• Tsar

  • A Thriller (Alex Hawke, Book 5)
  • By: Ted Bell
  • Narrated by: John Shea
  • Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (907 ratings)

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Tsar  By  cover art

Tsar

By: Ted Bell
Narrated by: John Shea
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Publisher's summary

In Ted Bell's latest pulse-pounding and action-packed tour de force, Alex Hawke must face a global nightmare of epic proportions.

As this political crisis plays out, Russia gains a new leader. Not just a president, but a new tsar, a signal to the world that the old, imperial Russia is back and plans to have her day. And in America, a mysterious killer, known only as Happy the Baker, brutally murders an innocent family and literally flattens the small Midwestern town they once called home. Just a taste, according to the new tsar, of what will happen if America does not back down.

Onto this stage must step Alex Hawke, espionage agent extraordinaire and the only man, both Americans and the Brits agree, who can stop the absolute madness born and bred inside the modern police state of Vladimir Putin's "New Russia".

Take another thrill ride with Alex Hawke.
©2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.; 2008 Ted Bell

Critic reviews

"As always, Bell pulls out all the stops with terrific action scenes, fiendish murders, diabolical villains, dramatic rescues and all the cool weaponry the reader could possibly hope for." ( Publisher's Weekly)
"I couldn't put it down." (Rush Limbaugh)

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What listeners say about Tsar

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

pure masculine entertainment

I have listened to all of the Alexander Hawke novels available from Audible. This book, like all in the series, is based upon a James Bond-like character who battles egomaniacal world-conquering bad guys. The books in this series are less believable than some, but if you like to escape through fantasy, the series is great. The futuristic technology is well-thought out, the characters are enjoyable, and the action is non-stop. This book can easily stand alone, but I'd recommend reading/listening to the books in chronological order. Even better than the story line is the narration. The narrator "performs" each book, and is the best I've ever listened to. I listen while taking long walks and in the car. If you can't enjoy far-fetched action-packed stories with macho men and beautiful women, don't bother with this book. If you like to escape into action and fantasy, you can't get a better deal in terms of hours of enjoyment for the dollars spent. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys James Bond, James Rollins' books, etc. Lots of fun.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A good yarn!

This book would have ranked four stars if the characters had not been so stereotypical. The plot was unique and fast-moving, and tne reader was quite good. But it's not "great literature," but so what? It was a fun read.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

a comic book, not a novel

silly beyond belief! It's one thing to stretch reality for the sake of a story, it's another when brain death is a requirement for appreciating the plot. The author's previous books were along these lines so I probably should have known to pass on this one. It's a long book but I quit listening well before the end. Don't waste a precious credit on this loser.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I love this series!

Now don't go getting all "high-brow" on us here guys. It is what it is, and what it is, is bloody marvelous! Sure the plot is fantastic and predictable, but so what? This is audio book drama at its finest. If you are looking for terrific entertainment to make that daily commute actually enjoyable, look no further. John Shea's reading is the best I have heard and Ted Bell can spin a yarn! I love this series!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

predictable and repetitive

This book is very predictable, repetitive, and filled with cliches. Even if you like this genre of books would steer you away from this one. Overly long, wildly inconsistent, and outlandish plot with predictable villian and hero- it would be better if this was a comic book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • W
  • 10-09-08

didn't like it.

I was bored by this audio novel. It seemed way too fantastic. It sounded like a James Bond novel. Everything was really stylized and cliche. My mom and I laughed during the parts that were supposed to be sexy. I could not turn it off soon enough. Ah! I lament I wasted a credit on this.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Save Us

Save us from books hyped by radio personalities. If you can buy into a novel about a large "blimp" that travels 500 feet over the ocean at 150 miles per hour (regardless of weather)and Russian meglomaniacs wanting to blow up the world with explosives built into cheap computers, this is a novel for you.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Preposterous

...and at times ridiculous. Written like a high school boy's fantasey or a bad, made for television, grade B movie. Slow moving in the beginning, full of cliches and completely predictable. If you can suspend your sense of reality and escape into a pure male fantasy it picks up steam in the second part.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm ready for more

Another good Hawke book. I especially like the way the action and heroism is not relegated to a single person but shared amongst the various characters. The ending of this one was a bit of a surprise, because there was a comment made by a character that left me expecting a surprise action at the end, but nothing more was said of it and the "action" didn't occur. I'm wondering if Ted Bell is saving that for the next book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Great Scott!

The only cartoonish characters missing in this saga are Boris and Natasha with an aside from Snidley Whiplash. Unfortunately I don't think it is meant to be funny. A British accent is achieved by saying "crikey" and "bloody" a lot. I have to remember to give it a miss on his next go round.

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2 people found this helpful