Reading a Clive Cussler novel is like watching several movies at once. He's a master of the jump cut, moving the action from one continent to another with an entirely different cast of characters, good guys and bad, in each place. He always manages to pull the various characters, plots, and counterplots together, though, and the heroes always triumph in the end after saving the world from eco-terrorists, megalomaniacs with their ambitions primed for world domination, and a few regular old criminals thrown in for good measure. In this new adventure from the National Underwater & Marine Agency (NUMA) files, Kurt Austin and his partner Joe Zavala nearly die during a powerboat race when a pod of dead, bloated gray whales bobs to the surface and obstructs the race course. Attempting to discover what killed the whales, Kurt and Joe track their migratory route to a mysterious underwater laboratory on the Baja Peninsula. Once again they narrowly miss death when the lab explodes, destroying their minisubmarine and almost poaching them alive. What seemed like a simple scientific investigation turns into something very different: a confrontation with a 7-foot Valkyrie who's bent on taking over the earth's depleted freshwater reserves. In order to thwart her plans, Austin and Zavala venture deep into the jungle of the Venezuelan rain forest to find a supposedly mythical tribal goddess (one with a Ph.D. in science, of course) whose secret formula to desalinate seawater can put the kibosh on the Valkyrie's plans. Helped by a husband-wife NUMA team who've already made the goddess's acquaintance, plus the always fascinating techno-toys so beloved of superheroes, Kurt and Joe save the day. But before they do, there's plenty of heart-stopping action, random acts of murder and mutilation, and even a little romance. Great pacing, plenty of gadgets, a strong narrative, and bigger-than-life heroes and villains. If you've run out of summer action flicks already, make your own popcorn and curl up with Blue Gold instead. --Jane Adams


Book Description
KURT AUSTIN -- CLIVE CUSSLER'S NEW HERO FOR THE MILLENNIUM -- BATTLES TO STOP A BILLIONAIRE TYCOON FROM ACHIEVING WORLD DOMINATION BLUE GOLD An investigation into the sudden deaths of a pod of gray whales leads National Underwater & Marine Agency leader Kurt Austin to the Mexican coast, where someone tries to put him and his mini-sub permanently out of commission. Meanwhile, in South America's lush hills, a specially assigned NUMA team discovers a mysterious tribe, a mythical white goddess, and a murderous cadre of bio-pirates intent on stealing medicinal secrets worth millions. Soon, Austin and his crew realize they're working opposite ends of the same grand scheme and must race against time to save the world's freshwater supply from a twisted eco-extortionist. But every step toward salvation takes them deeper into a dense jungle of treachery, blackmail, and death.


Download Description
In last season's trade paperback original Serpent, Clive Cussler introduced a new series, the NUMA Files, and a hero for the next millennium, Kurt Austin. Serpent was an immediate success -- it spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and hit lists across the country as well. Now, in Cussler's latest NUMA Files adventure, Kurt Austin returns to slake his fans' thirst for action, and drown the plans of nefarious extortionists.Earth is a paradox -- a fertile world three-quarters covered with water, yet in danger of running dry. Overuse and pollution have drained most of its fresh water, and scientist Francesca Carval's brilliant formula for desalination (a process to convert salt water into fresh) has vanished with her plane over South America. But when Kurt Austin and his NUMA team come across a pod of dead whales, their investigation takes them from the open oceans to the Venezuelan jungle -- where a hunt for Carval places them in the direct line of fire of a cadre bent on controlling the world's supply of fresh water.With more than 100 million copies of his books sold worldwide, perennial bestselling author Clive Cussler is a publishing phenomenon. A world-class collector of classic automobiles, he has discovered more than sixty lost ships of historic significance with his own NUMA (National Underwater Marine Agency) crew of volunteers. He divides his time between Arizona and Colorado.


About the Author
Clive Cussler is the author of sixteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers. In his life away from the written word, Clive Cussler has searched for lost aircraft, led expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, and garnered an amazing record of success. With his own NUMA crew of volunteers, Cussler has discovered more than sixty lost ships of historic significance, including the recently raised long-lost Confederate submarine Hunley. A world-class collector of classic automobiles, Cussler divides his time between the deserts of Arizona and the mountains of Colorado.

FROM OUR EDITORS

National Underwater & Marine Agency stud Kurt Austin, who made his debut in 1999's massive bestseller,Serpent, now returns in Blue Gold. Here Kurt and crew work desperately to stop a madman's attempt to control the world's freshwater supply.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From deep within the Venezuelan rain forest emanates the legend of a white goddess and a mysterious tribe with startling technical accomplishments. Few believe the tribe exists - and even fewer suspect its deity may hold knowledge that can change the course of history." "For National Underwater & Marine Agency crew leader Kurt Austin, an investigation into the sudden deaths of rare whales leads him to the Mexican coast, where someone tries to put him and his mini-sub permanently out of commission. Meanwhile, in South America's lush hills, a specially assigned NUMA crew turns up the white-goddess legend and a murderous cadre of bio-pirates intent on stealing medicinal secrets worth millions. Soon Austin and his crew realize they're working the opposite ends of the same grand scheme. A billionaire California tycoon is posed to rise to power by monopolizing the earth's vastly depleted freshwater reserves and ultimately dominate the world." "Austin has a hunch Venezuela's mythical tribal goddess has some real roots in science, and may be the key to locating a secret formula that could turn vast amounts of seawater into fresh. But with each step into the bush, he and his NUMA team feel like fish out of water - and must fight a deadly, twisting trail of enemies through a dense jungle of treachery, blackmail and murder.

SYNOPSIS