Golden Buddha

Clive Cussler has yet to write a bad book! Always a great adventure and interesting characters.

The Golden Buddha is Clive Cussler's first offering in his "Oregon Files" series and he's pulled out all the stops. We're introduced to a new cast of characters led by Juan Cabrillo and his band of merry men that roam the world doing good deeds for a fee. Think soldiers of fortune with a dash of conscience mixed in for good measure. In a departure from the Dirk Pitt and Kurt Austin novels, Cussler keeps the action moving and avoids the drawn-out survival-against-the-elements routines so typical in those other series. In Golden Buddha, Cussler still delivers terrific character development, meaningful dialogue, and of course, tons of intrigue and suspense. It's some of the best fun you can have reading.

I enjoyed reading this book twice. It kept me interested and flowed well. I was guessing until the end. Not sure what the other readers expected. The Dirk Pitt series started out slow as the characters were built and unfolded. I expect the same with this series. Thank you Mr. Cussler.

Clive Cussler has written *yet* another exciting action-packed book on a contemporary subject, the theft of an ancient religious object which is also a work of art, the Golden Buddha. The book is filled with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader up at night, furiously turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next. This is the first book in a series in which Juan Cabrillo, along with expert men and women who reside on the ship Oregon, covertly engage in activities to make the world a better place and at the same time, make a huge profit for themselves. The Oregon looks like a rusty old freighter ship. Its deck is loaded with junk. Its wheelhouse is filthy and smelly, a fitting disguise for a ship equipped with the most modern computer technology ever devised, with communications and weapons systems to match. It also includes state-of-the-art underwater craft equally equipped with monitors, sensors, and computer technology to make the impossible ... possible. The background is set: it is March 1959, the Dalai Lama prepares to leave the summer palace. The Dalai Lama escapes to India where he plans to reside safely, until the time comes when peace returns to Tibet and he can take his rightful place as religious leader of his people. During the 13th century, the Tibetans received a Golden Buddha, as a gift commemorating victory over the forces of Kublai Khan. The statue weighed almost 600 pounds and was jewel encrusted. It was given to the first Dalai Lama in 1372 and remained in the monastery in Tibet, until the Dalai Lama escaped to India, where it was safely transported. Unfortunately, the Golden Buddha disappeared in modern times, at the airport in Manila, Phillipines, when it was to accompany the Dalai Lama to the United States to be put on display. A secret art auction was taking place in Geneva, Switzerland ... with only seven bidders, all of whom had arrived by invitation only. A California billionairre was the client of one of the highest bidders. Another client with an interest in the Buddha was a wealthy drug lord named Stanley Ho who lived in Macau. He was among the noveau riche whose wealth was obtained from obscure sources. He was trying to legitimize his standing in the community and was holding a party which the social elite were attending. One of these two clients purchased the *real* Golden Buddha ... Of course, there was a mix up. The Corporation was hired to retrieve the *real* statue and return it to its rightful owner, the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, an exact replica of the Golden Buddha existed in the local temple of Macau and had disappeared. It was rumored that the *real* Golden Buddha had a secret compartment, with important records. The United States collaborated with the Russians to help resolve this disappearance. These two super powers created distractions and territorial disputes with the Red Chinese ... using their desperate need for oil to their advantage. Only, the mysterious secret compartment within

I don't understand all the negative reviews. I loved that this was different and with so many characters. I really missed Cabrillo and his crew when they parted ways with Pitt & Giordino in Flood Tide. I like that unlike Pitt that any problems were not anger management problems or foolishness. It's another thing that makes the characters different. I felt there was fresh energy here like Cussler's enjoying himself. As for the not so PG rated events, hey, they're mostly ex-CIA types who should be expected to "Mission Impossible" their way through with whatever it takes to make the mission successful. I am so looking forward to the next one and wish I didn't have to wait until July and Oct. for my next Cussler fix.