Date first published	2 July 2009
ISBN Number	9 780718 15467 7
Page Count	454 h/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

A man made virus breaks out of containment in the depths of China. The American and Chinese governments try to keep a lid on the fact that a new pandemic is about to break out, and kill millions.

Meanwhile Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are helping to recreate the first deep Bathyscape dive. The dive seems to be going off without incident, when it is attacked by an unknown object. Kurt makes a dive in a bid to save the bell and is also attacked. Luckily he is able to damage the attacker and rescue the bathyscape.

So Kurt and Joe are plunged into another mystery, can they find the link between the attack and the pandemic in China?

Meanwhile the US government has lost a secret underwater laboratory, and with it the only hope of stopping the pandemic, and once again NUMA is brought in to find the missing lab and crew of scientists. However forces are gathering, anxious to make sure the lab is never found and with it the cure.

Review

I felt after the last two NUMA Files books that this franchise was running out of steam, and unfortunately this story does nothing to dispel the notion. It is not a bad book, it just feels jaded, with very little new to add any excitement. Mind you at the time of writing, I am pretty jaded about a worldwide pandemic killing off millions. Swine flu fever seems to have hit the UK, with not a sane voice to be heard, so perhaps that makes the judgement a little harsh.

However, it is not the greatest story, there are some interesting ideas, it's just that the story has little real pace, and the action (when there is any) is just a bit of a knockabout. For instance, the main thrust - the pandemic is 72 hours away from going global, but from the story, and the way it's told there is no sense of urgency about finding the lab or the cure, it's all too laid back.

The Chang triplets, is a peculiar setup - interesting, but wasted. They are supposedly a world wide power with huge resources, yet are easily beaten off and don't make another serious threat to the NUMA mission, something I think highly unlikely. They have an enforcer, who suddenly turns over to the side of the angels, simply because he has a child somewhere in the states. It is unlikely that a man like Phelps would have a family who he cares about. i assume that he was divorced or separated, as he runs off with the senior lab tech at the near end of the book.

We have little in the way of car chases, or any high speed action. In fact much of the action is either ship board or underwater. It is here that the writing really does appear to be weak. When Cussler writes an underwater sequence, it is written in such a way you feel that you could be there. Here the writing is mundane and doesn't get the blood flowing.

The strong point of this series is usually the Trouts, I have always thought them to be the more interesting part of the team, as Kurt and Joe are just imitations of Dirk and Al. However the Trouts are relegated to a very minor bit part, in which they search for a lost ships log. They do get involved in some action but again, it is over quickly, and there is no real excitement. It can be good to drop some of the characters for a story, but unfortunately when you drop the interesting characters, you suddenly have a bigger problem.

Dr Lee, is another character, initially built up, but reduced to a bit part. it is almost as if the author has created the character, and circumstances, and then not known what to do with her, apart from ending up as the prize for Kurt at the end!

The opening story about the whalers is quite interesting, but then takes a turn which has no real effect on the main story - the main story could have pieced the missing elements in a couple of sentences, probably when the Trouts visit Pelmutter. It would be good to see him disappear for a story or three. He is not overly interesting, and the information could probably have been retrieved from the NUMA computer.

I have a nagging feeling this story has been done before, but can't decide whether it is from the Cussler or Ludlum stable.

Overall it is an ordinary story, written in a pedestrian fashion. A good read if you want a simple basic action story (with not that much action) that can usefully fill a couple of hours. I wish I could give it a more hearty recommendation.

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