The latest in the NUMA Files series finds Kurt Austin and his team of adventurers up against a particularly fiendish terrorist whose plan of holding the entire world for ransom seems to have a frighteningly good chance of succeeding. Cussler, ably assisted by Brown, crafts a very clever mystery involving boats and people bursting (apparently spontaneously) into flame, a missing scientist, and a deep-sea collection of crashed planes and sunken ships. The NUMA novels aren't as engaging as the author's Isaac Bell books (Bell being an early-twentieth-century detective). They're more like the Dirk Pitt seafaring adventures: a touch overwritten, with thinly drawn characters and ropey dialogue but also and this is why they're such fun with plenty of action and derring-do. The NUMA series is an excellent example of style trumping substance, and this installment is especially entertaining, due in no small part to its scenery-chewing villains and tough-as-nails heroes.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

When Kurt Austin and his NUMA (National Underwater Maritime Agency) Special Operations Team investigate a burning Japanese cargo ship, they find themselves locked in a deadly confrontation with a gang of bloodthirsty pirates intent on plundering the sinking ship. But this encounter is just the beginning of a vast conspiracy that threatens the lives of thousands and may potentially alter the world's balance of power drastically. Once again, Austin and NUMA will have to risk their lives to stop an evil as dark and ruthless as the deepest depths of the sea. Brick's narration is smooth and easy, and he adroitly conveys the book's action and edge-of-the-seat suspense. Additionally, Brick's characterizations are simple but unique. Despite the somewhat over- the-top melodrama of the novel, Brick keeps his storytelling sincere and real, and this audio edition and its listeners are the better for it. A Putnam hardcover. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Here is another suspense-filled Cussler novel in the "NUMA" series featuring Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA special assignments team. A brutal African dictator has kidnapped the top superconductor experts from around the globe in order to build a powerful weapon to threaten major world powers. Actor Scott Brick, who has narrated previous "NUMA" audiobooks, does an excellent job reading this exciting installment to the series. He captures perfectly the Russian accents and the romantic repartee between Kurt and the beautiful Russian scientist he is trying to protect. -VERDICT Recommended for Cussler's numerous devotees and under-water adventure fans. [The Putnam hc, published last November, was a New York Times best seller.-Ed.]-Ilka Gordon, Siegal Coll. of Judaic Studies Lib., Cleveland (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.