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Osgood Hennessy is on his way to achieving coast-to-coast domination of the rail lines in the United States. His boldest move is to bridge the Cascade Canyon in Oregon, linking two major systems, which would significantly reduce travel time between major cities and ports not just on the West Coast, but across the continent. Construction is moving along, winter is approaching, Hennessy’s credit is stretching thin, and a saboteur has begun targeting key locations in an attempt to bring the rail baron down.
The year is 1907, and automobile travel is still in its infancy. Chief investigator Isaac Bell, of the Van Dorn Detective Agency, is tasked with hunting down and stopping “The Wrecker.” He is not exactly a turn-of-the-century James Bond, but he is resourceful and very, very smart. His operatives are very thorough in their following of each and every clue, some developing into more useful information, others leading to complete dead ends.
The most absorbing parts of this book surround the communication and travel technology of the day. This is a first-rate mystery, and even though there are no cellular phones, no Internet, and no air travel, the story unfolds and moves along at a good pace. In fact, the reader is purposely led to the identity of The Wrecker long before the detective finally figures it out, and, surprisingly, the technique works to make the reading experience that much more exciting.
Rated: Mild. Very few instances of mild language.
