"The Chase", Clive Cussler's latest hard-cover

[blhanel]

Anyone else read this one yet? 

I just finished the subject book, which I received from my daughter and son-in-law for Christmas.  It tells the story of a detective pursuing a ruthless bank robber all over the western US during the first few months of 1906.  The story contains alot of railroad-related information, as the criminal uses an ordinary-looking box car to make his getaway from the crime scenes.

Have any of the more astute railroad historians here read this one yet?  It sounds like Clive did an excellent job of researching the industry back then, but I'm no expert.  You can't miss it in the book stores- the dust cover features an illustration of a 4-6-2 sinking to the bottom of Flathead Lake. 

[Anonymous]

How does the story deal with the cover illustration of the 4-6-2 sinking into the lake?

[blhanel]

I don't want to spoil the story, but the loco in the lake (along with the tender and the afore-mentioned box car) is pretty much the climax of the book.

[Murphy Siding]

     How do you use a boxcar as a getaway from a crime scene?  A guy would have to be a real genius to time all that perfectly.

[CopCarSS]

     How do you use a boxcar as a getaway from a crime scene?  A guy would have to be a real genius to time all that perfectly.

Are these shackle bearing boxcars?

[snagletooth]

     How do you use a boxcar as a getaway from a crime scene?  A guy would have to be a real genius to time all that perfectly.

Well, if Jim West can  use a train to fight crime, why can't someone use one to commit crime? Is Wilford Brimley the engineer?

[blhanel]

     How do you use a boxcar as a getaway from a crime scene?  A guy would have to be a real genius to time all that perfectly.

Are these shackle bearing boxcars?

There's actually a couple of chapters in the book where the detectives are working in Denver. 

[jeaton]

     How do you use a boxcar as a getaway from a crime scene?  A guy would have to be a real genius to time all that perfectly.

Are these shackle bearing boxcars?

There's actually a couple of chapters in the book where the detectives are working in Denver. 

Brian-You should let these guys that they can't tell a book by its cover. 

[CopCarSS]

There's actually a couple of chapters in the book where the detectives are working in Denver. 

Hmmm...given his history with Denver and trains, I would have thought he would have bypassed writing about us. He had no luck in locating the "lost locomotive of Kiowa Creek," because it had already been recoveredin the dead of night in an insurance scandal back in the late 19th century.

IIRC, one of Mr. Cussler's other books was based on this search, though I don't remember at the moment which one it was.

Anyways, I also received the book for Christmas. As soon as I get done with my current book, I'll be starting that one.

[Anonymous]

There's actually a couple of chapters in the book where the detectives are working in Denver. 

Hmmm...given his history with Denver and trains, I would have thought he would have bypassed writing about us. He had no luck in locating the "lost locomotive of Kiowa Creek," because it had already been recoveredin the dead of night in an insurance scandal back in the late 19th century.

Kussler did not find the Kiowa Creek locomotive because it had been recovered shortly after the wreck.  However, I find completely unconvincing, his explanation that the reason the legend held that it had not been recovered was due to it being secretly recovered in the dead of the night as an insurance scam.  That is just too mystery-thrillerish of an explanation for the context of the event.  It strikes me as an explanation that is reaching too hard in order to justify the fact that Kussler and his fans were hoodwinked by the false legend.