Action & Adventure
![Clive Cussler - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000APJ4L6.jpg)
![Boyd Morrison - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B002RW2VPQ.jpg)
Marauder (The Oregon Files)
It's up to Juan Cabrillo and the crew of his ship, the Oregon, to stop a terrorist plot to release a deadly chemical weapon across the globe in the explosive new novel in Clive Cussler's #1 New York Times bestselling series.
While interrupting an attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker, Juan Cabrillo and his team discover something even more dangerous: a ruthless billionaire's dying wish has allowed a paralyzing chemical to end up in the hands of a terrorist group. When an Oregon crew member falls victim to the poison, Juan Cabrillo will stop at nothing to find an antidote before it is too late. He and his team must connect an ancient mystery with a cunning modern enemy in order to save millions of innocent lives, including their own.
While interrupting an attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker, Juan Cabrillo and his team discover something even more dangerous: a ruthless billionaire's dying wish has allowed a paralyzing chemical to end up in the hands of a terrorist group. When an Oregon crew member falls victim to the poison, Juan Cabrillo will stop at nothing to find an antidote before it is too late. He and his team must connect an ancient mystery with a cunning modern enemy in order to save millions of innocent lives, including their own.
Editorial Reviews
"Suspenseful...Readers will race through the pages to see what happens next."--Publishers Weekly
"Enough action and suspense here to keep adventure fans turning the pages...A solid entry in a reliable action series."--Booklist
"The late Clive Cussler and bestselling author Boyd Morrison are back together one more time in this latest Oregon Files thriller...Marauder is everything you would want from this writing team, and the action never slows down."--Bookreporter.com
"Enough action and suspense here to keep adventure fans turning the pages...A solid entry in a reliable action series."--Booklist
"The late Clive Cussler and bestselling author Boyd Morrison are back together one more time in this latest Oregon Files thriller...Marauder is everything you would want from this writing team, and the action never slows down."--Bookreporter.com
Readers Top Reviews
Billgeoff churchTaki
It is good to see the crew back with a new ship. Basically the same story as all of them, but that is why I read them. I've been reading Cussler books for about 20 years, fiction and nonfiction and have enjoyed them all. I read the fiction for entertainment, better than TV or movies, and it never fails to please. The writing is good, the editing is good and the reads are quick with good stopping points to pick up later. I'll keep reading these and other Clive Cussler books, keep them coming.
Michael CagneyA. Bur
This is my second negative review ever for a Cussler novel which this time was co-authored by Boyd Morrison. Morrison's last co-authored Cussler I rated 5 stars that is the "Final Option". The problem with "Marauder" is very simply immature crafting of a promising script and the difference between this and his last novel is quite stark. The plot is maddeningly simple and often confusing better suited to a more forgiving 13 to 16 year old audience which for a 75 year old is a major derailment as you might imagine. So I suggest you leave this one on the shelf and move on.
Lois Fisher
This is my first time reading an Oregon Files novel. I used to devour Clive Cussler books. Was saddened when he died. My boyfriend likes Oregon, and I decided to give it a try. Entertaining. Action never stops. That was the thing that spoiled it a bit for me. I like more depth of characterization. And there was room for development. Solid female characters. Recommended.
Michael S
This is not great literature but fun reading where the reader can suspend belief for the time it takes to read the book. Is it a formula, yes. Is it familiar and somewhat predictable, yes. It is, however, a nice diversion that is well written and just enjoyable to read. In this crappy pandemic, what more can you ask
Angus HodgsonMichael
As usual a great story full of twists. I only found one flaw in the story. How do you pull the pin on a grenade with your teeth if you are wearing a gas mask? Not that you want to make a habit of pulling grenade pins with your teeth, they are deliberately hard to pull to prevent accidental losing of the pin. Always remember, once you pull the pin Mr. Grenade is not your friend. But other than that, a great story as I have come to expect from the series.
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
Strait of Malacca
Captain Omar Rahal tracked the small boat racing across the placid waters of the narrow strait. It was approaching his California-bound oil tanker from dead ahead, and far too quickly to be a fishing boat. He'd tried to raise them on the radio, but there was no response. It meant only one thing.
Pirates.
Using his binoculars, he could see that the boat was full of men armed with guns, but there was nothing he could do to avoid them. The Dahar was more than 300 meters long, and the strait between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra was barely three kilometers across at its narrowest point. The ponderous ship would be impossible to turn around, and the speedboat would easily outmaneuver any attempt to ram it.
"Increase to full speed," he nevertheless told the executive officer. "We're not going to make the Dahar an easy target." Such high velocity for a ship as big as theirs was risky in these tight confines, even with calm seas, but he couldn't let them hijack his ship without doing something.
As the XO ordered full power, Rahal activated the shipwide intercom. "Now hear this, men. We have hostiles off our bow. They are armed and mean to board us. Initiate emergency lockdowns and go to your action stations. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to fight them." He didn't want any crew members to die on his watch.
The boat passed behind the bow of the Dahar so that Rahal could no longer see it. He went to the port bridge wing so he could watch for it over the side of the ship.
They came back into view, and he could now make out seven men clad in T-shirts and armed with automatic rifles. There had to be an eighth driving, hidden by the roof of the tiny wheelhouse. The boat circled around so it could match the tanker's speed. Rahal spied a man holding an extendable ladder.
He called to the XO. "Activate the SSAS alarm."
The XO flipped open a safety cover and pressed a large red button. The Ship Security Alert System was a silent alarm that contacted the ship's base of operations to inform them that a hijacking was in progress. It ensured that the hijackers would not be warned that help had been summoned.
A few seconds later, the bridge phone rang. Rahal picked it up.
"This is Captain Rahal on the Dahar."
"Captain, this is operations headquarters. We are calling to verify that you have an emergency in progress."
"Affirmative. This is not a false alarm." Rahal recited the code sequence verifying his identity. "Seven or eight armed men are preparing to board us."
"Understood. We have your position and will contact the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard. Stay on the line as long as you can. Are there any ships in your vicinity that could render aid?"
"What do we have on our radar?" Rahal asked the XO.
The XO peered at the radar screen and shook his head in dismay. "The closest vessel looks to be a freighter thirty kilometers behind us."
"Even if we stop, it would take her two hours to get here," Rahal spoke into the phone. "What's my ETA on the Coast Guard?"
"The MMEA is scrambling a helicopter in Johor, but the soonest they'll make it to you is ninety minutes. Stay calm and do not resist the hijackers. Help is on the way."
Rahal smirked at the XO. "'Help is on the way,' he says."
"We're going to need it," the XO replied, pointing down at the deck.
The top of the ladder poked above the railing. Rahal dropped the phone and ran out to the bridge wing again. While some of the hijackers had their weapons trained on the railing in case anyone tried to push it away, others began climbing up, several of them carrying large backpacks in addition to their weapons. When seven of them were on deck, they ran toward the superstructure at the rear of the ship.
Rahal got back on the phone. "Headquarters, I have to hang up now. The hostiles are approaching the bridge."
"Good luck, Captain."
Rahal tried to calm himself for the sake of the rest of the bridge crew, but his insides felt like pudding. He hadn't been this shaken since the Iraqis invaded his native Kuwait when he was a teenager working on a fishing boat.
A few moments later, he heard feet pounding up the stairs.
"No sudden moves," Rahal said to his men.
The door was flung open, and three Southeast Asian men burst onto the brid...
Strait of Malacca
Captain Omar Rahal tracked the small boat racing across the placid waters of the narrow strait. It was approaching his California-bound oil tanker from dead ahead, and far too quickly to be a fishing boat. He'd tried to raise them on the radio, but there was no response. It meant only one thing.
Pirates.
Using his binoculars, he could see that the boat was full of men armed with guns, but there was nothing he could do to avoid them. The Dahar was more than 300 meters long, and the strait between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra was barely three kilometers across at its narrowest point. The ponderous ship would be impossible to turn around, and the speedboat would easily outmaneuver any attempt to ram it.
"Increase to full speed," he nevertheless told the executive officer. "We're not going to make the Dahar an easy target." Such high velocity for a ship as big as theirs was risky in these tight confines, even with calm seas, but he couldn't let them hijack his ship without doing something.
As the XO ordered full power, Rahal activated the shipwide intercom. "Now hear this, men. We have hostiles off our bow. They are armed and mean to board us. Initiate emergency lockdowns and go to your action stations. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to fight them." He didn't want any crew members to die on his watch.
The boat passed behind the bow of the Dahar so that Rahal could no longer see it. He went to the port bridge wing so he could watch for it over the side of the ship.
They came back into view, and he could now make out seven men clad in T-shirts and armed with automatic rifles. There had to be an eighth driving, hidden by the roof of the tiny wheelhouse. The boat circled around so it could match the tanker's speed. Rahal spied a man holding an extendable ladder.
He called to the XO. "Activate the SSAS alarm."
The XO flipped open a safety cover and pressed a large red button. The Ship Security Alert System was a silent alarm that contacted the ship's base of operations to inform them that a hijacking was in progress. It ensured that the hijackers would not be warned that help had been summoned.
A few seconds later, the bridge phone rang. Rahal picked it up.
"This is Captain Rahal on the Dahar."
"Captain, this is operations headquarters. We are calling to verify that you have an emergency in progress."
"Affirmative. This is not a false alarm." Rahal recited the code sequence verifying his identity. "Seven or eight armed men are preparing to board us."
"Understood. We have your position and will contact the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard. Stay on the line as long as you can. Are there any ships in your vicinity that could render aid?"
"What do we have on our radar?" Rahal asked the XO.
The XO peered at the radar screen and shook his head in dismay. "The closest vessel looks to be a freighter thirty kilometers behind us."
"Even if we stop, it would take her two hours to get here," Rahal spoke into the phone. "What's my ETA on the Coast Guard?"
"The MMEA is scrambling a helicopter in Johor, but the soonest they'll make it to you is ninety minutes. Stay calm and do not resist the hijackers. Help is on the way."
Rahal smirked at the XO. "'Help is on the way,' he says."
"We're going to need it," the XO replied, pointing down at the deck.
The top of the ladder poked above the railing. Rahal dropped the phone and ran out to the bridge wing again. While some of the hijackers had their weapons trained on the railing in case anyone tried to push it away, others began climbing up, several of them carrying large backpacks in addition to their weapons. When seven of them were on deck, they ran toward the superstructure at the rear of the ship.
Rahal got back on the phone. "Headquarters, I have to hang up now. The hostiles are approaching the bridge."
"Good luck, Captain."
Rahal tried to calm himself for the sake of the rest of the bridge crew, but his insides felt like pudding. He hadn't been this shaken since the Iraqis invaded his native Kuwait when he was a teenager working on a fishing boat.
A few moments later, he heard feet pounding up the stairs.
"No sudden moves," Rahal said to his men.
The door was flung open, and three Southeast Asian men burst onto the brid...
