Clive Cussler's Hellburner (Oregon Files)

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I don't know what Maden was trying to do but the Corporation in this book are really not it. The whole spirit of the team is just gone, all the characters felt so boring to me when usually I absolutely love reading about them. The amazing team spirit that makes the Corporation just wasn't there. I don't know what happened. Also, where were the gundogs? Eddie and MacD were hardly mentioned in this book and Raven and Linc were pretty scarce too. The characters just felt really "dead" to me, there was no spirit and Juan and the others just sort of annoyed me. With millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance, the Oregon's crew must unravel a tangle of drug-smuggling routes and international conspiracies spanning from the Aegean Sea to the Indian Ocean. But to do so means putting their lives on the line to find the weapon - before its countdown hits zero... Only Cabrillo and the Oregon crew stand between the Pipeline and huge destruction. But this is the place they work best . . . Very disappointed, it seems like the last couple of books have just been going through the motions. From the start it seemed like I was in a Star Trek story, bring on a new character just to kill them off. I once again felt like this was just an assembly of past stories, very disjointed. The journalist character seemed out of place and coincidences were over the top. The decision to let her go by herself when her father was released so out of place and an obviously stupid decision it just left me wondering WTF. I understand it is fiction but if you are going to use everyday items make sure you get their uses correct or at least believable. Not sure why the author used "The Dragon" as a reference to hardship and that it is blood-soaked pavement, I guess they have never been to Deal's Gap. The final climactic scene was ridiculous, the books in the past have always made the characters more capable than the average human being, however this time it was so far in left field they felt more like superhero's than people.

Valentin hit the remote trigger. Three towering geysers erupted harmlessly to the Sungu Barat's starboard as it veered away. Calvera swore violently. He'd butchered men for lesser insults. But he swallowed his pride-a tactical necessity.A series of twists keeps the book racing ahead. Cussler fans won’t be disappointed.” — Publishers Weekly In other words, you have no authority, Capitan Soto. That means you are a pirate, and piracy is a violation of international law. We will not allow you to board us." Calvera had never seen his number two this shaken up before. Santos was as loyal as an old hunting dog and just as reliable. But Santos had more to lose. He kept several spoiled young wives and fifteen fat children in three separate countries. What troubled Juan now was the disappearance of the entire trawler crew, no doubt preparing to repel boarders. He kept his assault team small to minimize casualties but they all punched above their weight. No matter what came at them, his people would handle it. Cabrillo’s Corporation of mercenaries may have finally met its match in The Pipeline—a criminal syndicate passed down from father to son across generations. A group that sits with its finger on the trigger of a torpedo so deadly it could level entire cities. With millions of innocent civilians hanging in the balance, the Oregon’s crew must unravel a tangle of drug-smuggling routes and international conspiracies spanning from the Aegean Sea to the Indian Ocean, putting their lives on the line to find the weapon before its countdown hits zero.

Calvera stepped outside onto the bridgewing and raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes. The frothing white wake from his churning propeller drew a straight line to the bow of the distant freighter like a tracer round to its target.I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and giver my honest review of this book Santos saw the flashing comms light. He pulled on his earphones and tapped a button. A moment later, he glanced up at Calvera. Oh, how I love the disguised fighter and intel-gathering ship, The Oregon. It marvels me that this state of art technology ship has an outer shell of an old, rusty, filthy, and SMELLY tramp steamer. The inside though is equipped with just about everything you can imagine; a weapons room, a garage for their cutting-edge vehicles, a tiltrotor, a pool, five stars kitchen & chef, a meeting room that mirrors the WH situation room, a trauma center, and a science lab. They adorn their interior walls with priceless original paintings for crying out loud! The crew is mostly former military/intelligence except for a Hollywood guy who lends his special effects, makeup, and wardrobe talent. It is a solid chapter in the series. Like all writers who try to capture the style and feel of another author, it is not easy. Mr. Maden tries his best and it is a good story, well written and fun to read on a summer afternoon when it is too hot to go outside, but it is easy to tell that it is not as good as the early books in the series

Calvera's eyes remained fixed on his watch. He was doing the calculations in his mind, a more reliable instrument than any computer. Calvera's eyes narrowed, focused on a bead of sweat glistening on his first officer's forehead. "My math skills are equal to yours, Santos." But before the laugh had escaped his mouth, the two six-barreled rotary canons of a Russian-made Kashtan close-in weapons system opened up from the top of the cargo ship’s forward mast. The canons delivered ten thousand rounds per minute but it only took one brief, earsplitting second for the Kashtan to deliver enough 30mm explosive tungsten-tipped ammo to utterly destroy Calvera’s smaller weapon. This is Capitan Calvera of El Valiente. We are a flagged ship of the sovereign nation of Argentina sailing lawfully in international waters. Who are you and why are you pursuing us with the intention of harm?"He snatched up a satellite phone from his command station, then turned toward Santos as he pulled his pistol from its holster. Hellburner" written by Mike Maden is an exciting installment right from the start. The quality and style of the book stay true to the series. You can tell that the author is either a fan of the series or did a lot of homework. I never get tired of following these guys and gals on their adventures.