Blimey! :o

According to quite a few sources, Cussler's Pacific Vortex island of Hawaii is illegally occupied ;

http://www.hawaiiankingdom.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii#Overth...waiian_monarchy

http://www.hawaii-nation.org/

It kind of looks that way, doesn't it. :(

Kind of moot, I think. p:

Wasn't there another Cussler book where a fanatic was trying to get the people of Hawaii to take over the island. I just remember the Marines stationed at Pearl Harbor were unable to defend themselves or something like that. One I read recently... Treasure of Khan perhaps?

You're thinking of Charon's Forge....DuBrul's first novel---oops...i mean Vulcan's Forge

A debut thriller introducing Philip Mercer, mine engineer, geological consultant, and the only Bond clone who carries a Derringer strapped to his testicles. A study in triple crosses, Du Brul's story tells of a 40-year plot contrived by the Russians, who want to own a newly risen underwater volcano 200 miles off Hawaii. Geological physicist Pytor Borodin and an American physicist who's studying the oceanic Bikini A-bomb test have independently discovered the same fact: that enormous underwater thermal heat, when mixed with lava, can produce the hardest fuel known to man, bikinium, which, once put to use, gives off more energy than is needed to burn it. Back in 1954, Borodin had also discovered that the thinnest part of the tectonic plate in the Pacific is just 200 miles past Hawaii. So the Reds secretly sink a ship carrying an A-bomb. The plan is to detonate it on the seafloor, creating a volcano whose lava can then be processed very cheaply for bikinium, leaving the Soviets as the most powerful people on earth. But during the 40- year wait for this secret volcano to break to the surface, at which point it can be claimed as Soviet territory, the USSR empire collapses and a KGB officer decides to sell the whole plan for Vulcan's Forge to North Korea for $100 million. Enter Philip Mercer, out to save the life of on old friend's daughter, a member of a geologic survey team lost near the volcano. Much bang-bang but little kiss-kiss ensues. Meanwhile, a superbillionaire Japanese racist plots the secession of Hawaii, and Mercer, empowered by the US President, finds himself in cliffhangers more wonderfully outrageous than you'll find in Clive Cussler or Ian Fleming. A finely tuned first installment in the Mercer series, buoyed by strong, fresh writing. Remember, Fleming could never top From Russia With Love, so come aboard now.

Fleming could never top himself, eh? Interesting. Loved Vulcan's Forge and the second book, Charon's Landing. Medusa Stone was pretty darn good itself but as a third installment of Phillip Mercer it seemed like Mercer himself was hitting the wall literally in that he nearly died in the process, then dusts himself off for a mid-air act of revenge which begs credibility.

Haha, I don't know if VF was "more outrageous than you'll find in Clive Cussler" but I did like it a lot. Have been looking for Charon's Landing for awhile but my libraries seem to skip it in favor of later DuBrul books.

Thanks for the help remembering the book. I couldn't picture Kurt Austin's name tracking down the villain, but it didn't seem like TofK either. th: det:

Just re-read Charon's Landing a week ago. Mmmm. I treasure my Charon's Landing Hardcover 1st Ed :-)

Go it signed by Jack at CCC'06 with a picture of me and Jack drinking Heineken's tucked in the inside cover.