Vixen '03 by Clive Cussler (Audiobook Review)

The radical Army of the African Revolution has gotten hold of the most lethal biological warfare bugs ever created and plans to fire them on Washington DC.

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Title: Vixen 03
Series: Dirk Pitt, book 4
Author: Clive Cussler
Narrator: Michael Prichard
Publisher: Books on Tape
Duration: 10 hours, 12 minutes
Copyright: 1993
Genres: thriller, nautical, intrigue
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

THE GIST: In 1954, the United States military created the most deadly germ known to man. QD, short for quick-death, had the ability to wipe out a major city in a matter of hours, and remain lethal for as long as three centuries. Several canisters of the deadly bug were loaded onto a transport plane in Colorado, to be flown to a remote testing site in the Pacific ocean. The airplane, called Vixen 03, never arrived.

An extensive search was made for Vixen 03 and its deadly cargo, but to no avail. It was decided that the plane had gone down in the ocean and would never be seen again. The QD file was closed, and buried deep, but skeletons of this magnitude rarely remain in the closet for long. This one lasted thirty-four years.

Dirk Pitt and companion Lauren Smith are getting some down-time at Lauren’s cabin in the Colorado mountains. The cabin was left to Lauren upon the death of her father several years before. In the cabin's garage, Dirk stumbles across two pieces of an old aircraft. Dirk has a natural interest in any type of aircraft, so he decides to use some of his military connections to find out where the parts came from.

Dirk’s investigations eventually lead him to a lake high up in the mountains. It is in this lake that the Vixen 03 met its fate. Donning scuba gear, Dirk dives on the wreck. The mystery of the Vixen 03 deepens when he discovers not only the remains of the four-man crew, but also a fifth skeleton tied down in the cargo hold. The fifth skeleton is missing a thumb, just like Lauren’s father. To make matters worse, two canisters of the deadly cargo are missing.

Dirk Pitt finally decides it is time to bring in the National Underwater and Marine Agency, of which he is director. Dirk and his NUMA cohorts are able to trace the missing cannisters to a radical group of African freedom fighters.

Meanwhile, the freedom fighters are sailing up the Potomac river in an old battleship they have purchased. They are posing as their enemies, the African Army of the Revolution, in order to incite the Americans to war on their side. What the freedom fighters don’t know is that two of the shells they are planning to fire at Washington, are actually filled with the missing QD germ.

MY THOUGHTS: “Vixen 03” is the fourth audio book in Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series. A good portion of this audio book is taken up with background on the military and political situation in Africa. It took Cussler a long time to make the connection between that, and the story of the Vixen 03, which left me feeling a bit lost for much of the story.

One item of note in “Vixen 03” is the first appearance of Dirk Pitt's hangar. This is Dirk’s home, an actual aircraft hangar at a small airport. The hangar has an upstairs loft built into it, and the floor is covered with Dirk’s collection of classic and rare automobiles. In “Vixen 03”, Dirk is busy restoring an old car he rescued from the Titanic in his last adventure.

CLIVE CUSSLER SPECTACLE: Clive Cussler’s audio books almost always include some type of amazing spectacle in their climax. In Vixen 03, we have an old Navy battleship sailing up the Potomac river, firing shells into the heart of Washington DC. One shell takes out the main building of the Lincoln Memorial, leaving the statue of Lincoln completely untouched. I’m surprised Hollywood never picked this one up.

NARRATOR: Michael Prichard is a regular fixture on Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt audio books and I like his reading very much. His voices are nothing special, but he does try to differentiate them. Prichard has a natural style that is very easy to listen to.

FINAL WORD: “Vixen 03” is not a bad audio book, but it is not Clive Cussler’s best work. The scene with the battleship in Washington was exciting and suspenseful, so I give the audio book credit for that.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler (Audiobook Review)
Night Probe by Clive Cussler (Audiobook Review)
Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler (Audiobook Review)


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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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