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NUMA Files #16

Sea of Greed

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of adventure, a brand new mission for Kurt Austin and the NUMA crew--based on a remarkable historical incident.
January 1968

Two submarines--one French, one Israeli--vanish in the Mediterranean within days of each other. Extensive search-and-rescue operations turn up no sign of either vessel. Thirty years later, the wreck of one is found; the other is never recovered.

Present Day

After an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico destroys three oil rigs trying to revive a dying field, Kurt, Joe and NUMA are tapped by the President of the United States to find out why many of the world's most productive oilfields have gone dry. The trail leads them to Tessa Franco, a brilliant billionaire in the alternative energy field. Tessa's goal is the end of the oil age; her company has spent billions developing the most powerful and efficient fuel-cell systems the world has ever seen. In the eyes of many she's an environmental hero, but her connection to a rogue genetic engineer and central Asian money suggest something more.

The NUMA crew discovers that the oil fields are infected with a bacteria that is consuming the oil before it can be pumped out of the earth--and initial studies reveal no way to stop it. With the price of oil tripling, the world's stock markets crashing and the health of the global economy hanging in the balance, Kurt is up against it. But finding a submarine that's remained hidden for fifty years won't be easy. And with uncountable money and an army of hired killers at her disposal, Tessa Franco will do everything in her power to stop him.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2018

2373 people are currently reading
2057 people want to read

About the author

Clive Cussler

605 books8,519 followers
Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.

In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).

Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.

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5 stars
3,013 (46%)
4 stars
2,489 (38%)
3 stars
791 (12%)
2 stars
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34 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 345 reviews
Profile Image for Steve.
446 reviews42 followers
November 8, 2018
Another fantastic Numa Files adventure. This time, the battle between fossil fuels and alternative energy drives the plot. Kurt and Joe headline, of course. Sandecker makes an appearance and several of Cussler's tried and true supporting cast bring critical support. Fans of the series will find everything they are looking for, all of it wrapped in a compelling tale of adventure and suspense.

A 5-star adventure, and enough to keep me content while I wait for the next release in one of my favorite series.
Profile Image for Gerald Kubicki.
Author 32 books345 followers
January 24, 2019
This book kept my interest. Despite the fact that most characters have been in every book. It's about the dangers of drilling for oil.
Profile Image for Robert.
4,552 reviews29 followers
December 4, 2018
Everything one expects from Cussler, and with one of the more modern 'history' hooks he's ever done to boot.
Profile Image for Claudia.
1,288 reviews40 followers
November 23, 2018
The 16th in the NUMA Files series.

This adventure is quite timely due to the volatility of oil prices, the debate on which clean/alternate energy version will be adopted worldwide and yet another massive oil leak in the Gulf still recovering from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

As usual there is the flashback that has French and Israeli scientists creating a biological agent that attacks and 'eats' oil. The partnership falls apart and the French government sub tries to flee with the research and samples only to be intercepted by an Israeli sub. Both disappear into mystery.

Shift to present day onto the Angel Star drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico which blows up when a strange gas erupts from the well. A gas that ignites underwater, destroying the main platform.
It is then revealed that across the world, oil wells are going dry even if the fields are supposedly full of oil. It is shortly afterwards that we are introduced to the villain of the book - the CEO of an alternate fuel source who is working with an oil cartel. The cartel fields are safe from the agent in exchange for the price of oil skyrocketing while NOVA Industria CEO, Tessa Franco, in turn, is set to make billions selling her fuel cells.

Of course, Kurt and his fellow NUMA employees use their connections and resources in order to find the means of countering Franco's bio-agent. The most recent addition to the cast of characters, Priya Kashmir, a technological wizard, doesn't let her confinement to a wheelchair stop her from being in the middle of the action.

Of course the heroes win but it's getting there that creates the drama and adventure. As usual, an enjoyable romp across the world. And a look at what might happen if there was a serious impact on the production of oil across the world.
46 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2018
Love Clive Cusslers books

I'm a great fan of most of what Mr. Cusslers writes. This book is so much fun. It will also suck you in where you don't want to stay away too long before you need to get back to it.
You need to read this book if you're a Cussler fan and if you don't know him, you'll become a fan
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews738 followers
January 2, 2019
Sixteenth in The NUMA Files action-thriller series and revolving around two NUMA special ops agents: Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala.

My Take
The French don't come out looking well from the start of this action-oriented tale of treachery and greed that, at least in novels, always backfires on the bad guys. It's that textual journey to find out whodunnit and why-they-dunnit that I adore, and in this case, the conflict is quite topical, as it pits oil against alternative energies.

Cussler/Brown use multiple third person point-of-view, which enables us to experience the thoughts, emotions, and actions of each group of characters. So very handy when you want to impress the reader with how evil the bad guy is!

As usual, there is plenty of excitement, action, and tension — the use of those drones is scary as well as that kidnapping, but nicely balanced by Joe and Priya's rehash of the dive suit. Wouldn't it be fab if it could really work?

The downside is that I suspect Cussler is only putting his name on these, and I'd've thought that a writer with his rep would be given a really good editor. My whine? Too many info dumps that drag at the story flow.

The Story
It's a barely contained secret that the world's most productive oilfields are drying up. Once word gets out, terror will encompass the oil-using world and destroy the economies of countries. So it's lucky for Alpha Star and the rest of us that NUMA's Raleigh can lend aid to the crews and tap into the possibilities of why oil production is almost non-existent.

The Characters
Kurt Austin is the head of Special Projects while his partner, Joe Zavala, is its creative genius.

Misty Moon Littlefeather is an old girlfriend of Joe's who happens to repair, salvage, and mine anything electronic. Redfish is her very suspicious father.

The National Underwater and Marine Agency, a.k.a.,
...NUMA, explores, studies, and preserves the world’s oceans. Rudi Gunn is the assistant director and second-in-command. Paul Trout is their chief geologist who is married to Gamay, a biologist. Hiram Yaeger is the resident computer genius. Priya Kashmir is a newly paralyzed computer genius who had studied at Oxford and MIT and is anxious to get back in the field.

The Raleigh is captained by Kevin Brooks in the Gulf of Mexico. The souped-up Gryphon is in the Aegean Sea.

Admiral James Sandecker founded NUMA and is now the vice-president of the US. Leonard Hallsman is the Undersecretary of National Resources and Energy Security. Lance Alcott is the head of FEMA. Derrick Reynolds will rep FEMA in the Gulf of Mexico.

St Julien Perlmutter is an expert in all things nautical. Fritz is his dachshund. Admiral Natal is with the Israeli Navy and a former professor of Rudi's.

Renewables, Redesign and Reward is...
...an R3 Conference in Bermuda for which the Lucid Dream is borrowed. Macklin Hatcher of Firelight Investing is a technology investor who has an assistant, Ronald "Numbers" Ruff.

The Alpha Star oil platform is...
...in the Gulf of Mexico. Rick L. Cox is a tool push. Other crew members include Nash and Haney.

The Bad Guys
Baker's Rock is...
...home base for Tessa Franco, a billionaire, who is creative, reckless, and mad. She designed the Monarch and Discus , both brilliant pieces of engineering. Novum Industria is her company. Volke is one of her men. Woodrich, a.k.a., Woods, is a fanatical environmentalist. Brian Yates is the head and lead designer on a development team. Pascal Millard is a genetic engineer.

Bricks heads up a black ops team. Alexander Vastoga is aboard the lead helicopter.

Arat Buran is in the oil business and controls 70% of the oil produced in the Kazakhstan region. The Consortium controls the West.

1968, Jaros Island, Aegean Sea
David Ben-Avi is one of the Israeli scientists. André Cheval, a.k.a., Mother Hen, is the Frenchman in charge of the genetics project. The Minerve is a French submarine. Lukas is the head of its SDECE commando team. The Dakar is an Israeli submarine on which Gideon is the XO.

The Cover and Title
The cover is flaming darkness with an oil rig afire in the dark of night and a white NUMA sub rescuing workers. The minor text is in white: the info blurb at the top, the secondary author's name, and the series information at the very bottom. The primary author's name is at the top in an embossed and copper outlined white while the title (at the bottom) reverses the colors with an embossed white outlined copper.

The title is both real and metaphor, for it is a Sea of Greed of nature and man.
Profile Image for Ben Denison.
518 reviews48 followers
December 26, 2021
#3 on my All Fiction Holidays Reads for 2021.

In the late 90’s / early 00’s Cussler and his Dirk Pitt novels were probably my favorite escape from reality. I also loved the Numa Files series with Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala, and this is the typical formula that we all love.

So unbelievable that mad scientists would create something so dastardly as to kill millions and be used to take over the wor...wait what?!?! Not so unbelievable any more. Good book.

Praying for Kurt, Joe, Dirk, Al to save the world again, just for reals this time.
Profile Image for Christian D.  D..
Author 1 book34 followers
October 15, 2021
An improvement over the last one!

Compared to the previous novel in The NUMA Files series (that being “The Rising Sea”), this one has more plausible dialogue (other than the language being excessively G-rated, a far cry from the classic Cussler novels), and character development, and also does a more thorough job of wrapping up loose ends in the concluding pages. Plus, it’s nice to see supporting NUMA character Priya get more directly involved in the action.
6,207 reviews80 followers
January 26, 2019
Oils rigs are blown up, and oil fields seem to be drying up at a rapid rate. Kurt Austin and NUMA are tasked with finding out what is going on. It seems the usual megalomaniacal billionaire has decided to end the oil age so that she can make more money with alternative energy sources.

Not bad.
1,250 reviews
September 5, 2021
Rating 3

A solid 3 I think.
An entertaining enough read that zipped along, like watching a Jason Statham movie.
Passed the time and kept the attention but not something I will probably ever read again. Or indeed want to.
The normal cast of characters appeared for a NUMA files story, although this time the story line of oil crisis caused by a biological weapon was more up to the minute than usual.
And is it just me but this was another novel where the story and action is bouncing along and then suddenly the action reaches a climax and the book finishes.
As if the writers hit the page or word count and were told to stop.

Overall an entertaining read, with the worst thing to say would probably be that it is all a bit bland and doesn’t really stick out if a very crowded thriller/action book market.
Profile Image for K.B. Hallman.
292 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2018
Somewhere around pages 60 to 70, there's some really good underwater sparring between submersibles. Cussler novels are never short on action, but this may be the best action scene so far. (Although, I have not read all 70+ novels, I've probably read about half of the Cussler fiction corpus.)
494 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2019
I have always been a big Cussler fan so was very disappointed by this book - very predictable and boring.
Profile Image for Dan Curnutt.
400 reviews18 followers
February 12, 2019
Kurt Ausin and Joe Zavala are again on the prowl in this new adventure. Somehow the world's oil fields are drying up. Instead of pumping out oil they are pumping out dangerous gas that ignites into flames when it comes in contact with water and or oxygen.

What is going on? How can this be stopped? What will the economic damage be to the world's oil market and thus financial markets as the fuel oil we need to rely on stops flowing?

As Kurt and Joe continue to save people from harrowing situations they come to realize that there is a new kind of evil being sown among the world's elite power brokers. Tessa has come on the seen and has developed a power cell that can replace our need for oil. But people aren't excited about it until the oil starts to dry up. Why is all this happening at once?

In true Clive Cussler fashion Graham Brown writes another technology thriller that is cutting edge stuff and will give you an exciting read as well as another education on our earth and its ecological systems.

Enjoy!
Profile Image for Wenzel Roessler.
815 reviews7 followers
July 16, 2020
One of the best Cussler books out there, for the NUMA series or any of his projects. A fantastic tale written with superb timing and pacing. A little stronger stance by Kurt and crew in this book, he has more of a hard edge. The best part of this book is the use of all the secondary NUMA characters. This is not just Kurt and a bunch of clowns this is a great showcase for Joe, Paul, Rudi, Gamay, and Pryia. This book does feature one of my pet peeves, a kazillionaire who has no problem killing people. (Also, how does NUMA kill people and never have to worry about it legally afterwords? I would like to see a book series featuring the NUMA lawyers cleaning up all the messes.)
Profile Image for Kelly.
376 reviews4 followers
January 16, 2019
Let's just say I'm truly tired of the assembly line production of ghost written Cussler novels. I don't have anything good to say about this latest cookie cutter.
Profile Image for Vaelin.
391 reviews67 followers
April 4, 2019
Not great but also not bad. Formulaic Cussler to a tee.
Profile Image for Daniel Smith.
189 reviews2 followers
July 6, 2024
I'm a big fan of Cussler's extremely fun NUMA Files series, and this was no exception. He and Graham Brown have managed to carry this series through yet another installment that lives up to the high-octane, seafaring, science action hero novel we come to expect from the NUMA Files. The only reason this one isn't 5 stars is simply a large amount of typos, which is atypical and I'm sure a one-off for this publisher. As I mentioned recently to some friends online, this is one of the few series that I feel comfortable reading out of order due to the fact that the characters carry over between books much more than the storylines do. Each one is sort of like an issue of a superhero comic, where they -mostly - stand alone. This choice works for me. Additionally, something about Cussler and Brown's prose reminded me of Tony Hillerman and his Navajo Tribal Police mysteries. In my book, that's extremely high praise and I'll be happy to read some more NUMA Files in the near future.
Profile Image for David Snape.
203 reviews
March 3, 2019
This latest adventure sets around an oil crisis due to an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The mission by NUMA is to figure out how this leads to a billionaire who wants to end the oil age. She definitely uses anything by all means to get her way. A brilliant action packed story and probable the best of this series so far.
Profile Image for Ron.
1,793 reviews7 followers
October 6, 2021
Best "no brainer" adventure story around. Good plot & great characters. Reading NUMA is always rewarding w/ lots of action and the good guy/girl wins..
Profile Image for Mark Whitehurst.
41 reviews
October 1, 2022
Spellbinding! One of the most page turning novels I’ve read in quite some time. Kudos to Cussler.
29 reviews2 followers
November 25, 2018
Excellent Read

Cussler just keeps getting better and better. The men and women from NUMA save the world again. Too bad there aren’t dedicated people like this in the real world.
18 reviews
November 25, 2018
Another great

Classic Cussler. Even writing with others, still great stories and characters. Look forward to more NUMA adventures, Oregon, Fargo's and Bell.
Profile Image for Nellie Mitchell.
258 reviews23 followers
May 17, 2021
I like action books with a little mystery. This one had plenty of action!
Profile Image for Jo.
1,447 reviews
November 23, 2018
A NUMA File book with Kurt Austin. An intriguing and fast-moving story about a brilliant woman who is manipulating the oil economy with an oil-eating bacteria. Can the NUMA crew find the the antidote before the economy or the world is ruined?
568 reviews9 followers
November 18, 2018

Once again Clive Cussler comes thru. Kurt Austin and his crew manage to save the world one more time. This time, they take on a group that wants to take control of the world's oil supply. The ending is a bit lame, and there are a couple of loose ends, but this is the NUMA operations that everyone has come to know and love, with NO profanity or vulgarity.
Profile Image for Mike.
79 reviews2 followers
November 19, 2018
Very solid book. Very topical with non-stop action.

For those of you that are wondering what the disc like sub looks like, check out the movie The Meg. It's campy giant shark stuff, but they have very cool small subs!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 345 reviews

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