Date first published	1994
ISBN Number	0 00 224475 6
Page Count	537 h/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

Inca gold, the stuff of legends. Stolen by the Spanish (French, and English who tended to steal it from the Spanish!), worshipped by all. So sets the scene of Cusslers tour de force.

Like all of Cusslers later novels, there is a short pre-quel which sets the scene for the main story. Actually there are two prequels. The first is set in 1533 and narrates the voyage of a boat manned by a crew dressed in gold.

The second set a few years afterwards narrates the the capture of a Spanish treasure ship by Sir Francis Drake, and its subsequent attempt to return to England. It this ship that will lead Pitt and his friends on a hunt for Treasure like no other. However, someone else knows of the treasure and will stop at nothing to get to the Treasure first.

Pitt becomes involved after rushing to the rescue of an American archaeological expedition in the Andes. In the rescue attempt, Giordino sacrifices his friend down a sink hole. Pitt alarmed at being trapped improvises a meagre set of climbing tools and climbs out of the hole. Pitt again becomes the rescuer, and goes after the expedition which appears to have been captured by terrorists.

During the rescue of his friends, Pitt seriously injures the hired gun of the outfit Tupac Amaru, but doesn't kill him, a mistake he is later to regret. The terrorists are not what they seem, and Pitt becomes determined to track down the men behind the kidnapping and find the worlds greatest treasure trove.

With US Customs and investigators looking at major art thefts, this becomes a personal battle for Pitt to find the treasure before its lost to the world. Politics enters the fray, but in true Pitt style he goes off on his own route.

Pitt knows that he is in a race against time, as the shadowy outfit known as the Solpemachaco, have one thing that Pitt prizes above all, Loren Smith. The fact that she is a US Congresswoman, will not stop them killing her.

Pitt takes the gamble of a lifetime, by choosing to get to the treasure cavern via an underground river, and has the raft ride of a lifetime. Once in the cavern Pitt meets up with his nemesis Amaru, and they have one final battle which seems to claim both of their lives.

Can Pitt, badly injured, escape the clutches of the huge underground river system, or is he doomed to die in the stygian darkness. I'll leave you to find out.

Review

This book, is I think Cusslers all time best. It has some serious adventure, relies little on technology (and so doesn't date), and has a worthy enemy for Pitt to battle against. Unlike Sahara, which is another very good story, it doesn't suffer from the preachiness about the ecology. Sahara is a race to save the world from an ecological disaster, whereas this book is pure adventure, looking for treasure.

Like all of Pitts adventures, he has a number of pitched battles with an unseen force, whom he eventually subdues. Once again both Pitt and Giordino receive severe injuries, but not this time at the hands of the enemy, but the greatest predator - nature.

The book also reintroduces Loren Smith, a character sadly missing in recent books apart from the odd appearance. Marriage is even mentioned, but left hanging in the air, and we learn a little bit more about Pitt which is something that hasn't happened in a while.

The sub plots in the book concerning the FBI and Customs, are also well thought out, and reach logical conclusions, and it is the FBI who at the end of the day see to the end of the Solpemachaco.

The story is set on a much more human level, looking at human greed. If Pitt fails, the world will continue and all that will be lost, are some rare artifacts. Consequently the book is much stronger. After all I think we all hanker after finding a secret treasure trove. The failure of Sahara was that the entire planet was doomed if Pitt failed, and I have always found doomsday plots hard to swallow.

The book has one or two surprises for the reader, and just a little bit of the 'cursed treasure' scenario. The secret collector is a neat little window onto a very murky world, and is a great plot device to give some explanation to the main plot. The idea of these wealthy collectors, being ripped off and robbed is also amusing.

To summarize, a great story, plenty of adventure and bone crunching action. Superb!

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