Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Dirk Pitt rides a tidal wave of intrigue in this classic Cussler.

On an isolated Greek island, a World War I fighter plane attacks a modern U.S. Air Force base--a mysterious saboteur preys on an American scientific expedition--and Dirk Pitt plays a deadly game of hunter and hunted with the elusive head of an international smuggling ring.

Rating: - Dirk Pitt's first published adventure
THE LOWDOWN: The first "real" Dirk Pitt adventure, it was published before Pacific Vortex, but chronologiclly it is a sequel. With a bit more swagger and style, and a (slightly) more down to Earth plot, the publishers found "Caper" to be more palatable, and had it published, while "Vortex" remained on the shelf for a few more years.

THE PLOT: While investigating the sabotage of a NUMA research vessel, Dirk Pitt narrowly saves a Greek military outpost on a small Mediterranean island (Thasos) from being strafed by a WWI biplane (yes you read that right) which disappears as mysteriously as it arrived. Of course a mysterious beautiful girl gets involved with Pitt, and her uncle, a supremely evil Nazi war criminal, turns out to be behind both the sabotage and the attack, in an attempt to protect his lucrative smuggling outfit.

THE PROS: It is not hard to see why the publisher chose this story. It is full of action, romance, daring, treachery, historical mysteries, and evil villains. From a high flying dogfight with antique planes, to a Roman laberynth, to the villain's secret lair, the story keeps moving, weaving a rather intricate little story about Bruno von Till and how his operation came to be, while our heroes try to outwith both the police and the villains and put an end to the smuggler.

THE CONS: While the story is quite thrilling, some of the problems common to Cussler's earlier works are there, namely the female characters. Pitt's "seduction" of the main heroine by slapping her is a bit much, even for a macho-adventure book. The ending is a bit of a letdown too, without giving away too much, it feels more like a whodunit climax with Pitt unmasking the villains and explaining their crimes rather than physically confronting any of them.

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Rating: - So Dirk starts out overfilled with testosterone
It's fun reading the first story. Dirk is on the edge of nasty. Plus he's cocky, horny, and not very nice. But it is a very entertaining story.

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Rating: - Old writing
This is an older boook and the writing style bears it out. My last Dirk Pitt adventure.

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Rating: - Cussler's first book, it's really good but not great
Clive Cussler can really spin a great tale. I wouldn't miss any of his books.

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Rating: - a waste
this author is not up to Clive Cussler standards in any sense. I quit reading it when Dirk gets angry and gives a lady a hard backhand face slap for grieving too long for a husband that was killed. This isnt the Dirk I know or care to read about

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