Berkeley, 1999, $7.99, ISBN 0-425-17717-3, 532 pgs., paperback

I was in an airport with a half hour on my hands and no book. So, I wandered into one of the stores and bought a Cussler novel because I enjoyed his last one and I had just watched a documentary on finding Atlantis.

Think of this book as James Bond meets Indiana Jones. The hero, Dirk Pitt, manages to get in and out of trouble with various degrees of bloodshed and mayhem across the world. This time, the enigma of a hidden room full of “Atlantean” text, combined with some neo-Nazis, Antarctica, genetics, rich madmen, and other characters offer quite the challenge to Pitt and his pal, Al Giordino.

I will admit, this is the first time I’ve read of Nazi bases in Antarctica combined with a scientific theory of tectonic shifts. Cussler does a fine job setting up the premise and following through with the action. That’s what bestsellers do, you know.

The result is a lovely cavalcade of sleuthing, spying, chasing, and dying in various parts of the world. In other words, it’s a typical action thriller. I suppose if you read lots of these, you’ll probably say they’re all alike. But I read Cussler only occasionally, and although he used the “frozen ship in ice” opening before (it was Roman treasure then), he’s so polished, you don’t mind.

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