River Of Ruin

Philip Mercer #5

by Jack Du Brul

In the heart of Panama, a volcanic lake feeds a serpentine river—its stone banks laid by the Inca, who took back the gold and jewels plundered from them by the conquistadors. Legend has it that the Twice-Stolen Treasure has been buried for centuries in the Panamanian jungle. Discovering it means surviving the unpredictable black waters of the River of Ruin….

It begins at a Paris auction house, with a favor granted by an old high school friend to geologist Philip Mercer: the opportunity to buy a rare diary written during the French attempt at digging the Panama Canal. But Mercer isn’t the only one who wants it. Three Chinese assassins have been dispatched to get it, forcing Mercer into a subterranean game of cat and mouse that takes him from the hellish maze of l’empire de la mort and through the sewers of Paris.

Mercer realizes he has uncovered an intricate Chinese plot to trigger a deadly shift in the world’s balance of power. At stake is control of the canal, recently handed over to the government of Panama by the United States. Only Philip Mercer—with help from beautiful U.S. Army officer Lauren Vanik, a cell of tough French Foreign Legion commandos, and a crusty eighty-year-old retired sea captain named Harry White—can stop them.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Action, Audiobook, Suspense

534 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 15, 2002

About the author

Jack DuBrul is a New York Times Best-Selling Author from Vermont who writes techno thrillers. Recently, he has been co-authoring "The Oregon Files" novels with Clive Cussler, taking over from Craig Dirgo with the third novel.

Reviews

[Brett T]

River of Ruin presents an interesting question for the reader: Just when did Jack DuBrul write it? It's the fifth book featuring globetrotting mining engineer/geologist/tail-kicking adventurer Philip Mercer, released four years after DuBrul introduced Mercer to the world in Vulcan's Forge.

Forge was a little ragged, a pretty obvious case of a novelist writing early in his career: A little too much exposition and some sore-thumb-style characterization and backstory. DuBrul's style smoothed out over time, and he's now the best of the collaborators used by adventure novelist franchise Clive Cussler. River has some smoothness in parts, especially in the action set pieces (more on those in a minute) but it's also saddled with backstory and with some brutally amateurish characterization attempts. It's almost as though River might have been the first Mercer manuscript DuBrul completed, but held it back while putting out a better one.

We meet Mercer at an auction of rare nautical manuscripts, alerted by a friend about a piece he's long desired being up for sale. But there are others interested in it as well, and they are willing to negotiate in a violent and bloody manner to acquire it. Some clues and a call from an old friend's wife lead Mercer to Panama, where he tries to piece together a puzzle involving the Panama Canal, hunts for legendary treasure and some very suspicious-looking Chinese military and espionage operations. In doing so, Mercer will have a nail-biting footrace through Paris sewers, a helicopter chase through twisted rain-forest canyons and mountains, a car chase inside a gigantic cargo ship in the canal and a race against the clock through the canal itself. The skill DuBrul shows in these sequences only makes its lack more apparent when Mercer pauses to reflect on what's happened to him and what it means. Those passages could have used some punching up as well, but all the same River is a great fun read, especially if you're by yourself so no one can hear you snicker at the especially clumsy parts.

Original available here.

[Joe Ganzi]

FANTASTIC!!! The first few books in the Philip Mercer series were excellent but this one proves du Brul has taken his place among the best techno-thriller authors out there. WELL worth the read, kept me turning pages way past my bedtime!

[Chad]

Great adventure book for a light vacation read! Some of the plot is a *bit* too convenient, but that comes with the nature of the beast 😁

[Yona Racheva]

Well i liked it, but i expected a little more from this book. There was a lot of fight with the Chinese( they were very annoying most of the time).
But of course in the end the good guys won.

I don't know what will happen with Mercer and Loren, but not always in a book there are answers to all the questions.

Miguel has a new home and a loving family who will take care for him.
So it was a good book, but not one of the greatest.

[Marian]

Eh.

[Adam]

Another really great adventure. I like that Harry was in the action again (right beside Mercer this time). Harry and Mercer's bond grows deeper while we get a lot more background on Mercer and his tragic experience as a boy. Very well done. This isn't just a fast paced and thrilling adventure story, it's a character driven mouthful of ear candy (does that make sense?). Anyway, I love this series. Du Brul has outdone himself once again.

[Brett Sorge]

This book started off good and really felt like a typical Clive Cussler book. I think maybe it was bout 100 pages too long and my interest started to wander at the end. The writer has talent, but he needs to find his own winning formulae.

[Bethel]

i've had this book by my bed for a couple months. A very violent book so read a bit and skimmed at lot. i did enjoy all the info about the Pannama Canal. The story was interesting but the violence put me off.

[Kiki]

A good "brain candy" book - something to read while I am killing time on the stack.

[Shaft]

Starting to lose its shine now. I like the series but it isn't making the effort of say the first two books. Seems to be a bit same-y.

[Micheal]

Very fun, endearing characters, twists that will make you wish you weren't just reading it for 30 minutes on your lunch break. Definitely worth a read.

[Janine]

A bit long for me

[Ruth Clem]

I enjoyed very much. Need a trip thru the Panama Canal

[Jon]

Another great book in the Philip Mercer series. I don't know why it is, but when I think of Philip Mercer I always see Tom Hanks. He'd be a great choice to play him in a movie and these books would make great movies. Philip Mercer is a thinking man's hero- not too 'macho' but no wimp either.

River of Ruin is another fine entry in the series. It is well written, well researched and keeps the reader intrigued. This time Mercer is off to Central America to look for hidden treasure and thwart some nasty Chinese types who threaten to cause a global incident. Before that, Mercer has to deal with a chase through the sewers of Paris, pursued by assassins. As always, he is supported by his incorrigible old friend, Harry.

[David Linzee]

As close as you can get to an Indiana Jones movie between soft covers. You get the feeling Du Brul would much rather be directing movies than writing books. He specializes in big action scenes in spectacular settings, like the catacombs of Paris and the Panama Canal. Our swashbuckling hero is joined by a beautiful but deadly U.S. Army officer and a brace of French Foreign legionnaires in battling Chinese villains in Central America. None of them are believable as characters, but the author provides some interesting background info on the Canal and the Foreign Legion.

[John]

Philip Mercer, trying to help a treasure hunting friend in Panama, gets crossways with an aggressive Chinese business man, seeking the same treasure. Add in an attempt to get Chinese nuclear missiles into the Panama Canal Zone, and you have all the elements of a twisted, convoluted adventure. The story goes from the sewers of Paris to the backwaters of the Panamanian jungle to Panama Canal itself. There is a lot of action, a run-away boat, and an abundance of evil-doers.

[Ellison]

About a geologist who gets a journal about Panama and then is chased through Paris by thugs from China. He goes to Panama where a friend of his aspires to locate a legendary...TREASURE! He meets a gun-toting hottie and soon enough they are in a mortal battle with the thugs from China in an effort to keep the Panama Canal safe from destruction. Swearing, violence, two ESCAPES from torture rooms.

[B Howard]

Philip Mercer #5. Premise was originally searching for buried treasure in jungles of Panama but turned into military/espionage story that I did not care for. Gruesome torture scenes. Needed drawings and maps. I couldn't visualize much of it - especially the scenes at the canal locks. Chapters too long. Copyright 2002

[Ddara]

Well, this is a story that grabs you and leads you through the deserts and mountains. Although the plot in common is not that new, the story itself is fresh and gives you many pleasant moments.
Recommendation!

[Keith Kindle]

Great work!

The storyline is fantastic. It could be taken from the current events today. As usual, the pace is frenetic and well told. It takes a lot of talent and hard work to never disappoint! Thank you Jack!

[Leah]

Non-stop action involving a seemingly unlikely geologist/hero.

[Vickie Garner]

always action packed . Strong characters , good plot, and solid writing.

[Cameron]

Fantastic book.

[Bill]

Philip Mercer # 4

[Rhonda Dip In Time]

Had a hard time getting into the pace of the book.

[Donald Bogert]

It had a lot of Cussler-esque action in it! Loved it.

[Larry Stephenson]

Great Mercer 📚

As usual the author had several stories within the main story. I must admit there were a few times I had to reread some pages to catch up again.

[Steve Weick]

Indiana Jones visits the Panama canal.

[Gerald Greene]

Very good wirting, given the genre, and captivating story. I think I'll read more from this author.

[Theresa]

Incan treasure and Chinese plots in Panama.

After Mercer buys an obscure diary on the building of the Panama Canal in Paris, he is attacked. Upon escape, he flies to deliver it to a treasure hunter friend in Panama and ends up in the middle of a complicated Chinese plot to take over the Canal.

I loved all the descriptions on how the Canal operates, but think Mercer did just as much damage so not sure what he accomplished.

Fave scenes: the tunnel ball chase, car carrier chase, like falling off a bike and the emerald shower.