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Summary: Dirk Pitt's Best, Most Interesting Adventure
Review: "Night Probe!" reads like a great movie would, and in all honesty, it is Clive Cussler's best. Dirk Pitt, who raised the Titanic, has quite an adventure in "Night Probe!" The United States is economically going down the tubes, and there is just one hope: A secret treaty with Great Britain, 75 years old, and all but forgotten. The President sends Pitt to find the treaty, while Great Britain sends their most cunning MI6 agent. This leads to the climax of "Night Probe!" with the future of North America hanging in the balance.
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Summary: A High Stakes Rocketing Ride!
Review: 1914: United States undersecretary of state, Richard Essex, is traveling on the Manhattan Limited Train. With him is one of three copies of the North American Treaty. A document few government officials know about which will have an insurmountable effect on the future of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Meanwhile, on the very same evening and halfway across the world, Harvey Shields, deputy secretary of the British Foreign Office, carries a copy of the treaty with him while sailing on a ship called the Empress of Ireland. Coincidentally, the train carrying Richard Essex plunges through a gap in a bridge and sinks in the Hudson River, and the ship with Harvey Shields aboard collides with a coal collier and sinks in the St. Lawrence River. Neither man's corpse is recovered and the two copies of the treaty are gone with them. Canada's prime minister has the third copy, but since the treaty is not favorable to the Canadian's he destroys it. The matter is laid to rest. The North American Treaty is never to be. Those few officials who know of the pact keep their silence and the world never knows how close we came to rewriting history.1989: U.S. naval commander, Heidi Milligan, is writing a thesis when she comes across a letter written by Woodrow Wilson referring to the North American Treaty. Curious, she probes into the matter and discovers that even the most expert historians have no knowledge of any North American Treaty. When the word leaks out about Heidi's investigation, the U.S. and Great Britain do some detective work of their own and are stunned to learn that the treaty was indeed real. If a copy could be found, it would be valid even after seventy-five years. The United States would profit greatly from it but Great Britain would lose. Could an intact copy of the treaty be found underwater after all these years? Call in Dirk Pitt, director of special projects for the National Underwater Marine Agency. Dirk and his men take on the task of attempting to recover the treaty for the U.S. despite the remote probability of finding it. Great Britain, on the other hand, wants to find it first so they can destroy it, rendering it useless to the U.S. Brian Shaw, a retired top-notch spy is hired to lead the British crew on their search. The race begins! Cussler has put together a superb tale of mystery, espionage, history, and adventure. The action is non-stop as Dirk and his men battle it out underwater, on the ground, and in the air with British enemies. Expect lots of nail-biting tension as the plot twists and turns at an unrelenting pace. The surprise outcome will leave you breathless, shocked, and undoubtedly running back to the bookstore to purchase your next Dirk Pitt adventure.
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Summary: If you understand the first 50 pages of the book then go ahe
Review: ad and read it. Personally it was very dificult to understand and had a very slow plot. Therefore i hated the book. The only thing that was good was the evelution of the charicters and the accasionall understandable humor. I might try another of Cussler's books, but i just really didn't llike this one. If you can wait out the very slow plot and understand the humor in it then I say it will be a good book but for a guy like me it was a boring waist of my time. Danke schon und Tchuss!
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Summary: A real page-turner despite some predictabilities
Review: After reading six Clive Cussler books, I still think that "Cyclops" is his best work. However, "Night Probe!" is a close second. My favourite part of Dirk Pitt's adventures is his underwater explorations. "Night Probe!" had several. These adventures made this book a real page-turner. There were several predictable outcomes that emerged throughout the story, but none of them took away the story's impact. If you haven't read "Night Probe!" yet, I suggest you read no further. I don't want to reveal parts of the story to those who haven't read it yet.......There were really only two things that I disliked about the book. One involves the love affair between Danielle (the Canadian Prime Minister's wife) and Villon. We discover halfway through the story that Villon's partner, Foss Gly, impersonates Villon and begins his own love affair with Danielle. Yet it never occurs to her that she was making love to two different men. Come on! Even if their faces looked identical, how could the rest of their bodies look the same, let alone their personalities. I couldn't help but shake my head at this improbable reality. If there was one part of the book that surprised me, it was the ending. I didn't think that any of the three copies of the North American Treaty would ever be found. I was surprised to see that the treaty in the train was found and in good shape. Being a Canadian, I found it very unsettling to hear of the U.S. President's plans to join Canada with the U.S. and have a "United States of Canada". No offense, my fellow American neighbours, but Canada should stand alone. Despite this personal grievance, it did not deter me from thoroughly enjoying "Night Probe!" What a great read.
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Summary: A Great Adventure
Review: Ahhh, old Clive Cussler novels were so fun and this is at the top of my list of his books. It's so much fun and what a twist. The whole Canadian angle is really fun. Cussler may be light reading even by bubblegum for the brain standards but this one, like all of his old stuff, is undeniably fun!
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Summary: Dirk Pitt, Superhero
Review: Any fiction book written by Clive Cussler has a place in my library. His Dirk Pitt character is an interesting hero as well as his other characters. I love his intricate plots and the way he pulls them all together. Night Probe is my favorite of his books that all seem to become slightly more unbelievable as they progress.
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Summary: Dirk Pitt vs. "James Bond"
Review: Clive Cussler's books are one of my true guilty pleasures. It's similar to when you tell a friend whether they should see a movie or not--pay full price, matinee, wait till video, or don't bother. With books its--hardback, wait for paperback, hope your library has it, or don't bother. Clive Cussler is hardback all the way. Fortuneately for those of you new to the Dirk Pitt Novels, you can get hardback quality at a paperback prices. This is a great place to start this series. Dirk Pitt takes on James Bond--Ok not the REAL James Bond, but I'd like to think that the outcome would be the same. The entire North American Treaty concept is engrossing, and the plotting is fast and furious. This book is in the upper tier of Cussler Novels, along with Treasure, Cyclops, Dragon, and Deep Six. Enjoy.
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Summary: best if read with the entier series
Review: Cussler's writing style realy establishes it's self well. From involving a historical mystery to a political struggle, he is the master. I would suggest reading it with all the other novels in the series.
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Summary: The Ultimate Dirk Pitt Adventure!
Review: I adore Clive Cussler and I own all of his books, both in paperback and hardcover. But, for me, "Night Probe" is the best. The plot is woven together more skillfully than a spider's web, and the reader becomes just as trapped as any unwary fly! It's a book that's almost impossible to put down -- you have to see what's going to happen next. And like a fine puff pastry dough, it keeps building, layer upon layer. By the books end, you've become so convinced of the plots authenticity, you're ready to call the state department and ask them what they did with the treaty!
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Summary: Another literary homerun for Cussler...
Review: I became a hopelessly addicted Cussler fan after reading the incredible 'Raise The Titanic' in '79 (GEEZ! Has it been THAT long ago??) and ever since then, looking forward to a new Dirk Pitt novel is kinda like a hobby of mine...so you can imagine when 'Night Probe' came out what a thrill it was for me to buy and read it as quickly as possible. As usual, I wasn't disappointed one tiny bit. Another fantastic example of 'what if' by the Emperor of Action. What IF the US and England negotiated a treaty that in essence sold Canada to the Yankees...? Cussler introduces this exact situation with the opening pages of this adventure taking place on a train and a luxury ship. Both meet untimely ends, but not necessarily the way you are led to believe. Years later a reference to these documents is uncovered and soon after the race is on to find them by two countries, one bent on destroying them, the other for the purpose of collecting them intact. This is easily one of Cusslers most political novels, moving from the inner workings of the Prime Minister of Canada to the Oval Office and many points in between. If you remember the character of Foss Gly in 'Cyclops', you will be happy to find out that he makes his first appearance here in 'Night Probe', and as you can imagine, he is at his worst. 'Night Probe' definitely is one of Cusslers most intricately plotted novels, and what it may lack in action compared with some of his other stories, it more than makes up for in plot development and storyline details. Simply a great example of Cussler at his literary best. A fantastic book and worthy of any other Pitt adventure out there. Do yourself a supreme favor and get to know Dirk Pitt, and if you haven't done it yet, do it HERE. You will be most happy you did. Highly Recommended.
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