I think this is the point where Cussler starts to hit his prime with the Dirk Pitt series. Dirk has grown out of most of his early ultra-misogynistic tendencies, and is even showing some serious feelings for Congresswoman Loren Smith. In fact, he is spending some 'alone time' with her at her father’s cabin in Colorado when he makes a series of discoveries that lead him to the wreck of Vixen 03, an Air Force plane that had been presumed lost in the Pacific over 30 years previously. What you really don’t expect is for this aircraft to eventually tie in to the fight against Apartheid in South Africa and an aggrieved retired Royal Navy captain. There’s not a lot of NUMA in this, though there are a couple of appearances by Al Giordino and Admiral Sandecker. You do get one of Cussler’s usual big finishes, complete with all of the unbelievability and close calls that make this series so much fun to read. ( )

You Won't Regret Buying This Book: Cecil Adams Straight Dope books are some of the best trivia books out there bar none. While you may not get the answers to the specific questions you are asking you will find answers to things you always wanted to know but never really thought to ask about.Cecil Adams has been writing his column for the Chicago Reader since 1973 and has been asked every random trivia questions under the sun and rarely is he unable to find the answer. Cecil Adams has a wicked sense of humor that makes his books so much fun to read over and over again.More Of The Straight Dope is the second book in his series and while it is hard to find, is certainly one of the best of the lot. He answers questions like - what exactly is Mojo? Why does your skin wrinkle in the tub? and so forth.No one has ever seen the real Cecil Adams and as long as he keeps answering questions and putting out books like this - no one will ever really care (well.... it is probably the last mystery that he will ever solve.)

Cussler is on form with Vixen 03. It's definitely one of his better early novels. Dirk Pitt, a recurring character, features in this stand-alone tale of terrorism, with plenty of mystery and action. The second quarter of the book is tough going, for it doesn't feature Pitt at all. At this point there are quite a few characters introduced in a short space of time and it is quite taxing to keep up. However, Cussler is canny with his prose and utilises a few summarising techniques to keep the readers on track. There is good reason for the depth of story early on - the plots are well twisted and create a decent level of suspense. Ultimately Vixen delivers, in terms of quality and quantity. It doesn't over play the story, and the finale is well executed. If you remember to take Cussler's work with a hefty pinch of salt you'll enjoy Vixen 03 - a solid adventure yarn. ( )

Typical Cussler adventure story with his hero Dirk Pitt performing the impossible. I don,t mind that as if you buy his books you know youare doing so for a little light reading and escapism (rather like watching a Bond movie). However, despite a promising start it deterioated rapidly and whilst I persisted with it I don,t really know why. I can accept an unbelievable storylinr but the story relating to the Scottish Farmer, Fawkes was too much to bear. There was also a lack of fluecy in the writing in the latter part of the book and I just wonder if the author was also starting to struggle to find the appropriate plot. A poor effort I,m afraid. ( )

Light summer reading. A little disappointed that it followed good guy story line with very little suprise or thrill in the plot. ( )