Product Description

The explosive New York Times bestselling Oregon Files series returns!

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the covert combat ship Oregon have barely escaped a mission on the Congo River when they intercept a mayday from a defenseless boat under fire off the African coast. Cabrillo takes action, saving the beautiful Sloane Macintyre-who's looking for a long-submerged ship that may hold a fortune in diamonds. But what surprises Cabrillo is her story about a crazy fisherman who claims to have been attacked on the open sea by giant metal snakes in the same area.

What begins as a snake hunt leads Cabrillo onto the trail of a far more lethal quarry-a deranged militant and his followers who plan to unleash the devastating power of nature itself against all who oppose them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19664 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780425211892
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Clive Cussler is the author or coauthor of many New York Times bestsellers, including Polar Shift, Black Wind, and Lost City. He divides his time between the mountains of Colorado and the deserts of Arizona.

Jack Du Brul is the author of the Philip Mercer series. He holds a degree in international relations from George Washington University and lives in Vermont with his wife, Debbie.

From AudioFile
Juan Cabrillo is off the coast of Africa with the crew of the OREGON, a high-tech undercover combat ship for hire, when he becomes entangled with beautiful Sloane Macintyre. With their combined resources and determination they seek a lost fortune in stolen diamonds. The treasure's dark history is matched by the fanaticism of an influential environmental terrorist. Narrator Scott Brick is well suited for this testosterone-laced tale of tough guys. His voice projects barely restrained intensity, like a street-fighter looking for any excuse to start throwing punches. Unfortunately, Brick's British and African accents are not as strong as his solid narration of the main characters. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

TYPICAL CUSSLER, WHICH IS TERRIFIC

Scott Brick, who reads the Unabridged edition, is one of the most proficient voice performers to be found. Dubbed a Golden voice by AudioFile, he's also garnered a Science Fiction Audie and a few Earphones Awards. Gifted and versatile he brings the same standard of excellence to every title he reads, whether it be a mystery, historical biography or as in this case a high tech thriller. His voice is clear, distinct and a pleasure to hear.

The Abridged version is read by Jason Culp, an actor who has appeared both on stage and on television, most memorably on Days Of Our Lives and General Hospital. While he does not have Mr. Brick's experience with audio books, his narrative is worthy and highly listenable.

Fans of Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul know what to expect - an exciting tale with action galore. They won't be disappointed with Skeleton Coast.

The covert combat ship with Juan Cabrillo and crew on board almost became history. But luck was with them one more time, and they escaped virtually unscathed after a mission on the Congo River. Their survival is a good thing for a boat being fired upon. Cabrillo responds to the craft's mayday, saving the vessel and a gorgeous woman passenger, Macintyre Sloane. She's been searching for the HMS Rove which was buried under sand in 1896. Why? Because the Rove holds untold millions in raw diamonds.

Of course, Sloane's not the only one after the fortune, and some would just as soon kill her to make sure she doesn't get it. Cabrillo soon finds that saving Sloane has put him in more danger than he knew existed.

Typical Cussler, which is terrific.

- Gail Cooke

Two Great Writers Equal One Great Book
The two best adventure writers currently drawing breath deliver another superb adventure from the Oregon Files. This book bears the distinct stamp of both Cussler and duBrul, which means a great read for us! Though I kind of miss the old format of the Corporation pulling off a multi-pronged heist of some sort, this book's more basic adventure yarn format is a smashing success. Juan Cabrillo is turning into one heck of a leading man.

Like all Cussler novels, this one begins with a story from the past, this time about millions of dollars worth of diamonds that disappear off the African coast. DeBeers investigator Sloane MacIntyre is searching for them when she needs to be rescued from some very dangerous men by Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon.

The Oregon happened to be in the area because of a job delivering weapons to some rebels on the Congo River that had gone awry. The ship also intercepts a piece of a satellite phone conversation regarding a kidnapped industrialist and, ever the capitalist, Juan Cabrillo decides to send in a team to rescue him, sure of a handsome reward. Of course, the same people who kidnapped the American businessman and one of his employees are also involved in an even bigger scheme that threatens millions of lives, and it also ties together with Sloane MacIntyre's diamond hunt.

This book is not for the squeamish, full of lots of violence and starring some really evil bad guys. Typical of both authors, we never turn away from the action, instead relishing every moment of it. When not embroiled in an intense, unflinching battle scene, the book delves even deeper into the character of Juan Cabrillo. He is fast climbing the ranks of my favorite adventure heroes, and I have to say we've got both Cussler and duBrul to thank for that. Cabrillo encompasses the best of both.

You can't go wrong reading Cussler or duBrul, and this book showcases the immense talents of both. If you haven't delved into the Oregon Files yet, get busy. You're missing out on some of the best adventure fiction being written today.

I miss the old Cussler
I have mixed feelings about this book. I love Cussler's older ones ('Inca Gold', 'Raise the Titanic!', 'Sahara' - the book, not the movie despite Matthew McConaughey) but they were all Dirk Pitt novels. And they weren't collaborations. This is my first 'Oregon Files'/collaboration novel, and I just couldn't get into it. The characters were fine, very varied and all competent, though mostly a little too competent for the real world. The execution of the storyline was interesting enough that, when I completely suspended disbelief, I enjoyed it. Minus the poorly thought-out stereotypes of the environmental extremists.

It was, I think, the misdirection of the excerpt and prologue vs. the storyline. I was really looking forward to the diamond search, what happened to the HMS Rove? It was the history of those missing diamonds that caught my attention and made me want to read the Oregon Files book. That particular plot took up all of maybe 20 pages.

As I said, the rest was mostly well done and fast paced, just not what I was expecting, and it skewed my enjoyment of the story.