Product Description

In Ted Bell’s scorching follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Assassin, intrepid intelligence operative Alex Hawke must thwart a secret, deadly alliance between China and France before they annihilate everything and everyone in their headlong rush toward world domination.

Aboard the Star of Shanghai in the south of France, an American spy is held captive. He possesses vital, explosive intelligence linking two nations and one horrifying plot. If he is not rescued, he faces certain torture and inevitable death. Nearby, in a seaside hotel, a man still haunted by the loss of his wife two years earlier finds comfort in the arms of a beautiful Chinese actress - but is she to be trusted? So begins Pirate, an electrifying thriller marking the return of international counterterrorist Alex Hawke.

In Paris, a ruthless descendant of Napoleon has risen to power, hell-bent on restoring France’s former glory. His fiery ambitions are cynically stoked by a coterie of cold-blooded Mandarins, plotting behind the gates of Beijing’s Forbidden City. Cloaked in secrecy, this unholy alliance devises a twisted global plan, backed by China’s growing nuclear arsenal, that will send America and the world to the brink of a gut-wrenching showdown.

With the aid of his old friend and former Navy SEAL, Stokely Jones, Hawke sets out to investigate the deadly connections that bind the French-Chinese axis. Together, they discover that a powerful German industrialist may hold the key, somewhere inside the walls of his Bavarian mountain lair. Meanwhile, clues to an old and gruesome murder in Paris lead to New York City, where horrifying evidence could finally bring a madman to his knees. In the end, as American and British forces prepare to defend a sovereign and oil-rich Gulf nation against unwilling occupation, the terror is all too real. The world is once more balanced on the knife-edge of a full-blown nuclear confrontation.

Hawke must once more prepare to hurl himself deep into the nightmare visions of madmen. He must garner every ounce of strength, courage, and useful pain from his past. He must defeat this enemy or else forfeit the lives of untold thousands, including his own, to an axis of evil no historian could have ever predicted.

Packed with unrelenting action, glamour, and high style, and featuring the spectacular Alex Hawke, who time and again transports readers to the edge of danger, Pirate is a spellbinding thriller. Be prepared for Alex Hawke’s most daunting and heart-pounding mission yet. Here is an author who gets you in the palm of his hand . . . and then clenches his fist!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #275924 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-16
• Released on: 2005-08-16
• Formats: Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From AudioFile
The third of Ted Bell's thrillers with Lord Alex Hawke as the hero has arrived. This time Hawke's job is to the save the United States from nuclear devastation at the hands of France and China. Hawke is a modern-day Batman with his wealth, talent, and level-headed execution. John Shea helps make the characters credible with his mastery of British, Chinese, and American accents, especially when the plot seems farfetched. His skill is apparent in conversations between the French Bonaparte and the Chinese assassin, Hu Xu. Shea overcomes some of the far-reaching plot by keeping the listener engaged and eager for the next adventure to begin. R.B.T. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author
Ted Bell is the former chairman of the board and worldwide creative director of Young & Rubicam, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hawke, Assassin, Pirate, Spy and Nick of Time and makes his home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Big improvment in the "Hawke "series!
After reading "Hawk" I was a little leery about giving Mr. Bell another chance, but I can say I am glad I did! "Hawk" was not a bad story but the book needed an editor, thankfully the author is now working with a good editor as "Pirate" is much easier to read and does not suffer from over used words and situations. His writing has improved specifically his character development. In this outing super hero Alex Hawke has to save the world from another out of control mad man who is intent on controlling the world or destroying it (where did he come up with the plot?). The French are the bad guys, which is kind of fun given current world politicks-of course the French are always fun to make fun of! The Frogs make a deal with the Chinese in a plan to dominate the world, backed by there nuclear defenses. Hawke of course is the only man who can save the day, with little time left and a host of evil enemies trying to stop him. Nothing earth shaking here but if you like Dirk Pitt type of thrillers this might be your cup of tea. I also must recommend "A Tourist in the Yucatan" awesome thriller/adventure! Very cool!

Best thriller
Having read 14 thrillers this year I finally read #1 Great action story
with a fine hero and believable characters. Five stars easy!!