Lost City: a novel by Clive Cussler

Cussler hits his stride again, September 26, 2004****


"Lost City" is the first Cussler book in a while that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Recently he seemed to be churning out long, turgid, poorly written novels that were only a shadow of his early Dirk Pitt days,e.g.The Golden Buddha.Many of his recent co-authored books display only a vistige of vintage Cussler.

But not "Lost City" ! "Lost City" has an excellent plot, the writing is taut. It kept me up late turning the pages to get to the next surprise. The villains, a French family of arms merchants, have got their hands on an enzyme from the Lost City area of the mid-Atlantic Ridge of hydrothermal vents. Some of their experiments with human subjects have gone awry. Scientists who worked on the project die suddenly of apparent heart attacks or accidents. One, who tries to hide in a Greek monastery, is captured and brought back to perfect the enzyme.

This is interwoven with the discovery of the body of a French aviator in an Alps glacier. Kurt Austin of NUMA just happens to be working nearby exploring a mountain lake in a submersible. As the villains try to sabotage the glacier project, Austin becomes involved and the race is on.

For Dirk Pitt afficionados, in this book Admiral Sandecker of NUMA has become Vice President of the U.S. and Dirk Pitt is now Head of NUMA. However, this is only mentioned in passing. They play no real role in this novel.

After several disappointing reads, Cussler seems to be back in control and hits his stride again.