"Strong contemporary watery thriller"

In December 1944, Captain Miyoshi Horinouchi, staff operations officer of the Japanese Imperial Navy Sixth Fleet, informs Lieutenant Commander Ogawa of Submarine I- 403 of a change of assignment. Instead of patrolling the Philippines, he is to "escort' a special guest from the Kure Naval Base in Japan to the "enemy's doorsteps". The civilian Dr. Jisaichi Tanaka of the Army Medical College has found a devastating biological agent that will bring the Americans to their knees begging for peace. If he fails on this mission, Japan will inevitably lose the war as the Battle of the Pacific is all but over since the recent fleet devastation at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. However neither this sub nor a companion ever made it to its intended target.

In 2007 a South Korean knows where the subs sank and has plans for uniting his country by distracting the Americans with the launching of the deadly biological cargo on Los Angeles. Only Dirk Pitt Sr. and his adult children Jr. and Summer along with his crew from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) stand in the way of success.

This is typical Clive Cussler fare starting with a historical naval moment expanded into an exhilarating base for a strong contemporary watery thriller in which the action is everything. Dirk is aging gracefully (my knees hurt just reading about his adventures), but the torch as with the authors seem to be moving on one knot at a time to the next generation. BLACK WIND is an exciting tale that is like all the NUMA novels worth an oceanic adventure trek that takes enthralled readers merrily to the Pitts.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 29, 2004

Summary

In the waning days of World War II, the Japanese tried a last desperate measure-a different kind of kamikaze mission, this one carried out by two submarines bound for the West Coast of the United States, their cargo a revolutionary new strain of biological virus. Neither sub made it to the designated target. But that does not mean they were lost. Someone knows about the subs and what they bore, knows too where they might be, and has an extraordinary plan in store for the prize inside-a scheme that could reshape the world as we know it. All that stands in the way are three people: a marine biologist named Summer, a marine engineer named Dirk, and their father, Dirk Pitt, the new head of NUMA. Pitt has faced devastating enemies before, and has even teamed up with his children to track them down. But never has he looked upon the face of pure evil . . . until now. Filled with dazzling suspense and breathtaking action, Black Wind is Cussler at the height of his storytelling powers.