White Death: An Alex Hawke Novella

Always enjoy Bell’s main characters and his plots. Riveting.

Bell and his character Lord Alex Hawke score another win with me! I just wish Bell would write more quickly; one Alex Hawke book a year just isn't enough! Fortunately, he does occasionally release short stories like this one, usually as a prelude to the next novel.For those who don't know about Lord Alexander Hawke (he preffers to just be called Alex), he is the wealthy heir to a here4itary lordship and business empire, sole survivor of a pirate attack that took the lives of his father (the previous Lord Hawke) and his American-born mother who was a movie actress; as a result he holds dual American/British citizenship. He is also one of the UK's top secret agents, who has worked with America's CIA a few times.. Think of a Batman/James Bond mashup, you'll be pretty close. While he is no stranger to going into harm's way all alone, he has a few talented and reliable allies he can call on when necessary; and on occasion he can call on military and intelligence resources through his connection to MI-6. Sadly, while he has been lucky in love, his lovers have not been so lucky -- a tragic side effect of being too close to Hawke. You will want to read the entire series, of which this short is only the latest at the time of this writing.

I like this author very much. He's easy to read, and has created some very interesting characters around Lord Hawk. Therefore, the way he ended this novella was too short, too confusing, and too implausible. He had built up good tension, and then just dropped it, giving the impression he couldn't figure out where to go next or just got tired of the tale. Compared to Bell' s other works this was disappointing.

This was a bit over the top. The characters are somewhat unbelievable. Alex Hawke is quite superhuman in any and everything he tries, including falling in love with who is described as an absolutely beautiful woman almost overnight.The story is also a bit too much. But, the action does move and the writing is fine. If you're a James Bond hero type fan, you'll go for this.I would have given this 3, but Mr. Bell successfully accomplishes quite a bit in a rather short story.

The Novella reads like he is testing ideas. It runs out of gas at the end like he figured it was not going to produce a full book. Was this just pulling something out of his "sketch book" to publish along with a pitch for his new book? The geography is a joke. There are no 24,000 foot mountains in the Alps. His climbing descriptions show a bit of research, but are still quite humorous. You don't carry oxygen in the Alps. You don't acclimatize for a week to prepare to climb at that elevation. And if you are altitude sick for week, turn around and go home. You don't fall 1,000 feet when using a 150 foot rope. And it never explains who actually caught the fall since he was climbing solo. The Novella was full of inconsistencies. The worse, still is that, like his the other Novella of his I read, it just seems to end like he lost interest. Ted Bell is a large book writer. That is what he does best. You get a few extra pages of Alex Hawke while waiting for his next book, but that is about it.

TED BELL is one of my favorite newer reading Authors, I can visualize each page as his writing skills bring the page to life. One of those Authors who make you feel involved and turning pages as quickly as possible all while savoring each chapter and ordering the next book before the final page is turned. I always wonder if this guy has an inside to some of the hidden truths behind the "elite" and the unseen forces which work tirelessly to keep the world a safer place to be. Only complaint is that this one goes too fast!

Very thrilling. Did not disappoint.

A pretty good thriller set against an imposing mountain climb in Europe. The writing is good with several cliffhangers (if you'll pardon the unintentional pun), and enough action to keep you turning the page to find out what will happen next. The character Alex Hawke is your typical ruggedly handsome bond-like character, but he has enough minor flaws to keep him from being invincible.

Absolutely one of the worst pieces of fiction I have ever read. A mountain peak over 25000 feet in the Alps. Dining in Hot-pants at 13000 feet. A 1000 feet fall on a climbing rope. Acclimatisation and use of oxygen in alpine climbing? Repeated paragraphs. The list goes on. Was this book ghost written? The lack of research and the glaring mistakes spoil this for me. I appreciate it is fictional escapism but at least make the locations and basic facts plausible.

It is always interesting to follow a character through successive novels to view both the development of the hero and the new inventive plots. Unfortunately, Alex Hawke has never really grown since the early books and the plots and writing quality continue to plummet. This book is really a trashy cheap detective romance with a deceiving title. Total waste of time.

Alex Hawke is probably my favourite action hero, whether it's books or movies. I'm always up for an adventure with Alex and his many friends, slipping into their world is made easy by the way Ted Bell writes the each story. Always captivating I never want to put the book down, White Death was of course no exception. While I prefer getting sucked into the longer story of a novel this newest novella adventure with Alex Hawke in Switzerland hooked me instantly and refused to let me go until I finished the finale page. Even then my thoughts remained focused on White Death and wondering what could be in store when I get my hands on Patriot. White Death was the prefect way to satisfy my need for more Alex Hawke while leaving me wanting more, eagerly counting down the days until Patriot is released. A definite must read for any Alex Hawke fan!

A short story that was interesting in parts but failed to capture my attention for the whole book - I have enjoyed most of Ted Bell's other novels a lot more

Good read