MacLean just doesn't seem to have it any more. The characters are so flat, they fit between the pages. ( )

In the 1970s, a secret group of oil tycoons hire a mercenary to destroy their rival's oil rig off the Texas coast. In the process Cronkite blows up an oil tanker, hijacks a second tanker, kidnaps Lord Worth's two daughters, and involves warships from Russia, Venezuela and Cuba. Two private investigators attempt to save the oil rig and rescue the daughters before it's too late.
Somewhat dated, but a good escape-read thriller, vintage Alistair Maclean. ( )