I half-expected some of the team members to die in this novel, especially "minor" or "supporting" characters onboard the Oregon because the author has "the unthinkable" happen - the Oregon is boarded by a hostile force of four enhanced individuals; I expected a bloodbath to occur at one point but it never happened. In this book, we get the intro chapter of the book to discover some of Maurice's earlier military history before he retired from the British Navy and joined Juan Cabrillo's crew.

Cabrillo’s crew have met their most fearsome adversaries yet: a force of bio-hacked soldiers endowed with extreme strength and stamina and an unquenchable appetite for violence. Hoping to help a fellow former agent find her son at his boss’s request, the plot slowly takes us through a grand conspiracy, hoping to start a war with the US by firing a hypersonic missile at an aircraft carrier in the Gulf. The Oregon is not only a vessel but is a main character, an extension of every great character on board. The characters feel developed out and we worry for them, even when we sense that they are in danger. Juan Cabrillo is doing a favor for the CIA by tracking down the brother of a formerly high ranking Israeli agent.Like millions of others, I first became a Tom Clancy fan after reading The Hunt for Red October, and began my published fiction career in the same techno-thriller genre, starting with DRONE and the sequels, BLUE WARRIOR, DRONE COMMAND and DRONE THREAT. I grew up working in the canneries, feed mills and slaughterhouses of California’s San Joaquin Valley. I felt that the author took Cabrillo to an unbelievable "level" of survivability in this book and it took me out of the moment. What drew me to The Oregon Files and made it my Clive Cussler favorite series are the ship and her crew.

I thought the bad guys in this novel did exceptionally well against the Oregon crew even though they really knew nothing about them. When Juan Cabrillo, captain of the Oregon , is hired to extract an undercover operative in Kenya, he finds himself on the trail of a deadly international plot. A former British Royal Navy/Chief steward on The Oregon but I always knew there was more to Maurice than meets the eye.I think I've said this numerous times regarding these Clive Cussler originated books, but they're all good easy reading.

The book did have a lot of humor scattered throughout; I remember laughing at times while reading, but I do not remember what I found funny.I loved that he was able to use the shotgun shell in the heal of his boot to help him win a later fight.

It is always hard to "develop" an existing character or team of characters in a series of books because they still have to remain true to their core identities so that the readers do not lose interest in them; in addition, there are so many different authors in the books that it can become difficult to keep track of true character development in prior novels. Mike Maden adroitly takes over the reins in his second Oregon Files written under Clive Cusslers name. I also liked how Juan used one of the stolen missiles to take out the other stolen missile (hidden onboard a cargo vessel in an Iranian port. I enjoyed the blending of current technological levels with advanced theories and advanced levels of technology to extrapolate how things might turn out if such technology was more prevalent today. I am glad I started reading this series as it has been a lot of fun to read and I do feel fairly invested in this series of books (maybe not quite like the Dirk Pitt books, but still invested enough).Granted, the "super soldiers" plot kinda reminded me of Typhoon Fury except that the super soldiers in this story were altered using CRISPR technology as well as other alterations to their body based upon transhumanism, trying to shift certain groups of humans to "Humanity 2. Had any team members actually died, that would have led to some strong character growth as each surviving member of the crew would have had to process those losses. e. even though this is such a sophisticated ship, there is something in each new novel that will sink it), Juan goes solo on missions (which makes no sense, considering the level of talent of the crew and the myriad of injuries he sustains and miraculously can continue to function through the rest of the novel), and, oh yes, he also gets captured somehow in the middle. That would have been pretty crazy, to be on an aircraft carrier and watching a C-130 coming in to not only land but take off multiple times with its payload being increased for the next time it landed. As I said before in my previous book review, a LOVE BOAT is the last thing I want when reading this series.