The Spy

By James Fenimore Cooper and Wayne Franklin

A historical adventure reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley romances, Cooper’s novel centers on Harvey Birch, a common man wrongly suspected of being a spy for the British.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Oct 1, 1997
• ISBN: 9781101221655

James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper was born in 1789 in New Jersey, but later moved to Cooperstown in New York, where he lived most of his life. His novel The Last of the Mohicans was one of the most widely read novels in the 19th century and is generally considered to be his masterpiece. His novels have been adapted for stage, radio, TV and film.

Reviews for The Spy

[carol420 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Clive Cussler’s books in the other three series, (Dirk Pitt, Steve Austin, The Oregon Files), but I just can’t get into these Isaac Bell books. This is the second one I have tried. The book was not one of his best. I found it to be very slow reading at times with more detail than anyone ever needed. Not a bad book, I just prefer the other series to this one.

[walkernot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Private Eye, Isaac Bell, digs deeper into an open and shut case, the suicide of a naval architect. He discovers a ring of spies out to steal the USA’s secrets and one of them is set on sabotaging the whole dreadnought program, striking at its roots by killing the brain trust of naval archest and engineers. Bell chases down leads from New York’s Hell Kitchen through the naval yards of the east and across the country to the San Francisco Bay.The Spy develops in the same manner as The Wrecker although it deviates from that pattern at the end. I found The Wrecker to be more enjoyable, but I would not miss out on reading The Spy.

[davidlerickson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1908 America's greatest naval gun designer dies in an apparent suicide. The Navy covers it up as the killer does a nearly flawless job of setting the scene and motivation. His daughter, a lady of society, doesn't buy it and ask the Van Doren Agency to take a look. In the course of the investigation other men important to America's battle ship development die in apparent accidents.It becomes clear to Isaac Bell that this is no coincidence and there is a much larger conspiracy at work that includes a diverse collection of characters, from the gangs of Hell's Kitchen in New York to the pinnacle of international society.Of all the Cussler novels, I've enjoyed the Isaac Bell series the most. The turn of the century is such a interesting period with it's limited technology and ostentatious clothing. Clive blends in the period details so seamlessly that it builds scene depth without becoming intrusive.Unlike a few of his novels, this one is just the right length for a great read without becoming tedious.

[cathymoore_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read the first Isaac Bell book and really enjoyed it, but then given up on the second one having found it really boring, this was last chance saloon for this series. I really enjoyed it. It started off a bit slow but really picked up after the first hundred pages. Some suspension of disbelief is required as I am beginning to think Isaac Bell is utterly invincible! On the whole though, this was a nice easy read that didn't get too bogged down in the details and delivered plenty of punches per page.

[tomwheaton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the 3rd book in the Isaac Bell series. I have become less & less fond of this series as I have read them. Maybe it's the style of the co-author but, they seem to drag at times and some of the references to the history at that time seem unimportant to the story. The storylines are not as exciting to me as other Cussler sreies'. I don't know if I will read any more books in this series.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Spy is Isaac Bells 3rd mystery where we follow him while he's working for the van Dorn Detective Agency. This time a woman employs them to look into the death of her father, which the Navy is calling a suicide. She disagrees. Bell believes her and soon discovers all is not as it appears. 4 men who are important to the Dreadnought construction are killed in seemingly unrelated accidents. It's too much of a coincidence for Bell and he digs deeper.Overall a fun fast-paced story with some excellent mystery thrown in. The story was well written and Cussler seems to like to add in details about transportation at the time and I found it quit interesting. In this book he focuses most heavily on ships and boats. A good thriller.

[pennsylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Notes from BN"Set in 1908, bestseller Cussler and Scott's action-packed third adventure featuring Isaac Bell, head operative of the Van Dorn Detective Agency, leaves behind the railroad theme of the first two books (The Chase and The Wrecker), focusing instead on the espionage-riddled world of warship and armament manufacturing in the buildup to WWI"

[dekan-6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is 1908, and international tensions are mounting as the world plunges toward war. When a brilliant American battleship gun designer dies in a sensational apparent suicide, the man's grief-stricken daughter turns to the legendary Van Dorn Detective Agency to clear her father's name. Van Dorn puts his chief investigator on the case, and Isaac Bell soon realizes that the clues point not to suicide but to murder. And when more suspicious deaths follow, it becomes clear that someone-an elusive spy-is orchestrating the destruction of America's brightest technological minds... and the murders all connect to a top- secret project called Hull 44. But that is just the beginning. As the intrigue deepens, Bell will find himself pitted against German, Japanese, and British spies, in a mission that encompasses dreadnought battleships, Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet, Chinatown, Hell's Kitchen, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Isaac Bell has certainly faced perilous situations before, but this time it is more than the future of his country that's at stake- it's the fate of the world.

[kingray_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent capture of true conditions of the time period in which this story takes place.

[vernefan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Espionage in Old New YorkIn the late 1800s a New York gangster nicknamed Eyes O’Shay, running from trouble, jumps on board a ship and is rescued by an old wealthy jeweler and brought to Germany as a son and apprentice to learn the gem trade. Years later in 1908, he arrives back to the Gangs of New York in disguise as Herr Riker the diamond jeweler, but in secret he is a German Spy out to confiscate the U.S. Navy's latest plans for a new and improved dreadnought battleship to aid his adopted country in the upcoming first world war. In this the third Isaac Bell detective adventure co-written by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott, Isaac Bell comes back stronger than ever with his latest and most difficult case to solve for the Van Dorn Detective agency. The Spy engages a diabolic espionage plot, mobsters of the Dick Tracy era, murders, explosions, secret identities and a volatile cocktail of non-stop action with a well penned adventure and suspense thriller plot. Tossing in Cussler’s love of antique cars, military weapons, ships on the high seas and steam trains rolling along the tracks at high speed, this was a fabulous Isaac Bell installment that I easily give 5 stars. Dolls and dames, hoodlums and heroes, it doesn’t get any better than this for a fictional portrayal of 19th century New York with a debonair hero who never fails to get his man and save the day!

[bushard · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun reading, Van Dorn Detectives staring Issac Bell. Got book from Blazil.

[asbiskey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the best of Clive Cussler’s series featuring detective Isaac Bell. In the previous books, The Chase and The Wrecker, the reader becomes aware of the identity of the villain fairly early. In The Spy, the suspense is maintained longer. The plot is more complex than the other books. With this book, the series has been vaulted to a new level.

[dswaddell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Isaac Bell thought he was investigating the suicide of a brilliant gun maker for the US Navy but this leads him and the Van Dorne Agency into international espionage and an attempt to cripple the US dreadnought program. An enjoyable read. As usual Clive Cussler does an excellent job researching what he is writing about and embellishing the story with details of the time in which he is writing.

[piersanti-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A pretty good book. Good enough for me to go back and read the first two in the series.

[jbarringer-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mark Twain was right about James Fenimore Cooper- he is not the best writer, and I really wished while reading this book that Cooper had had a stubborn and talented editor to help him polish his writing. The Spy is a great story, but told with a lack of grace that leaves the reader feeling a bit lost, disconnected and dissatisfied. Still, there are many modern authors who write just about as badly and become bestsellers, so there are always readers who will enjoy the story and not mind the poor craftsmanship in this novel.

[lissabeth21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Concise and interesting. It's like an appetizer; I'm ready for more.

[sjh4255 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

not his best.... but a continuation of the Isaac Bell tales in the early 20th Century. This story shifts from the railroads to the early development of battleships. I felt the story never really intrigued you, there were only a couple "hmmm" moments in this one... as compared to the earlier Isaac stories.. a required read if you've read the previous Isaac books, but definitely don't start with this one...

[edwinkort · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Leuk verhaal, dat helaas wat van aantrekkelijkheid verliest doordat ik dit boek als audio-boek heb gekregen, en het was niet mogelijk langer dan 15-20 minuten te luisteren naar de verteller. Het Leek Wel Of De Verteller Elke Woord Met Een Hoofdletter Begon.

Het verhaal dat zich afspeelt in 1908 was goed. Een aantal mensen die werken aan de ontwikkeling van de Amerikaanse vloot ('Grote witte vloot' genoemd in het boek) worden vermoord, en aan Isaac Bell de taak om uit te vinden door wie en de dader te stoppen.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's important to remember the time period that a book was written in when delving into a work of classical literature. For example, The Spy came out in 1821 when American novelists were still focused on telling stories about their brethren over the pond. It was quite revolutionary (pun sooo intended) to focus a story on American soil. The story is set during the American Revolution and opens at the end of 1780. Slavery clearly still practiced and attitudes about the slaves themselves were not altogether complimentary. If you go into a work of classic literature without remembering the context of the story itself then you are doomed to find the entire body of work unpalatable. With that being said, I must say I really enjoyed The Spy. True to the style of the time there was a lot of focus on unimportant details which made a majority of the tale drag on somewhat. I felt that it didn't really pick up steam (or grab my interest) until about 3/4 of the way through. There are two fantastic characters, however, which kept me turning those pages: Captain John Lawton (of the Continental Army who is fierce, brave, and impetuous) and Harvey Birch (the spy himself who is always full of wit and intensity). These two indomitable spirits are what make this story a classic piece of American literature.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It has been forever since I've read this, but I remember it as gripping and fun to read. In my naive youth, I never thought about spies before the Cold War. :)