Spy: A Thriller (Hawke) (Hawke)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
A border ain't nothing but a law drawn in the sand. So says a small-town Texas sheriff in Ted Bell's most gripping espionage thriller to date. Things along America's southern border are rapidly reaching the boiling point. American girls are being snatched from their homes, ranches are burning, and the number of deadly confrontations along the Mexican boarder grows daily. At night, armed Mexican troops cross the border at will in support of narcotics smugglers and illegal immigrants. By day, Americans take up arms and plan reprisals. An all-out border war is no longer inconceivable. It's happening!

On assignment for the British Secret Service, a man leads a mysterious expedition into the heart of darkness. Sailing up the furthest reaches of the Amazon River, he is captured by a brutal tribe of indigenous cannibals. Forced into slave labor, he witnesses the unimaginable. Golden domes and minarets rise beneath the rainforest canopy. Vast terror armies are being recruited and trained in the jungle. Their goal: a vicious jihad that will unite one continentand destroy another. They possess weapons only dreamed of by the Western allies. Somehow he must escape his captors and live to tell his tale.

With tensions on its southern border threatening to ignite into war, America must look to the one man who might be able to confront the demons in the jungleand destroy them. Alex Hawke, with the aid of brilliant Scotland Yard Inspector Ambrose Congreve, and an unstoppable force of nature named Stokely Jones, begins a river journey fraught with peril. He must confront all the terrors that man and nature can hurl at him. From black magic, poison-tipped arrows, and blowguns to an awesome arsenal of the most advanced military hardware, Hawke must overcome insurmountable odds on his quest for victory.

Here is an author who gets you in the palm of his hand and then clenches his fist. And here is a saga loaded to the gunwales with action, glamour, and spellbinding suspense. Alex Hawke once again takes listeners right to that thin border between fear and overwhelming terror. It's merely a line drawn in the sand. Cross it at your peril.

Cross it if you dare.

Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

What a gripping story! August 31, 2006
24 out of 28 found this review helpful

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Alex Hawke series to date. This latest is the fourth in this series and the best yet, in my opinion. No one can build up a suspensful plot like Ted Bell, and he leaves no dangling threads and unanswered questions. Oftentimes current thriller writers have a sloppy style and drop storylines like hot potatoes. Not Ted Bell. And he has obviously done his research. This book's action is set deep within the Amazon, and Alex as well as his closest friends face unimaginable dangers while they try to bring down a truly terrifying terrorist. Bell introduces a new character too, that I hope we see again. His name is Franklin Dixon, and he's a Texas sheriff who finds himself playing in the big leagues with a horrifying terrorist plot. I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Irresistible Tale Built on Current Events September 3, 2006
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

I'm normally not very fond of popular fiction, but found "Spy" to be an irresistible read. Ted Bell builds a captivating plot around the intersection of many current events: Islamic jihadists, border security, Iran, illegal immigration, Hugo Chavez's "Bolivarian" movement, the illicit drug-trade. These all figure prominently in the storyline, as a Texas border-town sheriff and British secret agent thwart the diabolical aspirations of a polyglot group of America's enemies in a fast-paced, action-laced thriller.

1 out of 5 stars

It could have been much, much better August 30, 2006
14 out of 23 found this review helpful

I bought this book - using my own good money - with great expectations given the contemporary, concurrent themes of terrorism and illegal immigration.

I was really disappointed.

First by what I consider to be shoddy use of the English language, particularly given the one liner recommendation on the back of the book. It doesn't take much skill to occasionally write "stream of consciousness" prose. Example at the car dealership:

"She'll do a quarter mile in eight seconds?
"She will. NHRA certified".
"And she's street legal?"
"Absof***inglutely".

Boy, that's groovy writing... (it was also fairly pointless fluff and the whole exchange took up 1/2 of that page).

Secondly, I consider dropping the "f-bomb" multiple times in chapters throughout the book - along with a variety of other profanity and cursing, as a sign of a very poor vocabulary and pure laziness.

Read ANY Ian Fleming novel and compare the writing quality. There is no comparison.

Finally, it was like the guy ran out of ink at the end of the book - or did they give him a word or page quota which he filled out? A lot of questionable time spent in build-up and then it's just kind of over. What was the point?

Good premise - yes. Good book? No.

4 out of 5 stars

Whew, no time to catch a breath... February 5, 2007
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

I listened to SPY as a download from my local library and I'm going to purchase it just because it was so good. John Shea did a GREAT job as narrator and is a marvel with different voices...I loved Sheriff Dixon and I would love to see an entire series with Dixon as the lead character, especially if read by Shea. Just a good ol' boy who hasn't lost his common sense.

I'm not a techno-geek so I have no idea if the events that happen in the book could actually occur, but it made me uneasy to think my country could be infiltrated so easily. This is more Harrison Ford than George Smiley, but I loved most every minute of it. I did have to bypass some of the violence (Ambrose's torture), but all in all it was a breathtaking read.

I don't like to discuss plot because the Publisher's summary above does that, but this is one of the most intricately plotted books I've read. I need to actually read the book rather than listen again because I need to page back and forth to catch the weavings of the plot line. This first go-round was just to hurry up and see what happens!

I am, for sure, going to check the rest of Ted Bell's books...this one was a great edge of your seat thriller.

1 out of 5 stars

I couldn't finish this book June 29, 2008
14 out of 20 found this review helpful

I'm a fan of Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, and other authors of military/political/action fiction, and I read voraciously. In fact, I can't remember the last book that I didn't finish once I'd started it. But this stinker caused me to give up in disgust! The plot was SOOO stupid and contrived, and the characters were SOOO ridiculous and utterly unbelievable. I won't repeat the inane plot lines, as other reviewers have already pointed out the worst parts. Suffice to say, after the first couple of chapters, I thought, "this just has to get better". About half way in, I thought, "I'll give it one more chapter". Finally, I'd had enough and threw the book away!
If you're a fan of complex plots and nested sub-plots, political scheming, high-tech military jargon, and amazing heroes, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! You will be disappointed ... I know I was.

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