pirate book for boys. This novel is a pirate book for adult boys. It's a fast, fun read, but the elaborately constructed homage to the master-Fleming and the inimitable Bond-tips over into unintentional parody more often than it should. (June 3) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This outstanding debut by the former chair of the Young & Rubicam advertising agency is one of those rare novels that more than lives up to the usual PR puffery and author blurbs. Alexander Hawke, a descendant of pirates, is a British billionaire, a former Royal Navy commander, and a man frequently called on by the U.S. and British governments to carry out covert assignments. Although he has repressed the memory, when he was seven he witnessed the murder of his parents aboard their yacht in the Caribbean. Now he's back in the region in search of two things-a boomerang-shaped stealth sub carrying 40 long-range ballistic missiles and a treasure buried by his legendary ancestor, Blackhawke. Before he's through, however, Hawke will confront the three men who killed his parents, help lead a raid to rescue the woman he loves, and thwart a preemptive strike against the United States. This rip-roaring tale is made entirely believable through convincing detail, with a grand hero in Hawke. Various flawlessly developed story lines contribute to the high-octane pace, and the fully developed characters are delineated through the nuances of voice. In short, this is a commercial blockbuster packed with pleasure. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/03.]-Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Lord Alexander Hawke is a larger-than-life figure who carries out secret missions for the Americans and British with the buccaneer style of his ancestor, the legendary pirate Blackhawke. He suffers from a childhood trauma--having witnessed his parents' murder during a Caribbean trip--which haunts him as he tries to deal with a threat from a new Cuban government. Hawke's offbeat character enhances the typical race-against-time thriller, even if John Shea's portrayal of the character is exaggerated. Shea handles the action and drama well, giving nuances to the characters' motivations and thoughts. The result is a fun adventure that introduces a character listeners will want to follow. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews