February 14, 2025
Ted Bell wrote 12 thrillers in his bestselling Lord Alexander Hawke series before he died in 2023. His friend, author and editor Steck, was commissioned to continue the series, and more installments are planned. In Steck's first attempt, 38-year-old billionaire and MI6 agent Hawke is preparing to marry his Russian sweetheart when he is called to Balmoral Castle and informed that King Charles III has disappeared. With only 72 hours before a crucial vote on Scottish independence, Hawke and friends in Scotland Yard, along with the CIA, desperately search for the king. Meanwhile, the New IRA may be involved, nerve gas goes missing in Cuba, and a Bavarian prince claims rightful succession to James VII and the British throne. VERDICT Steck (author of the Matthew Redd thrillers) continues the swashbuckling style of Bell, successfully juggles several plotlines, and lovingly details weapons and cars in what he aptly terms Hawke's "globe-trotting, England-saving escapades." Hints of James Bond, Indiana Jones, and even Tom Swift will help blur readers' disbelief, as the action never stops. Fans of the series will approve.--Roland C. Person
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