coolreads # Retro Books # The Race

The Race
Authors: Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 9780241910746
Year Published: 2012

The Race by Clive Cussler with Justin Scott kicks off with the killing of some newsboys by Harry Frost, a gang leader as well as one of the richest men in America, using a crate of Vulcan dynamite attached to a wagon drawn by horses. That is the Frost's gangster way to gain total control of the newspaper distribution network in the area.

Then it moves to the scene where Frost shot and killed Marco Celere, the Italian inventor who built the flying machine flew by his wife, Josephine Josephs Frost, who just loves to fly. This is because Frost, in his twisted mind, is jealous of Celere whom he suspects is Josephine's lover.

But when she witnesses her husband murder Celere from up in the air, she flees for her life.

It's 1909, and the flying machine is in its infancy. Preston Whiteway, a wealthy newspaper publisher, comes up with the ultimate publicity stunt. He offers US$50,000 to the first flyer to cross America in 50 days. Whiteway has decided to sponsor Josephine Frost.

Meanwhile, Frost has disappeared. The Van Dorn Agency is hired to protect Josephine, and Isaac Bell, chief investigator for Van Dorn, is assigned as the lead detective.

Bell has met Harry Frost and knows how devious and deadly he is. He realises he'll also be a target when Frost finds out he's protecting Josephine.

Bell soon learns to fly so he can accompany Josephine in the air during the race while Van Dorn agents protect her and the plane on the ground.

Before the race begins, Bell discovers that Celere’s body was never found and that the man was accused of stealing another plane designer’s inventions. Bell also learns that Frost is even more dangerous than first thought. He’s stashed his money in banks across the country for easy access, and very few know what he looks like. He also has friends in high and low places who will abet his murderous plans to repay favours. And if that’s not trouble enough, Whiteway falls in love with Josephine, and a saboteur emerges during the race and is determined to fix it so she wins.

This fourth instalment in the Isaac Bell series vividly recreates the thrill, fascination  and excitement of the early days of flying. Although it lacks some of the investigative intensity of previous books, readers will still find themselves soaring through a breathtaking adventure across America that is populated with memorable characters, extreme danger, and dogged determination to thwart evil wherever it pops up.

The Race is a fast-paced thriller that sweeps readers back to 1909, a time when technology is still in its infancy and communication is slow. To further enhance the ride, the authors use terminology of the period. This is another exciting adventure where the men are either villains or heroes, the women are beautiful, and the flying machines and the period are wonderfully described.