Action & Adventure
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Clive Cussler's The Devil's Sea (Dirk Pitt Adventure)
Fearless adventurer Dirk Pitt must unravel a historical mystery of epic importance in the latest novel in the beloved New York Times bestselling series created by the "grand master of adventure" Clive Cussler.
When NUMA director Dirk Pitt discovers a forgotten plane crash in the Philippine Sea, he unearths clues pointing to an invaluable Buddhist artifact that has been lost for decades. But soon, he will learn that he's not the only one making earthshattering discoveries. During a mission to recover a failed hypersonic missile from Luzon Strait, Pitt finds himself racing against a rogue Chinese military team…who have hijacked a ship strong enough to stir the ocean into a veritable Devil's Sea.
From the cold depths of the Pacific to the dizzying heights of the Himalayas, only Pitt and his children can unravel the mysteries that will preserve a religion, save a nation…and save the world from war.
When NUMA director Dirk Pitt discovers a forgotten plane crash in the Philippine Sea, he unearths clues pointing to an invaluable Buddhist artifact that has been lost for decades. But soon, he will learn that he's not the only one making earthshattering discoveries. During a mission to recover a failed hypersonic missile from Luzon Strait, Pitt finds himself racing against a rogue Chinese military team…who have hijacked a ship strong enough to stir the ocean into a veritable Devil's Sea.
From the cold depths of the Pacific to the dizzying heights of the Himalayas, only Pitt and his children can unravel the mysteries that will preserve a religion, save a nation…and save the world from war.
Editorial Reviews
"Trouble comes looking for Dirk Pitt and his children, Dirk and Summer, in the strangest and most entertaining ways…The Pitts are all great characters-clever, gutsy, and lucky…Dirk Cussler carries on what his father started in a series that never gets old."−Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Exciting…Cussler has done his father proud."−Publishers Weekly
"Exciting…Cussler has done his father proud."−Publishers Weekly
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle B. FreyScott
Great to see the whole gang back and the intriguing Thornton clan with their new tech! Loved the history of the Tibetan- Chinese conflict ,sad in many ways.!
Nica’smom
Nice cd’s! A lot of times used audio books will have skips and scratches but this one was perfect.
gene
This latest Clive Cuddler book lives up to its predecessors. Good action, suspense, and a great ending. Well done! Kudos!
Sue C. West
There’s nothing about any of the Dirk Pitt novels that has disappointed me. I’ve read them all. Looking foreword to the next book.
Great mix of intrigue and adventure. Great to have the whole Pitt gang together. Storyline is well thought out and moves at a pleasing pace.
Short Excerpt Teaser
-1-
WenchAng Spacecraft Launch Site
Hainan, China
October 2022
The missile rose in a graceful arc, the thunderous burn of its solid-fuel booster engine rippling through the predawn sky. It wasn't a large missile, barely twenty feet tall, and it was fired from an auxiliary launchpad at the sprawling coastal base, which was more accustomed to massive satellite-carrying rockets. Yet to those watching the flight, it was considerably more important than the latest spy satellite.
The missile's fiery exhaust disappeared from sight in a matter of seconds. But the cameras from a reconnaissance plane tracked its progress far out to sea, supplemented by satellites that targeted the launch. The distant lenses viewed the missile as the exhaust suddenly fell dark and it briefly sailed on in silence. If an observer had been present as it passed, they might have heard a sonic boom, followed by a motorized whooshing, now accompanied by the burning exhaust of liquid propellant. But those senses would have to be acute, as the missile was traveling more than a mile per second.
In an operations bay twelve hundred miles away at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, General Xu Junhai watched the missile on a large video screen. Long-range cameras on Hainan and on ships in the South China Sea showed only a speck as the missile sped from view. Xu turned to one of several engineers seated at a console, monitoring telemetry data. "Has the motor engaged?"
The engineer, a slight man with thick, square glasses, nodded without looking up. "Yes, sir. The Dragonfly has successfully transitioned from solid-fuel propulsion to scramjet flight."
"Speed?"
"Just over twenty-eight thousand kilometers per hour and accelerating."
The General turned back to the video screen, where he saw a small puff of smoke where the missile had been tracking. "What was that?"
His query was met by a long pause. "The data feeds have ceased. There . . . there seems to be a malfunction." The engineer kept his face down, fearful to make eye contact with the General. "The flight appears to have terminated."
The General, a humorless man of sixty who wore his thinning hair slicked back, couldn't hide his displeasure. "Terminated?" he boomed. "Again?"
It was the third failure in a row for the sleek prototype missile.
The engineer nodded.
The General called across the room to a bulbous man in uniform who was conversing with the flight director. "Colonel Yan."
Colonel Yan Xiaoming turned and approached with the trepidation of a man headed to the gallows.
The General stared at him. "Tell me what has happened."
"We are still assessing the data," Yan said, "but it was a flight failure during midphase acceleration."
"I can see that. What is the cause?"
The Colonel glanced at the clipboard he gripped tightly. "Preliminary readings indicate a possible thermal failure in the lead fairing. But the vehicle did produce a new speed mark prior to failure."
"A thermal failure? That was the cause of the last launch's demise? I had been led to believe that problem had been solved."
"It is proving a difficult challenge."
The General waved at the video screen that now showed an empty sky. "The President was expecting success today." He let the words sink in. "This is your third failure. It will also be your last. When can I tell the President that the issues will be resolved?"
"I . . . I cannot provide a current time estimate. Dr. Liu is examining potential solutions. We will not rest until we have an answer, sir."
"I want a full report of the failure on my desk in the morning," Xu said, "and a solution by the end of the week." He turned on his heel and stomped from the control center, his face flush with anger.
An uncomfortable silence hung over the room for a moment, then the technicians resumed examining the flight data.
Colonel Yan made a phone call, then turned again to the flight director. "Have Dr. Liu meet me in my office." He departed the room slowly, taking a last look at the blank video screen.
Yan made his way to a third-floor office in the headquarters building for the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. As program manager for the Dragonfly missile project, Yan's office was a large but plain space that overlooked a bare dirt field. He glanced out the window at a column of fresh recruits in the People's Liberation Army marching back and forth, their khaki uniforms blending with the mud underfoot.
Yan slumped i...
WenchAng Spacecraft Launch Site
Hainan, China
October 2022
The missile rose in a graceful arc, the thunderous burn of its solid-fuel booster engine rippling through the predawn sky. It wasn't a large missile, barely twenty feet tall, and it was fired from an auxiliary launchpad at the sprawling coastal base, which was more accustomed to massive satellite-carrying rockets. Yet to those watching the flight, it was considerably more important than the latest spy satellite.
The missile's fiery exhaust disappeared from sight in a matter of seconds. But the cameras from a reconnaissance plane tracked its progress far out to sea, supplemented by satellites that targeted the launch. The distant lenses viewed the missile as the exhaust suddenly fell dark and it briefly sailed on in silence. If an observer had been present as it passed, they might have heard a sonic boom, followed by a motorized whooshing, now accompanied by the burning exhaust of liquid propellant. But those senses would have to be acute, as the missile was traveling more than a mile per second.
In an operations bay twelve hundred miles away at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, General Xu Junhai watched the missile on a large video screen. Long-range cameras on Hainan and on ships in the South China Sea showed only a speck as the missile sped from view. Xu turned to one of several engineers seated at a console, monitoring telemetry data. "Has the motor engaged?"
The engineer, a slight man with thick, square glasses, nodded without looking up. "Yes, sir. The Dragonfly has successfully transitioned from solid-fuel propulsion to scramjet flight."
"Speed?"
"Just over twenty-eight thousand kilometers per hour and accelerating."
The General turned back to the video screen, where he saw a small puff of smoke where the missile had been tracking. "What was that?"
His query was met by a long pause. "The data feeds have ceased. There . . . there seems to be a malfunction." The engineer kept his face down, fearful to make eye contact with the General. "The flight appears to have terminated."
The General, a humorless man of sixty who wore his thinning hair slicked back, couldn't hide his displeasure. "Terminated?" he boomed. "Again?"
It was the third failure in a row for the sleek prototype missile.
The engineer nodded.
The General called across the room to a bulbous man in uniform who was conversing with the flight director. "Colonel Yan."
Colonel Yan Xiaoming turned and approached with the trepidation of a man headed to the gallows.
The General stared at him. "Tell me what has happened."
"We are still assessing the data," Yan said, "but it was a flight failure during midphase acceleration."
"I can see that. What is the cause?"
The Colonel glanced at the clipboard he gripped tightly. "Preliminary readings indicate a possible thermal failure in the lead fairing. But the vehicle did produce a new speed mark prior to failure."
"A thermal failure? That was the cause of the last launch's demise? I had been led to believe that problem had been solved."
"It is proving a difficult challenge."
The General waved at the video screen that now showed an empty sky. "The President was expecting success today." He let the words sink in. "This is your third failure. It will also be your last. When can I tell the President that the issues will be resolved?"
"I . . . I cannot provide a current time estimate. Dr. Liu is examining potential solutions. We will not rest until we have an answer, sir."
"I want a full report of the failure on my desk in the morning," Xu said, "and a solution by the end of the week." He turned on his heel and stomped from the control center, his face flush with anger.
An uncomfortable silence hung over the room for a moment, then the technicians resumed examining the flight data.
Colonel Yan made a phone call, then turned again to the flight director. "Have Dr. Liu meet me in my office." He departed the room slowly, taking a last look at the blank video screen.
Yan made his way to a third-floor office in the headquarters building for the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. As program manager for the Dragonfly missile project, Yan's office was a large but plain space that overlooked a bare dirt field. He glanced out the window at a column of fresh recruits in the People's Liberation Army marching back and forth, their khaki uniforms blending with the mud underfoot.
Yan slumped i...
