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Robert Spire #1
Tipping Point
Ecological disaster looms in the Arctic. An eminent climatologist drops dead in his London apartment. Appointed executor and lawyer, Robert Spire is about to have his life turned upside down... Having relocated from London to Wales to run his own law firm, Spire is contacted by Doris Stanton, mother of the late UK climatologist Dr. Dale Stanton, with a request that he finds a suitable home for her dead son's legacy - a large sum left to global warming organisations. Spire sets out to investigate, but soon realises his life is in danger as he uncovers a conspiracy with far reaching global implications... A second climatologist drops dead in California, during a climate change conference, and Spire's involvement deepens; his investigations taking him to San Francisco, Paris and finally the Arctic, where he joins a US/French expedition to seed the Arctic Ocean with an experimental substance. The aim -to slow global warming in the region. Spire soon discovers that someone wants the climatologists silenced at all costs as he becomes entangled in an international conspiracy set to push the Arctic to its tipping point and the Earth to disaster.
512 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2011
129 people are currently reading
432 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rosser
43 books67 followersAuthor of the Robert Spire Eco- Sci-Fi Thriller Action Adventure series -
CliFi thriller TIPPING POINT, SciFi action-technothriller, IMPACT POINT, mystery thriller MELT ZONE and CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS, Mystery Thriller CRYPTO, UFO Thrillers, The GALILEO PROJECT / COUNTDOWN / DISCLOSURE and Spire 7, THE VANISHED.
Also sci-fi alien invasion thrillers VAPORISED I and II
Espionage thriller RED MIST
SciFi thrillers SALIENT and SALIENT 2
Coming Soon - FUTURE WARS - Time travel adventure thriller will be coming out in the Fall 2025 - pre-order on Amazon now!
CliFi thriller TIPPING POINT, SciFi action-technothriller, IMPACT POINT, mystery thriller MELT ZONE and CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS, Mystery Thriller CRYPTO, UFO Thrillers, The GALILEO PROJECT / COUNTDOWN / DISCLOSURE and Spire 7, THE VANISHED.
Also sci-fi alien invasion thrillers VAPORISED I and II
Espionage thriller RED MIST
SciFi thrillers SALIENT and SALIENT 2
Coming Soon - FUTURE WARS - Time travel adventure thriller will be coming out in the Fall 2025 - pre-order on Amazon now!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 16, 2019
Tipping Point: Action-Adventure Thriller
By: Simon Rosser
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
The first in the series of Robert Spires, an environmental lawyer. I read the books out of order, oops! I missed this one and started on #2. I'm glad I went back to get the basics of Spires. He is just a lawyer but in these stories he is more like a James Bond without the cool gadgets and government backing. In this one he ends up following leads, which I mean dead bodies, that takes him to the Arctic and still the the evil bad guys are there! Persistent buggers! Lots of suspense, thrills, and intrigue.
The narration was spot on!
By: Simon Rosser
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
The first in the series of Robert Spires, an environmental lawyer. I read the books out of order, oops! I missed this one and started on #2. I'm glad I went back to get the basics of Spires. He is just a lawyer but in these stories he is more like a James Bond without the cool gadgets and government backing. In this one he ends up following leads, which I mean dead bodies, that takes him to the Arctic and still the the evil bad guys are there! Persistent buggers! Lots of suspense, thrills, and intrigue.
The narration was spot on!
November 16, 2013
While I think Rosser does his best to write a credibly scientific story, I’d be lying to say that I understood every point. That said, Tipping Point is a freaking fabulous thriller. Despite not getting all of the science, I enjoyed this smart and fast read. Not only is Rosser’s novel a well-written and fun roller coaster ride but it makes you think about global warming is doing in regard to the future of our planet.
Robert Spires, the protagonist of the piece, is investigating the deaths of the murdered climatologists. He’s a little perfect. A little superhero on the run and so 007 that James Bond is looking at him in envy. He’s not perfect. Rosser’s character development leads a reader to the knowledge that this is a person a bit more capable than all of us and oh so entertaining to read. Robert Spire can proudly take his seat with the iconic and flawed alpha males of fiction.
I cannot wait for my father to read Tipping Point and to get his take on the work. The Robert Spire novels currently compose a trilogy with Tipping Point joined by Impact Point: Action-Adventure Thriller and Melt Zone: Action-Adventure Thriller and I plan to pick up the other two books in the series today. If you prefer, the Spire trilogy is available in one volume titled Spire Trilogy: Action-Adventure Thrillers.
Robert Spires, the protagonist of the piece, is investigating the deaths of the murdered climatologists. He’s a little perfect. A little superhero on the run and so 007 that James Bond is looking at him in envy. He’s not perfect. Rosser’s character development leads a reader to the knowledge that this is a person a bit more capable than all of us and oh so entertaining to read. Robert Spire can proudly take his seat with the iconic and flawed alpha males of fiction.
I cannot wait for my father to read Tipping Point and to get his take on the work. The Robert Spire novels currently compose a trilogy with Tipping Point joined by Impact Point: Action-Adventure Thriller and Melt Zone: Action-Adventure Thriller and I plan to pick up the other two books in the series today. If you prefer, the Spire trilogy is available in one volume titled Spire Trilogy: Action-Adventure Thrillers.
October 30, 2018
This is a good story with tedius writing. The story really is clevar. It is a typical 'regular person becomes investigator' kind of thriller. In this case, the main character is an environmental lawier who happens to know martial arts. He stumbles upon an international conspiracy. His crime fighting skills seem to bounce between James Bond and Scooby and Shaggy. The plot and characters are interesting. I found myself skipping every other sentence. The author seemed determined to add as many details as possible to each sentence, and then to cram in a few more.
December 22, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Tipping Point is a gripping mix of suspense, science and corruption and while I thought it would probably all turn out in the end, I was hooked enough to stay with the story right until the final page. And another thing - it's a rare joy to read a thriller without the protagonist getting swept up in some sort of romance! An addictive and compelling read. 4-stars
February 15, 2016
I received a complimentary Audible code from the author in return for an honest review.
This is the first book in the Robert Spires series of thrillers. I really enjoyed it.
This book is narrated by Chris MacDonnell, who did an excellent job of bringing the story and characters to life. I did find, however, some of his reading pace a little too slow for my taste. His voice became so soothing that I felt myself nodding off. Now, this is not really a bad thing. However, as this is meant to be a thriller, falling asleep listening to it is!
Robert Spire is an interesting character. I liked him a lot. He is an environmental lawyer. He becomes involved in a mystery when he is made executor of Dr. Dale Stanton's will. As Robert delves deeper into the mystery of his charge's death, danger lurks in shadowy corners. Will Robert be able to find the truth, or will he die trying?
This is an intriguing story. I must admit that I did find the story a little difficult to get into at first. The story has several different points of view from several of the characters. I did find this a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, as the story unfolded, I began to enjoy it. There are several characters I liked, though a few of them fell foul of the Russian assassin, Ksenyia Petrovsky. They included Dr. Stanton, Francois Trimaud and Doris Stanton amongst others. However, there were a few other characters I didn't care for. These were the brothers' Farhim and Faric, as well as their servant, Gomez. These three men made me shudder! You'll have to read or listen to the book to find out why.
This story delves heavily into climate change and the science of reversing it. However, although I agreed with most of the author's views with regard to certain things, there were aspects, I felt, that were not explored well enough, or did not answer fully my own thoughts on climate change. Granted, this is a thriller and not a philosophical debate, so things were not as clear cut. In a way, I can understand the reasons behind Farhim and Faric's actions, even though I wouldn't condone it. I did find, however, some of the scenes to be rather drawn out, which made it lose some of the flow. A thriller is meant to build suspense for the reader. Unfortunately, I only found the last third of the book to be thrilling, as it culminated in a dangerous cat and mouse chase with the Russian.
Greed is a terrible vise. Unfortunately, I could see something like what happened in the book happening for real, which makes me incredibly sad. I have no answer to climate change. However, we need to all work together to slow down the impact we have on the atmosphere. We also need to plan better for more severe storms, floods, droughts and other weather related issues. We need to adapt to the weather quicker. Mother nature/ Earth is responding to our parasitic activity, she is completely within her rights to do so.
Simon Rosser has written a thought provoking action thriller. I love his writing style, though I did find it not as fast paced as other thrillers I have read it the past. This also affected the flow in my opinion. Other readers may not have the same response as myself.
Due to some scenes of a gruesome nature, I do not recommend this book to younger readers, or those of a nervous disposition. However, I highly recommend this book if you love spy thrillers, crime thrillers and mysteries. - Lynn Worton
This is the first book in the Robert Spires series of thrillers. I really enjoyed it.
This book is narrated by Chris MacDonnell, who did an excellent job of bringing the story and characters to life. I did find, however, some of his reading pace a little too slow for my taste. His voice became so soothing that I felt myself nodding off. Now, this is not really a bad thing. However, as this is meant to be a thriller, falling asleep listening to it is!
Robert Spire is an interesting character. I liked him a lot. He is an environmental lawyer. He becomes involved in a mystery when he is made executor of Dr. Dale Stanton's will. As Robert delves deeper into the mystery of his charge's death, danger lurks in shadowy corners. Will Robert be able to find the truth, or will he die trying?
This is an intriguing story. I must admit that I did find the story a little difficult to get into at first. The story has several different points of view from several of the characters. I did find this a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, as the story unfolded, I began to enjoy it. There are several characters I liked, though a few of them fell foul of the Russian assassin, Ksenyia Petrovsky. They included Dr. Stanton, Francois Trimaud and Doris Stanton amongst others. However, there were a few other characters I didn't care for. These were the brothers' Farhim and Faric, as well as their servant, Gomez. These three men made me shudder! You'll have to read or listen to the book to find out why.
This story delves heavily into climate change and the science of reversing it. However, although I agreed with most of the author's views with regard to certain things, there were aspects, I felt, that were not explored well enough, or did not answer fully my own thoughts on climate change. Granted, this is a thriller and not a philosophical debate, so things were not as clear cut. In a way, I can understand the reasons behind Farhim and Faric's actions, even though I wouldn't condone it. I did find, however, some of the scenes to be rather drawn out, which made it lose some of the flow. A thriller is meant to build suspense for the reader. Unfortunately, I only found the last third of the book to be thrilling, as it culminated in a dangerous cat and mouse chase with the Russian.
Greed is a terrible vise. Unfortunately, I could see something like what happened in the book happening for real, which makes me incredibly sad. I have no answer to climate change. However, we need to all work together to slow down the impact we have on the atmosphere. We also need to plan better for more severe storms, floods, droughts and other weather related issues. We need to adapt to the weather quicker. Mother nature/ Earth is responding to our parasitic activity, she is completely within her rights to do so.
Simon Rosser has written a thought provoking action thriller. I love his writing style, though I did find it not as fast paced as other thrillers I have read it the past. This also affected the flow in my opinion. Other readers may not have the same response as myself.
Due to some scenes of a gruesome nature, I do not recommend this book to younger readers, or those of a nervous disposition. However, I highly recommend this book if you love spy thrillers, crime thrillers and mysteries. - Lynn Worton
April 27, 2012
This is a nice and easy read, and overall likable. I could deduce the following forumla:
- take the science from the 'The Day After Tomorrow'
- take an ex- KGB assassin from Fredrick Forsyth
- mate Jack Reacher (Lee Child) with John Grisham's lawyer to produce a wanna-be James Bond
- Bring in twists and turns of a James Bond movie.
- Borrow a punchline from Bond - "My name is Spire, Robert Spire"!!
- Shake them well
Viola! You have the 'Tipping Point'. Mind you, I am not bad-mouthing this novel, just giving you a feel of what to expect. Rosser has done an appreciable job of blending all the elements together, and such an effort from a working professional balancing his day-time job, family and life, is commendable. I like this for the fun read this was, for the sincere effort of the author, and obviously, the story that was interesting enough for wanting to turn the page.
- take the science from the 'The Day After Tomorrow'
- take an ex- KGB assassin from Fredrick Forsyth
- mate Jack Reacher (Lee Child) with John Grisham's lawyer to produce a wanna-be James Bond
- Bring in twists and turns of a James Bond movie.
- Borrow a punchline from Bond - "My name is Spire, Robert Spire"!!
- Shake them well
Viola! You have the 'Tipping Point'. Mind you, I am not bad-mouthing this novel, just giving you a feel of what to expect. Rosser has done an appreciable job of blending all the elements together, and such an effort from a working professional balancing his day-time job, family and life, is commendable. I like this for the fun read this was, for the sincere effort of the author, and obviously, the story that was interesting enough for wanting to turn the page.
May 14, 2013
I must say I'm impressed with this author, he manages to keep you turning pages and has the ability to make you think about what you're reading about the environment and the impact that Global Warming appears to be having. A difficult book to put down once its picked up! Cant wait to read more from this guy!!
March 12, 2013
Oh dear, I have a bad feeling about this. 2.57 ranking. I'm beginning to find out just why these books are put on Kindle for nothing...we'll see.
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Wow. Why the low ratings? I thought this was a terrific read! I just bought the sequel - Impact Point.
PS to the proofreader...it's "faint" not "feint" In both cases. Honestly.
-----------------------------
Wow. Why the low ratings? I thought this was a terrific read! I just bought the sequel - Impact Point.
PS to the proofreader...it's "faint" not "feint" In both cases. Honestly.
June 29, 2019
A somewhat trivial and not terribly suspenseful suspense story. Rather sexist. Men spend their time doing push-ups, “booming” instructions and “gulping” drinks. Most of the women don’t do much but are described as “slender”, “attractive” and “petite”.
The most interesting bits describe an attractive Russian hit woman’s attempts to bump off a string of climate scientists.
The most interesting bits describe an attractive Russian hit woman’s attempts to bump off a string of climate scientists.
August 30, 2013
A fabulous read! I honestly could care less about the accuracy of the science involved. The way it fit the story was just fine and not overdone. Robert Spire just may be a literary hero fir some time. Great job, Simon!! Already reading the next one.
September 25, 2012
This book deserves 3.5 stars, despite the editing errors. I liked the story line, but found it to be slow moving at times during the first half of the book.
May 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this book . The main character, Robert Spire has a feel of James Bond with an ecological twist about him. A good plot and all in all a very enjoyable read.
June 25, 2013
An enjoyable read.
Just far fetched enough to be enjoyable, just remember, this is a thriller, a work of fiction; it does not pretend to be an encyclopedia.
Just far fetched enough to be enjoyable, just remember, this is a thriller, a work of fiction; it does not pretend to be an encyclopedia.
November 13, 2015
Finished reading this yesterday and really enjoyed it. Great cast of characters and a fascinating plot. This is one book that gets placed on my read again list.
April 3, 2018
My notes are my review for this book. It was hard to read because the editing was so poor, and though I was tempted to stop, curiosity kept me going. I found it to be overall disappointing.
July 5, 2019
A Tour de Force! a great read! Think Alastair McLean meets Clive Cussler! Yes! it's that good!
When eminent climatologist Dr Dale Stanton - in the process of studying the Atlantic Ocean's Thermohaline Circulation - is found dead in his London apartment, environmental lawyer, Robert Spire, is given the task to administer a large legacy left by him to global warming organisations. The job should have been straightforward, until a second climatologist, Dr Jack Bannister drops dead on the other side of the Atlantic
Spire's client - suspicious of her son's death - asks him to travel to San Francisco to investigate Dr Jack Bannister's death. Whilst there, Spire learns of a plan to seed the Arctic Ocean with an experimental substance - the aim, to prevent or at least slow the Arctic's melting ice. A Russian female assassin is tracking Spire's every move, however, suggesting that someone clearly has other plans for the region, and wants the climatologists dead at all costs.
The author lets the plot flow, there is not a dull page in the entire book. His characters are spot on & he weaves places & situations that the reader can identify while reading.
A Very current issue is tackled head on The suspense & action make this Enviro Thriller a must read!
When eminent climatologist Dr Dale Stanton - in the process of studying the Atlantic Ocean's Thermohaline Circulation - is found dead in his London apartment, environmental lawyer, Robert Spire, is given the task to administer a large legacy left by him to global warming organisations. The job should have been straightforward, until a second climatologist, Dr Jack Bannister drops dead on the other side of the Atlantic
Spire's client - suspicious of her son's death - asks him to travel to San Francisco to investigate Dr Jack Bannister's death. Whilst there, Spire learns of a plan to seed the Arctic Ocean with an experimental substance - the aim, to prevent or at least slow the Arctic's melting ice. A Russian female assassin is tracking Spire's every move, however, suggesting that someone clearly has other plans for the region, and wants the climatologists dead at all costs.
The author lets the plot flow, there is not a dull page in the entire book. His characters are spot on & he weaves places & situations that the reader can identify while reading.
A Very current issue is tackled head on The suspense & action make this Enviro Thriller a must read!
September 10, 2017
The Tipping Point referred to in the airline industry as the point of no return. We have many tipping points in our lives and they are all actions that then change the course of our lives. Simon Rosser’s first novel takes a leap at showing one such “tipping point” global warming. What will happen if the polar ice cap mels? Who will it affect? What will be the affect? Wy wold anyone want the polar ice cap to melt?
This is a too well researched book, the scientific jargon was too much so I frequently skipped pages to get to moving the story forward. His hero is a superman who is “any” man. An ambitious first novel for his first efforts and it does show his talent. I have read other books by Simon Rosser and enjoy his writing.
This is a too well researched book, the scientific jargon was too much so I frequently skipped pages to get to moving the story forward. His hero is a superman who is “any” man. An ambitious first novel for his first efforts and it does show his talent. I have read other books by Simon Rosser and enjoy his writing.
August 28, 2019
Tipping Point: Cli-Fi Fiction Thriller (Spire Novel Book 1) Kindle Edition listened to via Alexa
by Simon Rosser
This was a fast-paced good quality story. Mr. Rosser put forth a great deal of effort in his descriptions, making it easy for you to get lost in the book. The character strength was excellent, but the editing could have used some work.
Note: I did receive this book for free.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read more by Simon Rosser.
by Simon Rosser
This was a fast-paced good quality story. Mr. Rosser put forth a great deal of effort in his descriptions, making it easy for you to get lost in the book. The character strength was excellent, but the editing could have used some work.
Note: I did receive this book for free.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read more by Simon Rosser.
June 16, 2019
Not the end of the world
Money, it all comes down to how much you can make. Imagination and a lack of moral compass will make any shady businessman into the evil bad guy. How much can they get away with before caught?
Money, it all comes down to how much you can make. Imagination and a lack of moral compass will make any shady businessman into the evil bad guy. How much can they get away with before caught?
December 21, 2019
Great story, page after page of mystery into the frozen Arctic
climate warming faces new dangers as rogue Russian brothers try to establish new energy resources for mother Russia employing a beautiful assassin.
climate warming faces new dangers as rogue Russian brothers try to establish new energy resources for mother Russia employing a beautiful assassin.
May 31, 2021
Ice cold
A lot of repetition about the climate changes that wasn’t really needed after the early explanations .A well written book I wonder if you would get away with a lot of the brutality in real life?
A lot of repetition about the climate changes that wasn’t really needed after the early explanations .A well written book I wonder if you would get away with a lot of the brutality in real life?
December 8, 2017
Not bad. It was a bit slow, and some redundancies throughout. However, overall, not bad. Very intriguing.
October 22, 2017
enjoyed it alot - -except for the French words, I knew none, & there were so many of them. I was not going to stop & look up the meaning of them all (if I cold even find a place to do that)
June 10, 2018
Gripped me all the way
... and I have a short attention span! Will watch this author's work closely. Clearly well-researched and thus entirely plausible; the best kind of fiction!
... and I have a short attention span! Will watch this author's work closely. Clearly well-researched and thus entirely plausible; the best kind of fiction!
April 9, 2020
didnt like the narrator story was kind of okar
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2020
A gripping drama.
October 12, 2021
Good read.
June 14, 2022
Simon Rosser's Tipping Point (Robert Spire #1) is a Global Warming prevention thriller. A little verbose but quite exciting. Several more books in the series.
July 20, 2023
What a great start to an action-adventure series focusing on global warming issues. Robert Spire is a lawyer with excellent additional attributes!
January 21, 2024
I thought that this overall was a pretty good read. Overall a reasonable pace, although it did seem to slow a bit in the last third.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews