Skeleton Coast (The Oregon Files) [Mass Market Paperback]

Clive Cussler (Author), Jack Du Brul (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2012 | Series: The Oregon Files (Book 7)

The author of the bestselling NUMA(r) and Dirk Pitt(r) series continues the adventure and intrigue featuring his unbeatable hero of the high seas: Captain Juan Cabrillo...

Editorial Reviews

Review

The guy I read Tom Clancy Cussler is hard to beat Daily Mail --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Clive Cussler is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Spy and Lost Empire. He lives in Arizona.
Jack Du Brul is a graduate of the Westminster School and George Washington University. Trying to add as much adventure to his life as he does to his novels, Du Brul has climbed Masada at noon, swam in the Arctic Ocean off Point Barrow, explored war-torn Eritrea, camped in Greenland, and was gnawed on by piranhas in the Amazon River. He collects zeppelin memorabilia and when not writing or traveling (25 countries and counting), he can be found in a favorite chair with a book and a brandy. Jack Du Brul lives in Burlington, Vermont.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425245713
• ISBN-13: 978-0425245712
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Suspense

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Great Writers Equal One Great Book, December 14, 2006

By 

Kara J. Jorges "Avid Reader" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Skeleton Coast (The Oregon Files) (Paperback)

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.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TYPICAL CUSSLER, WHICH IS TERRIFIC, October 16, 2006

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skeleton Coast (Oregon Files) (Audio CD)

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

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Du Brul and Cussler succeed again!, October 13, 2008

By 

Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skeleton Coast (The Oregon Files) (Paperback)

The Corporation is a mercenary private enterprise for hire by any government agency that can afford its fees. Juan Cabrillo, the Chairman, runs his black ops from a ship called "The Oregon". Disguised as an overused, out of date, non-descript mercantile vessel that's destined for the scrap yard, the Oregon is actually a state of the art war vessel packed with high-tech intelligence gathering equipment, powerful weaponry and a fully muscled set of magnetohydrodynamic engines that, pushed to flank speed, will give virtually any ship on the high seas a run for its money. If you've read any Clive Cussler novels at all, it won't be a surprise to hear that Cabrillo is right over the top - an entirely unbelievable lead character (think Mr Phelps from Mission Impossible on steroids) leading an equally unbelievable crew with uncanny intelligence and virtually superhuman strength and endurance. The missions they accept in Cussler's Oregon Files series are typically of the "save the world from domination or destruction by a nefarious lunatic" variety.

When I reviewed "Golden Buddha", the first in the Oregon Files series, I gave it a grudging single star and swore that I would likely never read another Cussler novel again. Frankly, it was just awful! But after a two year abstinence, my past fondness for Cussler's earlier work over-ruled my reluctance and "Plague Ship" rewarded me with a thoroughly enjoyable read. I gave Jack Du Brul a second chance and I hit pay dirt again with "Skeleton Coast"

A covert running gun battle with revolutionaries on the Congo River, a search for a long lost fortune in diamonds buried in the Kalahari desert, the typical sexy and beautiful female heroine who overcomes all odds against her, environmental terrorism, the miraculous rescue of a kidnapped industrialist from an abandoned prison - the details are actually not important. The fact is ... they're really quite forgettable within a very short period after you've finished the novel. What's much more important is that, unlike "Golden Buddha", for example, which was an exercise in nonsensical hyperbole, "Skeleton Coast" remained (just barely, mind you) within the bounds of an enjoyable credibility-stretching thriller that really should be turned into a rock-em, sock-em Hollywood SFX loaded James Bond style flick.

I found Cussler's brief sidebars on the evolution of hurricanes and the importance of ocean currents and water temperature in their development particularly interesting.

Literature? Certainly not! But a perfectly enjoyable break from the workaday world that any thriller reader will enjoy. Recommended.

Paul Weiss