From Publishers Weekly

Fresh from a caper involving an artificial volcano (Vulcan's Forge), geologist/mining consultant Philip Mercer finds himself imperiled by greedy Arabs, a nasty ex-KGB agent and ecoterrorists. The U.S. president's convoluted plan to end American dependence on foreign oil by opening up Alaska's oil fields sets off a lethal chain of events and international espionage. A scheme involving the United Arab Emirates government and ex-KGB agent Ivan Kerikov results in the Planetary Environment Action League (PEAL) wrecking the Alaskan pipeline. The action barrels from Alaska to Los Angeles, the Middle East to Washington, running up an appalling casualty list from land and sea misadventures. Mercer, whose "smile was a challenge no woman could resist," finds himself involved with Aggie Johnston, oil heiress and PEAL activist. After some dim repartee (and her kidnapping by Arabs), the couple team up to foil their shared enemies. The writing spans the predictable (a bad guy is "handsome in a cruel way") and unclear ("His shoes were heavy and strident") to historically incorrect ("the Fascist Revolution that swept in Hitler, Tito and Mussolini"). Despite Du Brul's ambitions for his dashing hero, Mercer ("I'll marry the first woman who leaves the seat up for me") is no James Bond. But with one of Mercer's most violent, vengeful enemies remaining at large at the novel's close, Mercer is sure to make Bond-like, bloody and action-packed appearances in future Du Brul titles.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A follow-up to the highly praised Vulcan's Forge (1998), again featuring engineer and geological consultant Philip Mercer, a Bond clone with a sybarite's taste for the good things in life and a Derringer strapped to his testicles. Intelligent writing is always a pleasure: readers will enjoy Du Brul's descriptions of geological mining practices and his thoughtful consideration of the question as to whether or not the rewards of new mining practices make concurrent damage to the planet worth the heavy cost. There are no easy answers, as Mercer makes clear when helping to inflict lasting damage on Arctic wildlife in return for the US gaining an oil supply fully independent of the Middle East. Even so, he falls for environmentalist Aggie Johnston, whose father, Max, is a bad guy in league with nasty, super-fat Arab Hassan bin-Rufti, who plans to take over the United Arab Emirate while the US is diverted into protecting its second Trans-Alaska Pipeline and mopping up the oil spill from a supertanker taken over by terroristsa ship that, if its sunk in Puget Sound will perhaps sink the US President's new environmental program as well. Massive resistance to said program is underway already, with saboteurs and environmentalists gathering at Anchorage and Valdez, and threatening letters being sent to oil companies. Among other foul labors, the terrorists attempt to assassinate Mercer, two of his Alaskan fishing buddies are killed, and a third compatriot, the inventor of a new tunnel-boring drill, has his life ended by pain-loving Arabs who feed his cat into a sink grinder. Guiding all bad deeds from somewhere in the deep background is psychotic archvillain Ivan Kerikov, who, of course, lives to fight again in forthcoming Mercer adventures. A densely detailed and well-paced thinking-man's melodrama. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

James Bond-like globetrotting geologist Philip Mercer (he favors vodka gimlets) has made a name in international political and law-enforcement circles as a can-do guy. When his octogenarian best friend, Harry, is kidnapped by Israeli terrorists, Mercer undertakes a search for his friend that takes him to remote, exotic, dirt-poor Eritrea, where he sets out to locate a legendary diamond mine. Elsewhere, Sudanese rebels and sadistic Boers are following the leadership of a corrupt Italian industrialist determined to fulfill his family's African legacy. As bodies begin to pile up, and mayhem and destruction mount, Mercer, as he races to save Harry, has to decide if gorgeous, willowy Eritrean Jewess Selome Nagast is plotting against him. While tunneling through dangerous, long-disused mines and trekking across harsh, unforgiving desert, Mercer uncovers a biblical secret that puts him in even greater danger. This novel's nearly 500 pages of fast-paced prose propel DuBrul (Charon's Landing) closer to the front ranks of thriller authors. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

The Bookcassette® format is a special recording technique developed as a means of condensing the full, unabridged audio text of a book to record it on fewer tapes. In order to listen to these tapes, you will need a cassette player with balance control to adjust left/right speaker output. Special adaptors to allow these tapes to be played on any cassette player are available through the publisher or some US retail electronics stores.

From Publishers Weekly

Combining plenty of thrills and a touch of romance, Du Brul's action-packed contemporary adventure zips along like an out-of-control locomotive as geologist Philip Mercer, the James Bond-like hero from the author's previous novels (Charon's Landing, etc.), becomes embroiled in another mission to save the world. Duped by a good friend, Mercer travels to the arctic to reopen a long-abandoned American base camp. In the process, he uncovers a dead body and, eventually, the Pandora Project, a Nazi mercenary's plot to unearth a deadly radioactive element and sell it to the highest bidder. In an effort to derail the project, Mercer leads his team on an arctic odyssey of narrow escapes and death-defying maneuvers in boat, dirigible, submarine and plane. A well-researched foundation of facts and details grounds the reader in this frosty setting, but the story is sometimes difficult to swallow: a cruise ship filled with the world's religious leaders gets caught in the middle of the fray, and Mercer winds up rescuing the Dalai Lama. Mercer's love interest, Dr. Anika Klein, is his fitting counterpart and a strong heroine, and their romance adds a degree of warmth to this swift, sensational tale. Those who enjoy a good adrenaline rush will find plenty here to satisfy.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jack Du Brul is the author of numerous thrillers, and he has also collaborated with Clive Cussler on the New York Times bestseller Dark Watch and the upcoming Skeleton Coast. Du Brul was educated at the Westminster School and holds a degree in international relations from George Washington University. He lives in Vermont with his wife, Debbie.

From Publishers Weekly

Jam-packed with action and larger-than-life heroics, DuBrul's latest (after Pandora's Curse) sets geologist Philip Mercer on a course to save the world once again. This time he's in Panama, where he uncovers a Chinese plot to bomb the canal with nuclear weapons in order to strong-arm the U.S. into allowing China's takeover of Taiwan. Though teeming with up-to-the-minute technology (such as an experimental but deadly long-range cannon), the novel possesses a surprising Cold War perspective toward China. DuBrul demonstrates his knowledge of everything from geology to mechanics through prose that is at times too technical for the lay reader, but he lends his protagonist a welcome touch of emotional complexity. Mercer's softer side surfaces in his dealings with sexy heroine Lauren Vanik, a U.S. army officer, and, to a different extent, when his recollections of an old mentor prevent him from succumbing to diabolical Chinese torture. Despite these introspective moments, this is an adventure story at heart, and the action scenes come fast and furious, in sewers, factories, giant ships and more. It's evident from the outset that Mercer and his team will come out on top, but the fun is watching DuBrul untangle his own skillfully woven knots.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jack Du Brul is the author of numerous thrillers, and he has also collaborated with Clive Cussler on the New York Times bestseller Dark Watch and the upcoming Skeleton Coast. Du Brul was educated at the Westminster School and holds a degree in international relations from George Washington University. He lives in Vermont with his wife, Debbie.

Crackling with energy from start to finish, this hardcover solo debut from "USA Today" and "New York Times" bestselling authorJack Du Brul confirms Clive Cussler's assurance that DuBrul "is the finest adventure writer on the scene today." On a stormy night in 1937, the German zeppelin "Hindenburg" cuts through the clouds over rural New Jersey. On board, a madman has traveled across the Atlantic bearing a safe holding a secret so terrible that it may change the course of history. His efforts to protect his cargo have led him to commit murder, but the most dangerous part of the journey still remains -- the arrival at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. In a moment of clear thinking, the murderer throws the safe overboard, thinking that he will return for it later. The conflagration at landing destroys that plan and the safe recedes into history. Seven decades later, mining engineer Philip Mercer is in the Central African Republic searching for a precious metal used in the manufacture of cell phones. In the face of a mounting civil war, Mercer tries to help local villagers escape from rebel forces. Along the way, he meets up with Cali Stone, an attractive field researcher for the CDC. This particular village suffers from one of the highest rates of cancer in the world. All that saves them from execution at the hands of the rebel troops is the intervention of an unknown military force. Once back in the states, Mercer's detective work leads him to the long-lost safe and the cryptic letter inside: "Dear Albert, I believe I have succeeded. The element you seek does exist in nature." This letter launches Mercer on the most spectacular adventure of his career, one that will leave a nation inflames and a city in ruin, and reveal the truth behind three thousand years of legend."

From the return of Jimi Hendrix, as witnessed by a hero-worshipping spaced-out roadie, to the death of Christ as witnessed by a time-traveling tourist, from the end of the universe to the creation of a new one, these are stories about martyrdom, salvation and apocalypse.

Nominated for Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1963. A very rare case of a translated novel being nominated for an American SF award.

En una tormentosa noche de 1937, el zeppelín alemán Hindenburg surca las nubes sobre la rural Nueva Jersey. A bordo del mismo, se encuentra un loco que ha cruzado el Atlántico con una caja fuerte que contiene un secreto tan terrible que podría cambiar el curso de la historia. Sus esfuerzos por proteger su carga le han llevado a cometer asesinatos, pero la parte más peligrosa del viaje está por llegar, el aterrizaje en la Estación Naval de Lakehurst. En un momento en el que piensa con claridad, el asesino tira la caja fuerte por la borda, pensando que podrá recuperarla más adelante. El gran incendio en el momento del aterrizaje destruye el plan y la caja fuerte se desvanece en la historia. Siete décadas más tarde, el ingeniero minero Philip Mercer se encuentra en la República Centro Africana buscando un metal precioso que se utiliza para fabricar teléfonos móviles. Esta aldea en concreto sufre una de las tasas de cáncer más altas del mundo. Lo único que les salva de ser ejecutados a manos de las tropas rebeldes es la intervención de una desconocida fuerza militar. De vuelta en los Estados Unidos, el trabajo detectivesco de Mercer le lleva a encontrar la tanto tiempo desaparecida caja fuerte y la carta críptica que se encuentra en el interior. Querido Albert, creo que lo he conseguido. El elemento que buscas sí existe en la naturaleza. Esta carta lleva a Mercer a la más espectacular aventura de su carrera, una que dejará una nación en llamas, una ciudad en ruinas y que revelará la verdad que se esconde tras trescientos años de leyendas.