Hawke: A Novel

Ted Bell

Jul 2003 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

This “swashbuckling, spine tingling, bloody good masterpiece of an adventure novel” (James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author) about a man who follows in the footsteps of his pirate forebears to solve the mystery of his parents' murders and find the greatest treasure in the world.

On a yacht in the warm blue waters of the Caribbean, a little boy named Alex Hawke, hidden in a secret compartment, witnesses the brutal murder of his parents at the hands of two strange men. The only survivors of the attack, Alex and his father’s black parrot, Sniper, are sent back to the island off the coast of England where his family had lived and where generations of Hawkes have called home ever since their pirate forebear, the legendary Blackhawke, was betrayed and hung by the British.

Decades later, the boy, now a grown man and a naval hero, returns to the Caribbean on a special mission for the United States and Great Britain. His task is to find a secret Stealth submarine that has mysteriously disappeared and the men responsible for the theft. Once there, however, Hawke begins to have flashbacks about the night of his parents’ murder. He has also brought along with him a piece of paper his father had pressed into his hands before locking him into the compartment—an ancient treasure map.

Hawke begins to puzzle through his own tragic history and the meaning of the map, even as the search for the submarine intensifies. As Hawke nears the end of his search for his parents’ killers and the men who stole the submarine, he begins to realize that they are one and the same and that to the victor not only will go unimaginable military power but also one of the greatest treasures in the world.

Ratings and reviews

Roughly 300 pages in and it feels like a chore to keep up with the novel. The main character Hawke stresses his British background constantly. There is so much devoted to giving him a British accent that it's annoying. Besides that here has been hardly any action. There's been only two or three action segments so far. The problem seems to be that there is a dual plot segment going on. If you're into characters constantly discussing every chapter about things that are boring then this book is for you.

If you love intrigue, read the Alex Hawke series. Absolutely spell binding

Great kick off to a great character. It sets the stage for the novels to come.

About the author

Ted Bell was the former vice-chairman of the board and creative director of Young & Rubicam, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. He was the New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Hawke series. Ted Bell passed away in 2023.