Rating: 
Summary: A Fast-Paced Story with a Totally Engaging Protagonist
Review: Ted Bell is not exactly a household name yet, but he has quietly influenced our world. Bell is the former Vice-Chairman of the Board and World-Wide Creative Director (impressive title) of Young & Rubicam, which is one of the world's leading advertising agencies. You've seen Bell's work at some point and have seen a lot of it. You've probably even bought products because of it. Bell has now turned his hand to writing, creating out of whole cloth an instantly likable, totally engaging character named Hawke.Hawke is Lord Alexander Hawke, a direct descendent of Blackhawke, a legendary English pirate rumored to have buried a stolen treasure on a forgotten island. It is ironic that HAWKE opens with seven-year-old Alexander witnessing the murder of his parents at the hands of modern day pirates bent on acquiring the treasure that Hawke's ancestor reputedly stole from THEIR ancestors. Flash forward to the future. Lord Hawke is fully grown, a decorated British naval hero, and wealthy beyond imagination. He also has no memory of the terrible event that he witnessed as a child. He is experiencing flashbacks however as he finds himself in the same waters where his parents were murdered. This time though, he is on a secret mission on behalf of the U.S. government. A top-secret Soviet stealth submarine has been stolen and appears to be in the hands of a cartel whose aim is to overthrow the Cuban government and launch a preemptive strike against the United States. And the men who are behind this plot are the same men who murdered Hawke's parents. Hawke finds himself racing against time as he attempts to neutralize the sub, forestall the overthrow of the Cuban government and, in his spare time, rescue his lady love, who has fallen into the hands of the rebels. Bell keeps his story racing along a triple track, injecting lots of action and derring-do into the story. It's escapist literature, oh-so-wonderfully done, and appears to be the first of what will hopefully be many tales of Hawke. HAWKE is what, in an earlier and more enlightened age, would have been called a "swashbuckler" or a "ripping yarn." What we can call it however is great, great, great. There are all sorts of terrific influences here --- there's a bit of Jules Verne, a lot of Ian Fleming, and a touch of Robert Ludlum. There's even a homage to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic KIDNAPPED around two-thirds of the way through, but if you blink you'll miss it. Don't blink. And don't miss HAWKE. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: "Library Journal Best 1st Novels 2003"
Review: I decided to read a few of LJ's recent Best of the Year picks (Oct. 1 issue) since I think they are generally as close to my aesthetic sensibilties as any major trade pub. HAWKE caught my eye, mainly because it was a thriller, the only 'non-literary' title that made this year's list. I read the review, a rave, and I read the book and, yes, it's a thriller. It is also, as Library Journal says, "0ne of those rare novels that more than lives up to the usual PR puffery and author blurbs...this rip-roaring tale is made entirely believable through convincing detail, with a grand hero in Hawke. Various flawlessly developed story lines contribute to the high octane pace, and the fully developed characters are delineated through nuances of voice. In short, this is a commercial blockbuster packed with pleasure." Couldn't say it any better myself. Do not miss this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great first!
Review: I am a big fan of Patterson and Clancy, This book looks like Mr. Bell is on his way to being equal with them. Once you start you can't put it down. The Characters are clear and exciting and you can't wait for te next page. I hope there is a sequel. Rodreigo is still out there..
Rating:
Summary: AS GOOD AS THEY GET!!
Review: This thriller had some good hype attached (Patterson, Cussler, DeMille all raved) but the book is actually better than the hype! Its not standard fare but its gripping action and storytelling on a level you don't see much anymore. Great fun. Hawke is a believable hero and the love interest is there. Good solid secondary characters too. Just first rate. Highly recommended for all thriller fans!
Rating:
Summary: AN ACTION FILLED READING
Review: Actor/voice performer John Shea has said, "When I read a role, I try to find something I can bring to the role and something that the role can bring to me. Something that I don't know anything about and that the character can teach me." Such in depth study and exploration of a character is obvious in his commanding reading of Ted Bell's debut action/adventure "Hawke." Directly descended from the notorious English pirate Blackhawke, Lord Alexander Hawke knows a lot about seafaring, and a bit about skullduggery himself. As a child he witnessed a horrific scene - the brutal murder of his parents aboard their yacht. Hidden in a compartment the boy was privy to the brutality of the crime and the identity of the killers. As an adult and one of the most decorated heroes in England, Hawke returns to the Caribbean waters where his parents were slain. He's on a secret mission for the U.S. government - find a Soviet built experimental sub carrying 40 nuclear warheads before there is mass destruction. Is there any connection between the criminals controlling the sub and the murderers of Blackhawke's parents? Those with a taste for seagoing adventure and international intrigue will find "Hawke" much to their liking. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Cannot wait for the sequel!
Review: Clearly this author has a series in mind and, based on the first Alex Hawke adventure (a Cuban coup no less!)I can hardly wait for the next one...this is a terrific new hero with quality writing from page one to the breathtakingly startling finish. Major kudos to the author.
Rating:
Summary: Hawke soars!
Review: Though not Clive Cussler, and Dirk Pitt, Alex Hawke may be the new adventure hero to watch. Obviously Bell copied Cussler's writing style, in giving us a hero with a personality much like Dirk Pitt, and a side kick a lot like Al Giordano in Ambrose Cosgrove.
Enough action, and a great plotline, involving modern day pirates, and a Cuban Coup to keep any reader interested till, as the Brits say it, "The Bitter End".
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the authors gratuitous use of sex scenes, and blamphemies, that as a Christian, I felt was unnecessary, offensive, and kept it from being a book that I would reccomend to a young reader.
Still, all in all, a good read, and Several more books by Bell will prove him to be an heir to Cussler's Pitt.
Rating:
Summary: Lotsa thrillers like popcorn (99% air) Not this one...
Review: As someone who gobbles these things down, I was thrilled to find one that, when I was finished, I didn't sit there and say, oh, okay, its done. Now what will I eat? Hawke filled me up, which is the best thing I can say about any book.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly researched drivel
Review: The book moves along ok for its genre but I found it horrible because it was so poorly researched. The author tries to put a military background on the hero but has no clue what he is talking about--the examples are many. The hero is a Brit that served in British special forces (SBS) but somehow also managed to learn to fly F-14s, an American fighter jet--it makes no sense. Yes, there are exchange programs but they are for pilots. There is a part in the story where the hero lands his private plane on a US aircraft carrier. The US Navy does not just let anyone land on a carrier--there are qualifications for this--why didn't the Navy just send a helicopter to pick up the hero. US Navy F-14s shoot Sidewinder missiles at ground targets--the Sidewinder missile is an air to air missile with a small warhead designed to shoot down other airplanes. If the F-14s were going to attack ground targets, they would carry bombs. These are just the tip of the iceberg but you can get the drift. If you know anything aboout the military--this book is not for you. He made the hero too perfect--he had looks, money that Bill Gates would envy, special forces training, jet pilot--heck anyone can be a hero if they have it all. Try making him human with some limitations to make it believable and challenging. James Bond wants to be Hawke!
Rating:
Summary: "AbFab!!!"
Review: Super spy tale of modern day Cuba. Brit hero saves girl, saves world, saves self but does it with wit and self-deprecating humour. Very good start to what one hopes is an ongoing saga. Highly recommended.
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