Date first published	7 June 2007
ISBN Number	978 071814801 0
Page Count	469 h/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

Cabrillo and the Corporation are on a sting mission, to locate a group of Congolese terrorists, who have the seeming ability to appear and disappear at whim. However the sting turns into a double cross forcing Cabrillo to retreat under heavy fire. After escaping the trap Cabrillo and his team are heading for their next destination when they come across a small launch which is under sustained attack. Never one to turn down a challenge Cabrillo takes on the attacker. Having successfully saved Sloane Macintyre, Cabrillo tries to capture the man so intent on killing her, however he kills himself before being allowed to be taken.

Cabrillo sensing more to the story than meets the eye embarks on a further mission in addition to the two they are already on, only to find that Sloane Macintyre is the centre of a convergence of all three missions. Cabrillo and his team suddenly find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy to launch a a hurricane at the United States which has been mixed with highly toxic vapours, from an oil field and its refinery.

Battling time and the elements Cabrillo takes his team to the very edges of hell and back, in the hope of saving the US from another attack, saving the girl, and locating a lost hoard of diamonds that could free Zimbabwe from its' tyrannical leader.

Review

I must admit the series is starting to find it's feet. Much of the story is now centred around Cabrillo, with the other crew members becoming the trusty side kick. The book is much improved for this single improvement, as you do not have to worry so much about who's who, and which side they're on. A real problem in the first book.

The ecological angle to the Cussler franchise is starting to wear a bit thin though and it is perhaps time to change tack for a while, it is like some of the other authors that are writing at the moment are focusing on the war on terror. You get the same message thrust at you from all angles, and it merely becomes background noise.

The three strands of the story have been cleverly woven together, you guess that the hunt for diamonds and the kidnapping of Dr Merrick are probably related, and it came as a surprise to me when the Congolese terrorist were also part of the bigger plot.

The book also managed to throw in a few surprises, you felt real sorrow when Susan is apparently tortured, just for the sake of it, and it comes as a real shock when she turns on her rescuers, and blows the whole rescue operation.

Things certainly don't go right for the team, this is not only down to bad luck, but also apparent allies being on the side of the bad guys, and it is a testament to the author Jack Debrue, that he can write a novel where life gets in the way of best laid plans.

As has often been quoted all plans survive until first contact (first quoted by General Richard Myers I think - but it could go back further), and the whole story is a true battle, with the real ebb and flow of life, allowing one side then the other to gain advantage.

Cabrillo does have some good luck, and the story would need a bit of luck, otherwise it would simply end with the Corporation being wiped out.

I was not totally convinced about Singers, motive for kidnapping Merrick, although it could simply be put down as some sort of God complex. His end was suitably horrible, being sliced in half by his own ship as it broke up.

The book centres on the action, and a good pace is maintained throughout, with only brief pauses whilst the crew locate whatever they are looking for before launching into the next piece of action.

I good light read, plenty of action with the good guys and the bad guys clearly defined, and just a hint of romance for the one legged hero.

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