This book was unlike his others in that it didn't involve the typical characters he uses and is considered historical fiction rather than adventure. I liked it.
The story is set in the early 1900's, 1906 to be precise. Isaac Bell, the legendary detective with the Van Dorn agency (think Pinkerton) has been assigned to capture the "Butcher Bandit," a bank robber who kills all the witnesses to his crimes. Bell tracks and follows the bandit across Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. When he discovers the true identity of the man, he also discovers that the man's sister is nearly as ruthless as her brother. It is in San Francisco earthquake of 1906 that the bandit and his sister escape from Bell, only to discover the chase is on, ending outside of Kalispell, Montana.
The book was slow in the beginning. As is the custom of Cussler, he sets the scene only he sets it in the future, 44 years in the future. He then tells the story. There is some violence though it is not graphic. The book is 404 pages long and is a good read for anyone interested railroad history, bank robberies, and historical fiction set in the early 1900's.
Now it's on to Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg.
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