The Assassin

Isaac Bell, Van Dorn Agency's tenacious detective, finds himself tangled in the high-stakes world of oil industry rivalries when a series of killings begins targeting enemies of the Standard Oil monopoly. Set against the gritty backdrop of early twentieth-century American oilfields, the eighth entry in Cussler and Scott's historical series pits Bell against a methodical assassin who operates with uncanny precision across thousands of miles, from the oil-soaked plains of Kansas and Texas to the volatile fields of Baku on the Caspian Sea.

Scott Brick delivers the kind of performance that makes long audiobooks feel short. His command of period atmosphere is sharp, and he navigates the novel's shifting geography and cast of characters with clarity and control. Brick's voice suits Isaac Bell particularly well, projecting the quiet confidence of a detective who never bluffs. At just under eleven hours, the pacing stays tight, and the story's globe-spanning scope translates naturally to audio, where Brick's narration carries listeners across continents without losing momentum.