One of my favorite authors is Clive Cussler. I ran across him one day last year while roaming through the library and looking at interesting sounding titles and pictures. Now I am hooked.

All the books center around Dirk Pitt, the Director of the Special Projects division of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). As director, Dirk is in charge of diving for sunken treasure in planes and ships, and he enjoys diving in the underwater maze.

In the newest book, Dragon, published in 1990, a WWI bomber plane landed in the Pacific near Japan carrying a secret nuclear bomb. Fifty years later (1993), Dirk has to retrieve that bomb.

With the help of the latest underwater technology, like DSRVs (Deep Sea Roving Vehicles) and other equipment, Dirk and his team, including his longtime friend, Al Giordino, the treasures eventually appear after years on the ocean floor.

Dirk Pitt is almost a replica of the author, Clive Cussler. Cussler heads NUMA, living in Colorado and Arizona. Both Cussler and Pitt own 45 classic automobiles and planes. Cussler has headed expeditions over the years to explore and bring many famous ships to the surface.

Rumor has it that a new Cussler/Pitt adventure story, Sahara, written this year, will be out soon.

I recommend the ten to twelve books by Clive Cussler to anyone who enjoys underwater "stuff," high-tech and espionage, and would like a sneak peek into the world of diplomatic relations in Washington, D.C.

P.S. Who knows: maybe one of you will be writing a review of another Cussler novel. If so, good luck in your journey around the world. n