In this latest chapter in the Dirk Pitt saga (Raise the Titanic!, Cyclops)—which finds the recovery mariner seeking a truly mind-boggling treasure—Cussler pumps out yet another preposterous plotboiler with uncappable good cheer. Its cartoon characters speaking in balloons, the story—whether flying or submerged—is much like a Classic Comix version of Jules Verne's novels of fantastic transportation. It begins in antiquity, with Theodosius about to burn the library at Alexandria. A rogue fleet sets sail bearing the cream of the library's artifacts and scrolls, including the complete works of Homer in 27 books and the coffin of Alexander (with the world conqueror himself inside). Many weeks later the ships manage to bury their treasure in a remote land, but all except one of the ships and their crews are lost when attacked by savages (actually Aztecs). The lone ship to escape later freezes in ice near Green-land, its passengers preserved perfectly. Two millenia later, Dirk Pitt discovers the the frozen vessel while looking for a lost Russian nuclear sub under the Arctic ice. Meanwhile, an Islamic terrorist group tries to kill the female Secretary of the United Nations, a beautiful Egyptian, by crashing her jet into the Arctic ice. Not only does Dirk hear the plane go down, so does a group of archaeologists on a nearby island. At the same time, in Mexico, a messianic Aztec has arisen and plans to take over the country. Later, he even invades Texas. A map Dirk finds on the frozen Byzantine ship now leads him to Roma, Texas, since it is clear that the fleeing Alexandrians have sailed up the Rio Grande and buried their loot in a Texas hillside. Does the thoughtful reader now explode with tears of appreciation for such zestful nonsense? Many will, many will!—especially when our hushed President is at last shown the golden casket of Alexander the Great: "The President felt as if he was about to meet God." Titantic. Just titanic.
Pub Date: April 7, 1988
ISBN: 1451621019
Page Count: 678
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1988
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
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