11/25/2013
Scott Brick settles easily into his narration of this Cussler/Perry collaboration, starring the Nick and Nora Charles of action and adventure: Sam and Remi Fargo. Rushing to help the victims of an earthquake in rural Mexico, the Fargos stumble across a long-hidden Mayan tomb. Inside they find a mummified corpse and an extremely rare Mayan codex, of which only a handful have survived into modern times. Of course a discovery of such magnitude can’t be kept secret, and it isn’t long until certain interested parties are looking to obtain the ancient text—and by any means necessary. Soon Sam and Remi are jetting around the world, their lives in constant danger, as they endeavor to unlock the secrets held within the pages of the manuscript. Having narrated numerous Cussler novels, Brick is no stranger to the author’s high-tech, high-adventure world. His characterizations are spot-on, while his clear, steady reading keeps the story moving at just the right pace. And his soft, breathy delivery brings a sense of intimacy to the story that pulls listeners in and keeps them hanging on every word. Fans of Cussler and the Fargos will be pleased with this production. A Putnam hardcover. (Sept.)

2013-08-15
Cussler (The Tombs, 2012, etc.) drops treasure-hunting Sam and Remi Fargo into Mayan mysteries. Having found Attila's tomb, the Fargos are spending a vacation on Mexico's Pacific coast assisting in a marine biology project. News arrives from Tapachula, Mexico, of an earthquake. Loading their chartered yacht with supplies and physicians, the deep-pocketed, charitable Fargos sail to help. Stopping at damaged coastal villages, they hear of isolated indigenous people near Volcán Tacaná. They organize a relief party. In midtrek, Sam stumbles upon a Mayan tomb uncovered by the earthquake. In it, there's a mummified aristocrat and an urn containing a Mayan codex. Only four other Mayan codices exist, treasures of mathematical treatises, astronomical observations and histories. This one had been secreted in 1537 with the help of Dominican Friar de Las Casas, a singular codex "worth a hundred" of any other. Fearing looters, the Fargos rationalize smuggling the codex to San Diego. In pursuit comes Sarah Allersby, a "beautiful, rich, uninhibited, flamboyant" Englishwoman and Guatemalan landowner. After validation by experts, the Fargos test the codex's map's accuracy by locating a previously unknown Mayan site. Gunfights ensue. Underwater escapes are made. Cussler's tale is supported by historical and geographical factoids, cutting-edge tech gear and Tracy-Hepburn banter. Allersby next purloins the codex, but the Fargos jet to Spain to uncover a previously unknown copy secreted in de Las Casas' papers. Later, in Guatemala, the Fargos clash twice more with Allersby, her violent minions, her drug-smuggling allies and villagers guarding an ancient Mayan redoubt. Chapters are short, cinematic and blinged-out with regular mention of the right stuff: Maybach sedans; linen tablecloths and Wedgewood china; Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana; and exotic foodstuffs polished off with Argentine Malbec. The relatively lightweight adventure ends in a shoot-'em-up after Sam calls on Apache attack helicopter–equipped compatriots from his former CIA-like, top-secret, quasi-military organization. Cussler connoisseurs will approve. Others can enjoy it as a stand-alone adventure.