Dirk finds himself racing against a rogue Chinese military team bent on recovering the remains of a hypersonic missile as well as attacking Taiwan. A fast, exciting story. ( )

A CIA mission to evacuate the Dalai Lama instead takes relics from an important monastery but goes missing in the Himalayas, over 60 years later some of those relics appear on a plane in the Philippines right after a mineral survey ship causes a rogue wave with new technology that puts Taiwan in the crosshairs from squad of Chinese soldiers. The Devil’s Sea is the twenty-sixth installment of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series, the first exclusively written by Dirk Cussler after co-authoring the last eight.

In his first solo outing Dirk Cussler brought a tight fun narrative of two subplots that had connections with antagonists but independent from one another that showed off Cussler’s knowledge of the established characters and a great quality in prose. The antagonists are Chinese soldiers and intelligence operatives hunting down the remains for an experimental hypersonic missile while the others are after extraterrestrial minerals from certain meteorites needed to solve thermal issues with the missiles, ironically important Tibetan relics are made from these meteorites that happen to help China’s cultural assimilation of Tibet. This connectivity of the antagonists but also their independence from one another allows the teams Dirk & Al and the Twins to have their own adventures that are engaging and fun.

The Devil’s Sea continued the vibe of the Dirk Pitt series over the last eight installments as Dirk Cussler took solo control of the series, if this is a signal of how the series will continue then I’ll continue read it. ( )

As a reader of every single book in the Dirk Pitt series, I was more than a little saddened by the passing of author Clive Cussler. I thought, "no Clive, no Pitt". Happily, I was wrong when I saw that Clive's son, Dirk, took up the mantle and is continuing the trials and tribulations of Dirk, Al, the kids, and the various other familiar characters.
"The Devil's Sea" fits right in with other books in the series and, in this reviewer's opinion, it is difficult to pick up any noticeable differences in the writing styles between Clive and Dirk. The dual plot points revolve around a hypersonic machine that can create super tsunamis and a supersonic cruise missile under development by the Chinese. Much of the experimental work being done with the wave project is centered in the South China Sea as one of the experimental missiles loses control and crashes into the area. When Pitt and Al are assigned to recover the damaged engine of the missile, the two plots collide and the race is on to keep the Chinese from finding the engine and learning about the wave project. Doing so would enable them to develop two potentially devastating weapons. The younger Pitt and sister Summer join the chase when the power source for the missiles is determined. This takes them to the Himalayas and a meeting with the Dalia Lami.
It's non-stop action throughout the book with only a few slow spots. Sure, there's always a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but if you're a follower of the series, you already know that. Here's hoping the younger Cussler uses the impetus of this solid start to keep a great series alive. ( )

Another successful book by the Cusslers...this time by Dirk Cussler. In 1959 a Buddhist artifact was thought to be lost, but is found 60 years later. Summer and Dirk have the adventure of returning it; meanwhile Pitt and Al have been ordered to recover a supersonic missile. They have their own trials with the Chinese. ( )

The Devil's Sea is another NUMA run expedition. It is a suspenseful book from beginning to end. The characters get themselves into deadly situations and with their strength and know how are able to free themselves. Clive Cussler's son has picked up the baton and has continued his father's style of suspenseful stories. Four stars were awarded here for a good story. ( )