The assassin by Clive Cussler

"The assassin" by Clive Cussler. This book is published by Penguin UK in 2016 and has 448 pages.

It's 1899. Rockefeller's Standard oil has used every means to choke, bankrupt and buyout independent oil producers. His strategy is not to lose the men he had ruined but instead hire them. He doesn't lose any resources. One such, Bill Matters, decides to join him and take revenge. He recruits an assassin.

Who is the assassin? How does Van Dorn detective agency and Isaac Bell come into picture? What is the objective of the assassin? Can Isaac stop the assassin?

Isaac Bell series started with banking, then moved to mining and now the series enters a very interesting industry, the oil industry, where people have made money like never before. This story is a prequel to some of the previous stories. It happens between 1899-1905, before Bell meets his eventual wife.

The story has the usual locomotives and locomobiles. Isaac Bell is investigating murders of independent producers. There is a mystery of an army deserter, another mystery of what Rockefeller wants, another one of assassin and yet another one of missing son of Bill Matters.

Two beautiful ladies, Nelly and Emma Matters, who are also daughters of Bill Matters, John D. Rockefeller - Chief of Standard Oil, The assassin, Bill Matters complete the cast along with Isaac Bell, Archy Abbott, Wish Clark and Mr. Joseph Van Dorn.

The story is good as usual. Author recreates a period hundred years ago with ease. The detailing is so thorough that you feel as if you are there and are witnessing the happenings.

In this book, however, I felt that most of what happens in Baku trip was unnecessary. It only increased the book length. Author could have done away with. So was the epilogue with a time leap of 35 years.

It was not hard to guess the identity of the assassin. I guessed it industry upon the entry of character. Then the story was a wait to determine if I guessed correctly.

A good book. If you have read the series, you will read this too.

The Spy by Clive Cussler

"The Spy" by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. This book is published by Penguin books in 2011 and has 472 pages. This is the 3rd novel of Isaac Bell series.

The year is 1908. A number if murders take place. They are made to look like accidents. The men who are murdered are brilliant minds of US ship building. Men who specialized in ship design, armor design , gun design, turbine design etc. All of them are related to 'The great white fleet' of USA.

Van Dorn detective agency is requested to investigate and determine if these are murders. Their star investigator Isaac Bell is roped in. Isaac Bell's investigation leads to 'The spy' whose identity is a mystery.

What is 'Hull 44'? What does he want? How are American gangsters and Chinese gangs related? What are they after? Who is 'The Spy'?

Isaac Bell adventures are period adventures. It's the time when cables were used for fast communication, telephones were rarity and mobiles were not invented. Aeroplanes did not exist. Trains were fastest mode of transport and fast cars were called locomobil. Creating an atmosphere of 1908 in a thriller is not easy. Author does it easily.

Clive Cussler has delivered another thriller. I particularly like Isaac Bell thrillers because it is more difficult to write a thriller without gizmos and HiFi weapons. Although reader is used to modern day gadgets, he does not find them lacking in these books. Reader is transported to 1908.

The story has a constant pace. The suspense is maintained. Although you know who the spy is in later part of the book you don't understand why he is doing it. Time leap of ten years at the end of book seemed unnecessary. All the ingredients of thriller are present in this book. There are train and car chases, boat and submarine chases, beautiful ladies, suspense and fights. All in all its a good thriller.

It's a  good book. Read for a change if you are a first timer. Read it if you are an Isaac Bell fan.

Clear line of fire by Badrinath Nuggehalli

Mandar's book review (24th April 2014)

Completed reading "Clear line of fire", debut novel of Badrinath Nuggehalli. This book is published by Rupa and has 232 pages.

Czech republic has an agreement to provide Howitzer guns to India. America leans on Russia (after the break up of USSR) and Russia leans on Czech republic to cancel the deal.

There is no gun better suited for mountain terrain as it can fire from steep slopes. Uzbekistan has the technology to make the gun but does not have the requisite software (Fire control unit - FCU). A niche Indian software company headed by Satyan Sharma can develop the technology. Indian defense ministry ties up with Satyan to develop it. This joint Uzbek - Indian gun will be the best in the world. The gun is close to prototype testing. It will then be produced en mass and inducted in Indian army. The big contractors will lose out.

Now America wants it. Russia wants it too. Covert operatives from these countries are pressed into action. Politicians  want to  discredit the indigenously developed gun as there would be no kick backs from local contractors. Other gun manufacturers and Pentagon is also interested. There are attempts of sabotage, threats, physical violence, kidnapping.

Satyan doesn't know who to trust. Who is a friend and who's the foe. The only person he can trust is his fiancé and TV journalist Rubita. Can he save his software from bad guys? Can he save his company? Will he get caught up in red tape? Who is behind all this? Is there a traitor? Are the politicians really patriots? Is the army corrupt?

Author has tried to create a spectacular story with unimaginable twists and turns and make it grand. However in this what has come out is only an unsuccessful attempt at everything and success in only a few. Author has tried to cram in a lot of things thereby either not justifying them or making them unrealistic (even more unrealistic than fiction writers freedom)

He had not been able to decide if the protagonist Satyan Sharma should be portrayed as a technocrat, a hero or a businessman who does heroic deeds in a particular situation.

Politicians are all corrupt and traitors. So are the bureaucrats. Russians and Americans operate freely in India and Indian intelligence does not even know it. Satyan is backed by some powerful persons but acts alone as if he is the sole savior.

The end of this book baffled me.  Completely out of synch. It had little to do with the story and could have been avoided completely.

It would have been a good book if author had not tried to do too much. Avoid.