**The NUMA crew, under Kurt Austinβs direction, take on a blood-thirsty family with a fortune built on crime, in what may be race to discover the very secret of ever-lasting life in this heart-bounding installment in the #1 New York Times -bestselling series.
**
Kurt Austin is mid-mission when his new colleague, the stunning archeologist Skye Labelle, is called away to examine a mysterious 16th-century military helmet discovered in the possession of a very contemporary-looking corpse. Ms. Labelleβs research on the armor draws her into the sights of a ruthless black-widow with her own plans for the artifact. As danger creeps closer to Ms. Labelle, a scientist half-way across the globe is kidnapped. At the same time, experts working to harvest an enzyme discovered two thousand feet down in the North Atlantic, in an area known as βLost City,β start turning up dead. Worlds apart in location and areas of expertise, they all have something in common. And itβs up to Kurt Austin, with the help of Joe Zavala and the NUMA Special Assignments Team, to put the pieces together if heβs going to keep his friend safe.
From the Paperback edition.
**
From Publishers Weekly
Kurt Austin, leader of the National Underwater and Marine Agency's Special Assignments Team, battles international evildoers again in the fifth installment of this excellent series. There are several parallel plots: a mysterious aviator has been found frozen in a massive glacier; a mutant seaweed is threatening to choke the world's oceans; a giant submarine is roaming the thermal vents of the deep sea area known as the Lost City; and the secretive, arms-dealing Fauchard family, run by ruthless black-widow Racine and her homicidal son, Emil, is up to no good. Also there's a mysterious 16th-century helmet, a search for the philosopher's stone and an island of filthy, mutant cannibals. Austin's love interest is lush, sensual Skye Labelle, an archeologist specializing in arms and armor ("She had a good body, but it would never make the cover of Sports Illustrated "). Kidnappings, hair's-breadth escapes, fierce battles, strange science, beautiful women and plenty of action add up to vintage Cussler. Of course, one of the secrets of the genre is to waste no time on ancillary details: "Before long, a cigar-shaped object came into view"; "Before long, they were stepping out of the cockpit onto the deck." Readers will find that, before long, they're racing through the pages as Austin and his band of merry men fight to stop the Fauchards from reaching the ultimate evildoer's goal: world domination.
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From School Library Journal
Adult/High SchoolβThe Fauchards, successful developers and sellers of weapons, keep their place as a major power in the industry through many centuries. Kurt Austin and his crew of trained scientists and elite fighters from the National Underwater and Marine Agency begin investigating nefarious activities of the powerful Racine Fauchard and her son. Their dastardly project involves scientific experiments on humans in order to find an elixir of eternal youth. They are also leading a team of mercenaries who are melting down a massive glacier containing the remains of a Fauchard ancestor and a metal helmet on which is recorded the formula for the elixir. At the same time, the oceans of the world are under siege from a mutant strain of algae, one of the vile spin-off plots by the devilish Racine. Myriad subplots weave together until they form the ending. Along the way, the action fluctuates from a steady pace to racing forward when they intertwine. The story is set in the present, and historical events are added to help explain elements of the complex plot. Settings range from under the Atlantic Ocean to the French Alps and Greece. The Fauchards' creepy castle, complete with dungeon and torture chamber, increases the feeling of science fiction that often accompanies Cussler's stories. Interesting and entertaining reading.βPam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.