4.5 stars!
I love the Alex Hawke series!
Pure escapism! Thriller! Suspense! Action packed!
I can’t wait for the next book!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Despite a dramatic though somewhat unbelievable opening scene in Ted Bell's Dragonfire (Penguin 2020), 11th in his storied Alex Hawke series, where Hawk is almost killed defending his manservant and sometimes best friend Pelham, the story quickly becomes the usual hard-charging who-done-it-and-how involving the talented British spy Lord Alexander Hawke and his sidekick Stokely Jones, spiced up with their usual enticing and cleverwit:

“Well! Zhang, my dear, here I was, all prepared for a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed. . . .”

They are charged with finding the Queen's missing adult grandson, also Hawke's godson, last seen at the swanky Bahamian resort, Dragonfire. To solve this requires a cold but fresh eye on events that happened during WWII that unexpectedly intersected with the present.

I'm a long time fan of the Alex Hawke series though the last few have lacked the earlier luster. They seem to be trying to present the same skill and cleverness of earlier novels with a hand tied behind the back, like I sometimes experience when reading novels from ghostwriters. I'd love to hear what you thought of this one.

Ted Bell holds a special place in my heart. I used to hate reading not while on vacation, my dad had Mr Bell's book "Assassin"about an English Lord named Alexander Hawke, descendant of the notorious pirate Blackhawke. From that book grew my love of reading and always enjoy the adventures of Lord Hawke. "Dragonfire" was no different. My only problem with this book is the dialogue seems a bit cheesy, but I'm not an English Aristocrat so it could just be me being a hillbilly. Regardless, I hope Lorde Hawke doesn't have l take two more years to show up. Thanks also to NetGalley for the chance to read a preview!

In 1941, the new Chinese ambassador to the United States, Tiger Tang, meets with President Roosevelt one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. For the next four years, China and the U.S. will be wartime allies, but the charming, sophisticated ambassador may be playing his own treacherous game.

Alex Hawke is at his retreat in the Bahamas, recovering from serious injuries incurred during a battle with a malevolent enemy. His recuperation is interrupted by a desperate call from the Queen. Her favorite grandson has disappeared in the Bahamas. Lord Hawke is the only man she trusts with a mission this sensitive. All she knows is that the young prince was last seen at the exclusive Dragonfire nightclub owned by the nefarious Tang brothers, grandsons of Ambassador Tiger Tang.

In typical Ted Bell style, Dragonfire is mile-a-minute action, punctuated with sharp dialogue and wit.

When the British monarchy faces a crisis there is one person that Her Majesty can call on - Alex Hawke. Recuperating from an attack that almost took his life, he receives the Queen’s summons and puts duty first. Her grandson Henry disappeared while vacationing at Dragonfire, an exclusive Caribbean resort owned by the Tang brothers and managed by their sister. It is also a part of their extensive criminal empire and Henry may have stumbled into one of their operations. Using the cover of a wealthy businessman, Hawke arrives at the resort where Zhang Tang is most accommodating to all of his requests. When China Moon, Hawke’s former lover, arrives the sparks fly. China works for Chinese Intelligence investigating the Tangs and is in a position to assist Hawke.

Dragonfire follows two storylines that connect the Hawke and Tang families. In 1942 Tiger Tang became the Chinese ambassador to the United States. Introduced to John Hawke, Alex’s grandfather, the two became close friends. Tiger also develops a friendship with Franklin Roosevelt, who becomes a father figure to him. The Tang family, however, has a long criminal and influential history and Tiger’s own father jeopardizes his son’s position and very life. Like Alex, John serves Queen and country, working for British intelligence against Germany. Ted Bell takes you along on several of his missions, including one involving sabotage accompanied by Ian Fleming. Alternating chapters take you from the Caribbean to Washington and the European theater of war. There are familiar faces from previous stories and all of the action that you would expect from a Hawke novel. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for providing this book for my review.

What an interesting read. The story rings true of an old 007 type movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the flip flop of past/present. Alex Hawke continues to impress and I look forward to the continuation of the series.

Dragonfire is an action-packed, fast paced thriller. The book is a lot of fun. Dragonfire is full of exotic settings, some colorful evil characters, and a number of heroes that evoke the old James Bond. As an added touch, Bell pays homage to Ian Fleming by having him as a character.

The structure of the book is innovative, as two stories are told simultaneously, by means of alternating groups of chapters. One is present day Alex Hawke, and the other story is a dose of very good historical fiction involving Alex Hawke's grandfather interacting with relatives of the protagonist. Clever stuff. The book is well-written throughout. The author pulls off the challenging task of switching from one story to the other quite well.

On the negative side, the book has the flavor of a grouping of related short stories, rather then one grand story. I was hoping for more of a linkage between the World War II story and the contemporary story at the conclusion, but for me that never happened. I also have a little difficulty with the main character, Alex Hawke. The character seems to know everyone, be able to do anything, obtain any needed resource, and seduce any woman in the world. I prefer my characters with fewer capabilities. My personal preferences aside, the Alex Hawke character is entertaining, as is his very similar grandfather. I don't think the negatives get into the way of fun at all, however.

Sit back and enjoy the ride. The author knows how to write a good thriller, a little outlandish at times, but always fun.

It was with eager anticipation that I received the latest Ted Bell novel from NetGalley and the publisher. (Thanks!) The last Alex Hawke novel, Overkill, received as many one-star reviews as it did five star reviews. I expected Dragonfire to be an answer to that. In other words, I expected to be able to say "Ted Bell is Back!"
Well, he is and he isn't. It just depends on where you are in the book. Dragonfire has some very good moments. The rescue of a prince is one. Go back in time and some anti-Nazi work was superb. But it was the going back in time that got me off to a bad start. The novel begins with an attack on Hawke and it's full speed ahead. But suddenly that is all forgotten as we go back in time when the Chinese Ambassador meets Hawke's grandfather and the two become fast friends. Why? Why did we need this diversion from the first story? Perhaps to show some comparisons to the Ambassador, evil, and his evil grandsons. Perhaps to compare Hawke today with his grandfather. It really wasn't necessary. I would have been happy with a straightforward story in either time period. That's because each story in Dragonfire takes off with full "old Ted Bell" effect. I enjoyed them. I adjusted to going back and forth in time, but I didn't relish it. Finally, I wish Mr. Bell would tone down the "ol' boy" and other flowery rhetoric. Dialog is not his strong suite to start with, and this attempt to convey some upper class camaraderie falls short. Oddly enough, some parts of Dragonfire are one-star, and some parts are five-star. Most of the five-star stuff is in the second half, so hang in there!