Golden Buddha

GOLDEN

BUDDHA

CLIVE

CUSSLER

AND CRAIG DIRGO

BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK

Dear Readers,

A few years ago, while I was writing Flood Tide, I realized that Dirk Pitt needed some help on a particular assignment, and so I dreamed up Juan Cabrillo.

Cabrillo ran a ship called the Oregon, on the outside completely nondescript, but on the inside packed with state-of-the-art intelligence-gathering equipment. It was a completely private enterprise, available for any government agency that could afford it. It went where no warship could go, transported secret cargo without suspicion, plucked data out of the air—it was the perfect complement to NUMA.

In fact, I had so much fun writing about the Oregon and its rakish, one-legged chief that I was sorry to see it sail off when its task was done. I promised myself I’d find a way to bring them back some day—and here, I am pleased to say, they are. Golden Buddha is the first in a new series about Juan Cabrillo’s merry men (and women!), and I hope you get as much of a kick reading about them as I did creating them.

And who knows, maybe some time they’ll cross paths with Dirk Pitt again….

Clive Cussler

“A NEW CLIVE CUSSLER NOVEL IS LIKE A VISIT FROM YOUR BEST FRIEND.”

—Tom Clancy

The New York Post called him “just about the best storyteller in the business.” Now, Clive Cussler, creator of the bestselling NUMA ® and Dirk Pitt® series, presents his latest and most-intriguing high-seas action hero: the enigmatic captain of the Oregon, Juan Cabrillo.

Only Cabrillo could convert the interior of a nondescript lumber hauler into a state-of-the-art spy ship—and only he could take the helm on the dangerous covert missions it carries out for whichever U.S. agency pays the price.

In this first feature-length adventure, Cabrillo and his crew of expert intelligence and naval men must put Tibet back in the hands of the Dalai Lama by striking a deal with the Russians and the Chinese. His gambling chip is a Golden Buddha containing records of vast oil reserves in the disputed land.

But first, he’ll have to locate—and steal—the all-important artifact. And there are certain people who would do anything in their power to see him fail….

“Readers will burn up the pages following the blazing action and daring exploits of these men and women and their amazing machines.”—Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR

CLIVE CUSSLER

“Just about the best storyteller in the business.”

—New York Post

“Nobody does it better than Clive Cussler. NOBODY.”

—Stephen Coonts

“PURE ENTERTAINMENT…as reliable as Pitt’s trusty Colt .45.”

—People

“PURE CUSSLER, PURE FUN. The action just keeps accelerating.”

—The San Francisco Examiner

PRAISE FOR

CLIVE CUSSLER’S NUMA ® SERIES

“MARVELOUS…simply terrific fun.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“YOU CAN’T GET MUCH MORE SATISFYING.”

—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Cussler and Kemprecos weave A GREAT STORY.”

—Tulsa World

“Audacious and WILDLY ENTERTAINING.”

—New York Daily News

PRAISE FOR

CLIVE CUSSLER’S