Action & Adventure
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Clive Cussler's Dark Vector (The NUMA Files)
Kurt Austin must find a vanished ship and stave off a global catastrophe in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series created by the "grand master of adventure" Clive Cussler.
A freighter carrying top-secret computers of unparalleled capability disappears in the Western Pacific. While searching for a lost treasure that once belonged to the famous Chinese pirate queen, Ching Shih, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are redirected to look for the missing vessel.
Discovering that the sinking of the ship is just part of an intricate web of deception, they find themselves in the middle of a cyber-war between rival groups of hackers, both of whom want to control the flow of data around the world.
With no allies except a group of pirates who operate under their own crude laws, Kurt and Joe must rescue a colleague held hostage-while keeping the computers out of Russian or Chinese hands and the world's digital information safe from the hackers.
A freighter carrying top-secret computers of unparalleled capability disappears in the Western Pacific. While searching for a lost treasure that once belonged to the famous Chinese pirate queen, Ching Shih, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are redirected to look for the missing vessel.
Discovering that the sinking of the ship is just part of an intricate web of deception, they find themselves in the middle of a cyber-war between rival groups of hackers, both of whom want to control the flow of data around the world.
With no allies except a group of pirates who operate under their own crude laws, Kurt and Joe must rescue a colleague held hostage-while keeping the computers out of Russian or Chinese hands and the world's digital information safe from the hackers.
Readers Top Reviews
T Perry Adam K. Pu
Fantastic book, writing and characters! Perfect mix of action, humor and characters! Read it in two days, and now feel bereft! Looking forward to the next Oregon Files book in September!
Barry Duggan
Just started reading ! Great. Oh but the package was left out on a chair on the porch in the rain but is ok...
Deborah Wall McGraw
High tech, Chinese government, Chinese thieves, Chinese scientists, and Russian air-force all create an exciting adventure for NUMA. I settle down with Cussler tales like listening to old friends.
goldilocks0613Debora
This book is just as exciting as the rest of the NUMA adventures. It is still written in the Cussler style as a clean, exciting adventure series. I can't wait for the next Oregon and Fargo books to be released !
Lois Fishergoldilock
This is an excellent action adventure novel. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are back as the NUMA good guys, and there's an evil genius they pit themselves against. Also a cast of wonderful supporting characters. Even when things are tense (and gory!), Mr. Graham Brown, who has taken on writing this series after the passing of the great Clive Cussler, has done a bang up job capturing the essence of the stories and people within them. As usual, something in the long ago past features into the present. I was also pleased with the small amount of swearing in the book. Also gave the reader a strong female character. A really terrific action adventure. Highly recommended!
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
One hundred miles northeast of Taiwan
Present day
The Canberra Swift sailed through the night, heading north from Taiwan. She was a midsized cargo vessel, with a high beltline and an aerodynamic shell covering the front half of the ship. Her bridge emerged from this shell near the middle of the ship, while twin funnels, raked sharply backward, extended aft.
A leading nautical magazine described her as unattractive in nautical terms, suggesting a Japanese bullet train and seagoing ferry had borne a child together. But the strange shape had a purpose.
The ship had been designed to carry oversize cargo in a roll on/roll off configuration, much like a ferry. Freight and equipment were loaded on the ship at the stern, using a ramp wide enough to accommodate six lanes of traffic. It would be parked or stored inside, in a vast, unbroken cargo hold that ran the length of the main deck from bow to stern. Upon reaching its destination, the cargo was simply driven forward and off the ship on another ramp at the front.
Because of her size, shape and speed, the Swift had been used to transport everything from the fuselage sections of large aircraft, to rocket parts, and even nuclear waste, which traveled in sealed, lead-lined containers. If a war ever broke out, she was already committed by an option contract to be pressed into service carrying oversize military equipment to bases near whatever combat zone arose.
Jobs like these fell to the Swift, not only because she'd been designed to carry unique cargoes but also because-as the name implied-the Swift was one of the fastest cargo ships ever built. She could make forty knots in a sprint and travel at thirty-five all day long. She could cross the Pacific in seven days, a third of the time required for the average containership.
Standing on the bridge, the Swift's captain studied the radar. There were no vessels near enough to be a bother. "All ahead full," he ordered. "There's a storm heading down the Canadian coast from Alaska and I'd very much like to beat it to San Francisco Bay."
The helmsman acknowledged the order and, using the computer panel in front of him, ordered the gas turbine engines to maximum output.
With the engine room answering, the captain was satisfied. He turned to the first officer. "The ship is yours. I'll be in my quarters if you need me."
The first officer nodded as the captain left the bridge. Expecting a peaceful night, he took a seat in the command chair as the Swift put on more speed.
***
Clinging to the outside of the ship with magnetic hand and knee pads, Teng Kung-lu, known to his men as Lucas, did not appreciate the additional speed in quite the same way. The electromagnetic force holding him in place was substantial, but every additional bit of velocity increased the gusting slipstream that threatened to break the magnets' grip.
He pulled himself close to the hull, doing all he could to prevent the air from getting between him and the ship. Turning his face away from the wind, he looked to the side and down. The eight men of his team were doing as he was, clinging to the ship like barnacles. Each of them dressed in black, their submachine guns held tight under Velcro flaps.
He could see the strain in their arms and the tension in their faces, as this part of the heist had gone on far longer than intended.
Looking up, he counted the seconds until finally the main lights of the ship went dark. Third watch had begun. Using his thumb, he triggered a pinpoint light in the magnetic pad under his left hand. Three dots constituted an order to begin climbing again. They needed to get up and inside before the wind blew them off the hull.
With his right thumb, he pressed down on a button connected to the gauntlet wrapped around his right arm. It disabled the power on that magnet, allowing him to pull it from the hull and move it upward. Stretching as far as he could, he released the button.
The electromagnet switched on instantly and his arm was pulled back to the steel plate, where it locked into position. Pressing a second button, he was able to move his right leg upward. He then repeated the procedure on the left side, slowly but surely crawling toward an...
One hundred miles northeast of Taiwan
Present day
The Canberra Swift sailed through the night, heading north from Taiwan. She was a midsized cargo vessel, with a high beltline and an aerodynamic shell covering the front half of the ship. Her bridge emerged from this shell near the middle of the ship, while twin funnels, raked sharply backward, extended aft.
A leading nautical magazine described her as unattractive in nautical terms, suggesting a Japanese bullet train and seagoing ferry had borne a child together. But the strange shape had a purpose.
The ship had been designed to carry oversize cargo in a roll on/roll off configuration, much like a ferry. Freight and equipment were loaded on the ship at the stern, using a ramp wide enough to accommodate six lanes of traffic. It would be parked or stored inside, in a vast, unbroken cargo hold that ran the length of the main deck from bow to stern. Upon reaching its destination, the cargo was simply driven forward and off the ship on another ramp at the front.
Because of her size, shape and speed, the Swift had been used to transport everything from the fuselage sections of large aircraft, to rocket parts, and even nuclear waste, which traveled in sealed, lead-lined containers. If a war ever broke out, she was already committed by an option contract to be pressed into service carrying oversize military equipment to bases near whatever combat zone arose.
Jobs like these fell to the Swift, not only because she'd been designed to carry unique cargoes but also because-as the name implied-the Swift was one of the fastest cargo ships ever built. She could make forty knots in a sprint and travel at thirty-five all day long. She could cross the Pacific in seven days, a third of the time required for the average containership.
Standing on the bridge, the Swift's captain studied the radar. There were no vessels near enough to be a bother. "All ahead full," he ordered. "There's a storm heading down the Canadian coast from Alaska and I'd very much like to beat it to San Francisco Bay."
The helmsman acknowledged the order and, using the computer panel in front of him, ordered the gas turbine engines to maximum output.
With the engine room answering, the captain was satisfied. He turned to the first officer. "The ship is yours. I'll be in my quarters if you need me."
The first officer nodded as the captain left the bridge. Expecting a peaceful night, he took a seat in the command chair as the Swift put on more speed.
***
Clinging to the outside of the ship with magnetic hand and knee pads, Teng Kung-lu, known to his men as Lucas, did not appreciate the additional speed in quite the same way. The electromagnetic force holding him in place was substantial, but every additional bit of velocity increased the gusting slipstream that threatened to break the magnets' grip.
He pulled himself close to the hull, doing all he could to prevent the air from getting between him and the ship. Turning his face away from the wind, he looked to the side and down. The eight men of his team were doing as he was, clinging to the ship like barnacles. Each of them dressed in black, their submachine guns held tight under Velcro flaps.
He could see the strain in their arms and the tension in their faces, as this part of the heist had gone on far longer than intended.
Looking up, he counted the seconds until finally the main lights of the ship went dark. Third watch had begun. Using his thumb, he triggered a pinpoint light in the magnetic pad under his left hand. Three dots constituted an order to begin climbing again. They needed to get up and inside before the wind blew them off the hull.
With his right thumb, he pressed down on a button connected to the gauntlet wrapped around his right arm. It disabled the power on that magnet, allowing him to pull it from the hull and move it upward. Stretching as far as he could, he released the button.
The electromagnet switched on instantly and his arm was pulled back to the steel plate, where it locked into position. Pressing a second button, he was able to move his right leg upward. He then repeated the procedure on the left side, slowly but surely crawling toward an...
