REVIEW: Pacific Vortex

Pacific Vortex
Author: Clive Cussler

When I was a teenager, I loved the Dirk Pitt adventure stories. But once I went to college, got married, had kids, etc., I lost track of many series that I enjoyed. Now that I'm older and have more time for reading, I'm going back and revisiting many authors and series that I missed. I've read two James Bond books this year so far....and those stories reminded me of Dirk Pitt. Dirk Pitt is like James Bond...or what 007 would be if he was into underwater exploration and salvage missions.

Pacific Vortex is the first Dirk Pitt story, even though it was not the first book that was published. Dirk is an underwater engineer for the North American Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). He investigates ship wrecks, salvages cargo and occasionally gets involved in political intrigue. In Pacific Vortex, Pitt discovers a communications float from a US Navy submarine that went missing six months before. The sub was never found, so he takes the information to the Navy. NUMA loans Pitt to the Navy to assist in looking for the submarine. It seems many vessels over the past 30 years or so have disappeared without a trace in that area of the Pacific. When one of the lost vessels is a new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine, it's time to figure out what's going on. Turns out the investigation is going to be much more dangerous than anyone expected!

Just like James Bond, Dirk Pitt is very much a man's man. He likes beautiful women, fast cars, adventure and excitement. This story is very action oriented, a bit cheesy (just like Bond) and completely testosterone-y. Readers who don't enjoy man-centric action stories might want to pass this one by. Dirk does not pull any punches....literally. In this book, a woman attempts to kill him with a hypodermic needle filled with poison.....he punches her lights out. The character is a very masculine stereotype. He takes what he wants....goes after the bad guys....and attracts the most beautiful women. It is what it is. As for me, I love action stories. If Dirk were a real person, I would probably dislike him, finding him a bit over the top and arrogant. But......he is a fictional action hero. I'm just interested in things blowing up, gun fire, the answer to the mystery they are investigating and the final fight where the good guys win. :)

I enjoyed re-reading this book. I'm going to read the entire series. I've always enjoyed Clive Cussler's books....especially because he actually does underwater exploration and salvage in real life. Great adventure stories!