Clive Cussler's Hellburner

Oregon Files #16

by Mike Maden

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must track down a criminal dynasty and a nuclear torpedo - before World War III is unleashed . . .THE LATEST BESTSELLING, RIP-ROARING THRILL-RIDE FROM THE GRAND MASTER OF ADVENTURE, CLIVE CUSSLER__________When Juan Cabrillo fails to capture the leader of Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel and loses an Oregon crew member in the process, he's determined to get revenge.Little does he know that the explosion he just narrowly escaped was merely the latest flash of violence from a machine of war that has existed for decades, dating from the bloodiest episode in Armenia's history.Cabrillo's Corporation of mercenaries may have finally met its match in The Pipeline - a criminal syndicate passed down from father to son across generations. A group with its finger on the trigger of a torpedo so deadly it could level entire cities.With millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance, the Oregon's crew must unravel a tangle of drug-smuggling routes and international conspiracies spanning from the Aegean Sea to the Indian Ocean.But to do so means putting their lives on the line to find the weapon - before its countdown hits zero . . .__________ Praise for Clive 'The Adventure King' Sunday Express'Just about the best in the business' New York Post'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

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

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

I grew up working in the canneries, feed mills and slaughterhouses of California’s San Joaquin Valley. A lifelong fascination with history and warfare ultimately lead to a Ph.D. in political science focused on conflict and technology in international relations. Like millions of others, I first became a Tom Clancy fan after reading The Hunt for Red October, and began my published fiction career in the same techno-thriller genre, starting with DRONE and the sequels, BLUE WARRIOR, DRONE COMMAND and DRONE THREAT. I’m honored to be joining “The Campus” as a writer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Jr., series.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Battle of mercenaries!

And the Oregon Files has a new author. Hellburner is book #16 that can be read as a standalone.

Oh, how I love the disguised fighter and intel-gathering ship, The Oregon. It marvels me that this state of art technology ship has an outer shell of an old, rusty, filthy, and SMELLY tramp steamer. The inside though is equipped with just about everything you can imagine; a weapons room, a garage for their cutting-edge vehicles, a tiltrotor, a pool, five stars kitchen & chef, a meeting room that mirrors the WH situation room, a trauma center, and a science lab. They adorn their interior walls with priceless original paintings for crying out loud! The crew is mostly former military/intelligence except for a Hollywood guy who lends his special effects, makeup, and wardrobe talent.

Juan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew take on a gripping adventure on land and sea. They are pretty much high-end good guys mercenaries. They accepted a mission from a CIA liaison to capture and question the Mexican "King of Meth" that has gone tragically wrong. It became personal for Juan and the team after losing one of their own during that op. The team is left without a choice but to track the deadly fentanyl-laced meth from Mexico to its unknown destination in Europe. Meth is just a part of the smuggling operation that moves contraband and human by a syndicate called "The Pipeline". Decades-old rivalries play the role of a stolen Russian doomsday torpedo

"Hellburner" written by Mike Maden is an exciting installment right from the start. The quality and style of the book stay true to the series. You can tell that the author is either a fan of the series or did a lot of homework. I never get tired of following these guys and gals on their adventures.

A few quibbles, first, the pace in the middle because of the details that almost turn this adventure into a geopolitical thriller. Second, Juan is on the verge of being a superhero towards the ending- a little OTT, and third, PLEASE, no romance, don't turn The Oregon into the Love Boat.

One of my favorite series and I can't wait to see where the next adventure takes them!

Thank you Penguin Random House, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for this DRC.
Expected publication Sep 6, 2022!

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's always hard for me to get used to a new author in a series. It seems like it takes a book or three to settle into their style. It doesn't help that I like Boyd Morrison's take on this series. This book was choppy in that there was no transition from one place to another. Hey, we're on a pier, now we are in the middle of the ocean, nope now we are approaching another country, wait we're in the US, no wait... I don't expect a lot of character driven action in this type of book, but here there was none. Juan was a cardboard cutout; Max was barely there (or if he was, I didn't notice him), Stoney and Murph could have been anybody. Instead of personality and quirks we get misogynistic descriptions of women and weird fixation on weight and hygiene for others. There were too many harrowing situations Juan had to get out of and most of them were over the top. And don't get me started on Linc. Why? It served no purpose. I'll read the next book because I like the series, but if I hadn't already been invested in Juan and the gang, I wouldn't read any further.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt more like a plodding series of events instead of the rip roaring, fast paced adventures of the Oregon Crew. It gave the impression that the author wasn't familiar with the previous books in this series.
First, the camaraderie between the crew was not consistent with previous installments. One example is that Stonie and Murph are supposed to be best buds, solving problems together and feeding off each other. None of their interactions portrayed that. Linda Ross, Doc Huxley, Mac D, Eddie, Raven and Overholt also were not consistent from previous books. Juan was closer to being consistent but some scenes and lines were out of character for him.
Now on to the plot. Points for having a plot twist towards the end while finally bringing up the book's title. Aside from that, the main villain's backstory was underwhelming, as was the supporting villains' stories. Previous installments integrated multiple plots so smoothly but this time around everything felt unrelated and disconnected.
Overall, I'd rank this on the lower end of the series.
Hoping the author can recreate the magic of the previous books for the next one.

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this one, I’m looking forward to see how the author does with the next book in the series.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercenary Juan Cabrillo and his Oregon crew confront a ship carrying contraband, which leads to uncovering the Pipeline, a massive smuggling enterprise. As fans of the series know, the Oregon is a 590-foot “rust bucket" tramp steamer on the outside and a technological marvel on the inside. It can move like a speedboat and can even change colors.

The plot is complicated to say the least, and I will admit that I quicky lost most interest trying to follow all the "bad guys" and "might be bad guys". The main antagonists are two businessmen.... Hakobyan and Katrakis, one is Armenian, and the other is Greek. They have known each other for more than 50 years. Their "Pipeline" is a conduit for transporting arms, munitions, and meth, making it “the envy of the criminal world.” The Armenian has a plan to achieve “wealth beyond imagination” and avenge the genocide of Armenians by the Turks at the same time. Their plan is to steal a 100-megaton bomb and set it off underwater in the Bosporus, causing a tsunami that will “drown sixteen million Turks in a flood of their own radioactive water". It will happen when the U.S. President and the Turkish president are in Istanbul. Turkey can and will, blame Russia and that will surely start a war, dragging in NATO. World War III will be in full swing, and the two crooks will become richer than who knows by rebuilding atop the rubble, I guess.

Their plan diffidently has a few holes. Cabrillo and crew learn of the nuclear-tipped torpedo, and of course the clock is now ticking. Spectacular fighting scenes ensue, with ex-SEAL Cabrillo displaying tenacity and skill worthy of the best of the fictional heroes. The evildoer Hakobyan will “do business with the Devil himself if it turned a profit,” Juan Cabrillo will never do anything against America or American interests. I wondered several times where the name "Hellburner" came from since it only occurs twice near the end and doesn't seem to be reverent in any way to the storyline, but hey...it does make a good title. This story, as all the Oregan Files stories, is fast-moving, entirely implausible, but still, lots of fun.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many of the Clive Cussler books over the years but I got hooked on the Oregon Series and have followed it for many years. I thought the series ended with the death of Cussler but discovered it is now being written by Mike Maden. He writes a bit differently than Cussler but Maden does write in that nail-biting action-packed style. This is book number sixteen in the series. Maden’s writing managed to keep me interested. So I will continue following the series.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is twelve hours and fifty-two minutes. Scott Brick does an excellent job narrating the book. He has been the narrator of the series since the beginning.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

High tech good guys versus bad guys. A continuation of the deeds of the crew of the Oregon. Oregon is a weaponized, modern ship disguised as a beat up, tramp freighter. Its crew of mercenaries go after the evil doers that abound in these books. A long running series, each book is stand alone.

A fast moving bowl of popcorn. Entertainment without much thinking. The technology is authentic.

Mike Maden continues the Clive Cussler series. Mr. Cussler passed away in 2020. Maden also writes under Tom Clancy's moniker in the Jack Ryan Jr. series.

James Bond like stories on steroids.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author but featuring the familiar characters of Juan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew. Dare I say that I enjoyed this more than the previous recent books in the series. I like Mike Maden's writing style. We have seemingly far-fetched yet also quite plausible terrorist scenarios, common in these kinds of books. As before, listening to the audiobook is perfect accompaniment to my doing daily chores. Looking forward to seeing this author continue with this series.

[Roger Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the Oregon File stories, but I can't recommend this one by Mike Maden. There is way too much detail and "miraculous" events. Juan Cabrillo is now on the same level as Superman - indestructible and the ONLY one that can save the world. The Corporation is a team effort and not a one-man show as reflected in this book.

[Boomer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been an Oregon fan for a while so I was excited to have an opportunity through NetGalley to receive an a free advanced copy of Hellburner to review. The Oregon returns, with new author Mike Madsen taking over from Boyd Morrison.

I won't go into plot details since the synopsis and other reviews sum it up nicely. All the usual Oregon prerequisites are here - over the top action scenes, multiple countries, and sinister billionaire bad guys with world destruction plots. If you're looking for a fast paced action packed novel, this is a good choice.

However - and I hate writing this - Hellburner just doesn't measure up to previous books for me. I can admit that I'm probably just getting burnt out on the Oregon series having read a lot of them in the last few months, but even so, there really wasn't anything here that hasn't been done better beforehand. It's entertaining, but there's only so many times I can read about the Oregon saving a city or country from annihilation with a few seconds left on the countdown clock through some crazy scheme Juan has cooked up.

The rest of the book is just average to me. It's not bad by any means, but there's nothing outstanding either. There's nothing particularly memorable about the villains, and I've come to realize nothing is ever going to change for the Oregon crew. Slight spoilers here. The crew somehow never seem to get older, always have the same rank,, and never change either physically or mentally in the long term. Here we have a crew member blinded in an attack, but I honestly didn't even care because I knew by the end of the book - just like Linda's deafness and Murph's paralysis in earlier books - that they'd be back to normal with no physical or psychological damage. There's been a couple of minor character deaths and replacements over the years, but everything else is the same. I've lost count of the times I read about Murph's heavy metal music tastes, Linda's hair color changes, Max's weight battles, Gomez's good looks, Juan's Casablanca inspired cabin and railroad safe..... it feels like the characters are stuck in a time warp.

This will likely be my last Oregon Files read, which is a depressing thought because it really has been a fantastic ride. Mike Maden seems a capable author, but I'm realizing this series isn't ever going to evolve further and probably should have ended a few books ago. The Oregon seems nigh on invincible at this point, being equipped with a rail gun, Gatling guns, missiles, EMP cannons, super drones, NSA level audio and visual surveillance, and so many other bells and whistles that I can't see anything being a threat to them at this point. It's a fun action story, but there's much better books in the Oregon Files to try.

[asianartist · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please don't waste your time with this book. If you're someone who's reading it simple because it's the newest Oregon File, don't. That was me and I really regret it.
There are multiple problems with this book that I'll state below.

1. The Corporation.
I don't know what Maden was trying to do but the Corporation in this book are really not it. The whole spirit of the team is just gone, all the characters felt so boring to me when usually I absolutely love reading about them. The amazing team spirit that makes the Corporation just wasn't there. I don't know what happened. Also, where were the gundogs? Eddie and MacD were hardly mentioned in this book and Raven and Linc were pretty scarce too. The characters just felt really "dead" to me, there was no spirit and Juan and the others just sort of annoyed me.

2. Tom Reyes' death
Now, I don't know about you, but when I read the blurb of this book and saw a member of the Corporation was going to die, my attention was caught. I was theorizing about who it could be and all that jazz. When I read the book and found out that Reyes was going on the mission to kill the drug lord, I was really disappointed. This character was literally brought back, so he could be killed off. And I saw his death coming from the moment he was mentioned. Very disappointed.

3. The blurb
Do I have to say anything? The blurb practically tells you what exactly is going to happen in the book so I lost a lot of my motivation to even continue this book. I got up to 200 pages and just quit because I wasn't interested in the story because I knew what was going to happen.

4. The pacing
For a story that can be easily summarised into one paragraph, this book really didn't need to be 400 pages long. From where I stopped, the Corporation hadn't even actually figured out the Pipeline's true intent.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. Usually I'll be fine with reading a bad book if I like the characters but not even the Corporation could save this book this time.

[Karri Hoopes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think Mike Maden read the Oregon Files books before writing this sequel to the series Clive Cussler started. I loved the way the group worked as a team in the other books. I am not a fan of the way Juan Cabrillo is the only player in this one. Also the disrespectful way Maden referred to different members of the team was frustrating, especially Mark Murphy and Eric Stone. He did refer to the crew of the Oregon as being a much larger group, which makes sense, but there were references that didn't fit with the past books of this series.

I will try the next one but if it's no better I won't continue with this series.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time for another Clive Cussler Wednesday!

The crew of The Oregon loses a member trying to take a member of a cartel. I thought maybe this was going to become just another boring cartel novel, but soon enough, we're travelling to Islands of Greece and other ports of call.

Fantastic, but entertaining.

[Christian D. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Oregon Files fun

Another fun-filled Oregon Files adventure, this one involving Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Mexican drug cartels, EMP weapons…and a revenge mission for Juan Cabrillo and his intrepid crew.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I received the ARC, with the agreement to read it and give a fair review! I can honestly say I was excited to read a book in my favorite series and I loved all the action, twists and turns through out the book. It was an excellent read, great story line and stayed true to the series!

#16 in Clive Cussler's Oregon Files series, written by Mike Maden, and I can say with all honesty, he did justice to this book! Fast paced action starting with taking down the head of the a major Drug Lord in Mexico. The attempt goes badly and one of the Oregon's crew is killed!

Overholt contacts Juan to go after a group called "Pipeline" The Pipeline is behind Drugs, Human trafficking and Weapons. Edge of your seat fast paced action and adventure including a member of the Oregon's crew getting badly injured and possibly not able to come back from that injury! Juan and the crew continue to do what they do best under tough odds

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I have ever given a Cussler book 3 stars before but this one is just not traditional Clive. Mr. Maden tried adding too much extra stuff to it and it really just made the story "fluffy". Example: Murph and Eric have a team now and their team gets thanked, and Eddie has a job other than head of shore ops, Julie is Huxley all the time and talks differently. And there are so many other things.

Hopefully someone else writes the next Oregon Files because honestly, this might be the last one I read if Mike Maden writes another.

[Steven Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting book with loads of action and new technology to use on the bad guys.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was inevitable after Cussler died in 2020 that his story outlines would eventually run out. This is the first of his series to appear without his name as a co-author. I'm not familiar with Maden's work, but he did a fine job keeping the familiar feel of all the unique characters in the Oregon Files.

[Gordon Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Totally unnecessary detail amongst other things

I used to enjoy Clive Cussler’s books. This stand in author for him has gone overboard with details of gun makes and models and mansplaining how things worked. In addition, you knew that all the corners the hero found himself in, were going to be overcome no matter the odds. No real drama. No more CC for me.

[Marty Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Oregon series is my favorite of Cusslers books. I was happy to see a new book. Hellburner stays faithful to its origins, imho. Its fast paced and keeps you reading. My thanks to Mike Maden for sharing his talent and NetGallery for the ARC

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long and too much crazy information. Looks like I will stop reading this series.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 16th installment of the Oregon Files. It is a story of revenge and power. Juan Cabrillo and his team have a mission to stop a group of terrorists from starting WW3. A Russian doomsday weapon and a huge LNG gas transport ship give the team of the Oregon all they can handle in this fast-paced book. Juan Cabrillo is like a cat with at least nine lives in this installment! I thought Mike Maden’s style was true to the Clive Cussler’s original books and to the characters he created. Another great story of the Oregon Files! I enjoyed it!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Madden has carried on the Clive Cussler tradition with the next installment in the Oregon files. I like this series with the disguised high-tech boat that looks like a rust-bucket, and this installment makes good use of the boat, its gadgetry and high-tech equipment and all the usual cast of characters. Fast paced, exciting and almost as good as the originals.

[Lester Fowke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continues the tradition of the original author, enjoyed it a lot

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Maden, one of the Tom Clancy Estate's collection of legacy authors, knows his way around the geopolitical thriller genre...In "Hellburner," we have Juan Cabrillo and the Corporation racing to prevent Greek and Armenian criminal masterminds from devastating modern Turkey with a Russian Doomsday weapon!...Decent!!!

[G Cubed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and thought out.
Kept me reading with constant action.
4 🌟 's instead of 5 🌟 's is a bit too predictable.

[Keith Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clive Cussler never disappoints. An action-packed thriller by Mike Maden. Great job!

[Gary]

Another master piece.
Action from beginning to end.
Oregon files are AWESOME

[Joe Pardini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always liked the Custer series of books. They are a good escape and I enjoy the action, even if it is not realistic and a bit predictable. Although a good read, I could tell this was not a book written by Cussler and I had to downgrade to 4 stars.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed, it seems like the last couple of books have just been going through the motions. From the start it seemed like I was in a Star Trek story, bring on a new character just to kill them off. I once again felt like this was just an assembly of past stories, very disjointed. The journalist character seemed out of place and coincidences were over the top. The decision to let her go by herself when her father was released so out of place and an obviously stupid decision it just left me wondering WTF. I understand it is fiction but if you are going to use everyday items make sure you get their uses correct or at least believable. Not sure why the author used "The Dragon" as a reference to hardship and that it is blood-soaked pavement, I guess they have never been to Deal's Gap. The final climactic scene was ridiculous, the books in the past have always made the characters more capable than the average human being, however this time it was so far in left field they felt more like superhero's than people.

If this book had been part of another series, I would have given it three stars, but I expect better form any works associated with the Clive Cussler name.