The Romanov Ransom

To me this had the least amount of treasure or historical intrigue - but it did have a lot of adventure and it had believable bad guys (in comparison to the normal 2 dimensional thugs they usually square off against). The Fargos get a call that one of their employees has nephews that have gone off grid and could be in trouble. Sam and Remi decide to go to Morocco to investigate and in the process find themselves on the hunt for the Romanov Ransom. The problem is - they aren't the only ones looking for it. Slightly predictable - but always entertaining!

For a couple of self-styled archaeologists, the Fargos sure are racking up an impressive headcount. Not every goon that gets it shoots first; and you'd think that at some point a goon would have a family that would sue them for all their billions. But that never happens in this story - the goons are all red shirts just waiting to get what's coming to them.

The story begins with the legend of the Russian dowager empress Maria Feodorovna putting up her considerable personal fortune in an attempt to secure the release of the deposed Romanov family following the Bolshevik Revolution. The ransom disappeared, and the family was brutally executed.

This story posits that the fortune was squirreled away, only to be found by the Nazi's in WW2. The show more fortune was moved to Argentina, where it was supposed to finance German refugees intent on creating the Fourth Reich in what was known as Operation Werewolf.

The story takes our heroes to Morocco, then to Russia, then Poland, then Germany, and finally to South America. All the while they are uncovering baffling clues while being hounded by the "Wolf's Guard," a band of thugs sporting a Wolf tattoo and are part of the not-quite-dead-yet Operation Werewolf. show less

I really like the Fargo series. This one was very complicated and their adventure covered many countries. In 1918 a huge ransom was paid to free the Romanovs, but this ransom didn't help as the family was killed anyway. The Fargos learn that this ransom might still be out there and their goal is to reach it before the Nazis Werewolves who need the ransom to fund their cause.

It's been a good long while since I've read a book by Clive Cussler. I had fallen in love with the Dirk Pitt series and didn't care for others of his charcters ... until now. The Romanov Ransom, featuring Remi and Sam Fargo was a real page-turner that gave me no boredom at all. Challenges and solutions were fun and creative while maintaining suspense. I do believe I will look forward to reading future and past Fargo adventures.

The 9th Fargo Adventures book, Romanov Ransom, is not too shabby. It's a fast paced romp through Morocco, Argentina & Poland where the Fargos and seemingly 2 other nefarious groups are hunting a hoard stolen by the Nazis from Russia during world war 2.

More action than historical accuracy but that's to be expected with this type of book. My main complaint that stopped me from rating this as excellent was after all the across-the-world action, cat-and-mouse maneuvering and investigation the ending seemed a little rushed. Almost as if the publisher had instructed Burcell/Cussler to keep it the same length as the last book.

Overall though it's entertaining on par with the other Fargo offerings.

Although I felt the tale was unnecessarily long, I enjoyed the story well enough. A convoluted search with a 'cast of thousands' for the priceless treasure planned to save the hapless Romanovs from the merciless bolshevics during the Russian revolution. I admire the Cusser books because they are G Rated. A rarity in today's world. Well done Clive and friends.

Another search for lost treasure by the Fargos; this time from the Russian Romanoffs. Fighting off thieves and evil government agents while deciphering antique codes are the usual grist for Sam and Remi's mill. Faster on the trigger than usual, they eliminate bad guys, including numerous prospective nazis, at a rapid rate in this fun romp around the world.