The eye of heaven by Clive Cussler & Russell Blake

"The eye of heaven" by Clive Cussler & Russell Blake. This book is published by Putnam adult in Sep 2014 and has 400 pages.

Treasure hunters Sam & Remy Fargo are back with their sixth adventure. They are helping Spanish government retrieve goods from a sunken ship when Janus Benedict and his brother Reginald try to steal them. Fargo's foil the attempt. Janus takes it personally and starts shadowing them.

A Viking ship is found in Northern part of Canada. But Vikings had never reached American shore! There is an earthquake in Mexico, that unearths subterranean tunnels and vaults. Fargo's find a clue of a hidden tomb of Quetzalcoatl (not the Mesoamerican deity but the famous Toltec ruler). It is said that he was buried with a treasure including an emerald of the size of human heart called 'The eye of heaven'. Very little is known about Quetzalcoatl as Toltec civilization predated Aztec civilization. Moreover Spanish conquistadores twisted the history to suit them. Fargo's bring in Laslo from Laos & rehabilitate him, to help deciphering the manuscript that they illegally photographed from Cuba.

Can the Fargo's find the tomb? Do they find 'The eye of heaven'? Can they loose the tail attached by Janus? Can Janus get hold of the emerald? Does he get his revenge? Is Kendra a traitor? What does Reginald do to prove himself? What is the Viking connection? Did Vikings reach America?

The story is full of action. It contains sunken ship and treasure, ancient clues, thrill, gun fight, loss of life, traitors, drug cartel connection & treasure hunt. There are tombs, hidden chambers and maps to treasure. In short all the Cussler ingredients are present. The story has too many things to remember.

Character of Kendra is newly introduced and she is shown to have adopted to managing Fargo logistics and research on the fly. A little too far fetched. The ease with which Laslo solves the riddles and deciphers the clues also appears too easy. Sam and Remy are shown taking meals & drinks tens of times in the book, the story would not have altered without them.

The story takes place in America, Laos, Cuba and Mexico. Reader is taken on a whirlwind tour and is not allowed to think. Probably this is why the reader has no time to get bored, although they should have occasionally. Authors have also created a seed for the next adventure. This is a typical Cussler potboiler. Nothing great, nothing bad.

Read it if you are a Cussler fan.

Bourne Retribution by Eric Van Lustbader.

"Bourne Retribution" by Eric Van Lustbader. Bourne series was started as a trilogy by Robert Ludlum and continued by Lustbader after his death. This book is 11th in the series and 8th by Lustbader.

Jason Bourne, a spy who lost his memory, has captivated audience for decades and many have lifted this idea in their novels in one form or other.

In this book Bourne is urged by head of Mossad, Ely Yadin, to go to China and try to severe the link between Chinese minister who supplies raw material and Mexican drug lords who refine and market it. Bourne has eliminated the chief of most powerful Mexican drug cartel and drug cartels have killed Rebecca (a Mossad agent, who loved Bourne) in previous book. Hence the angle of retribution.

Where does he go? Who does he meet? Does he get his retribution? What does he lose in the process? Is he betrayed again?

Like all Bourne books, this one is also fast paced and full of action. I had started losing interest in Bourne series in 7th, 8th and 9th book, but this book had revived the interest.

In order to fully understand the story, you should have read previous books before reading this one. The characters, incidents and references are lost on those who will start with this book.

Lustbader has concentrated on plot than the character of Bourne. There is a lot of action in the book and pace is fast. The end though, is not as elaborate and the villain is killed relatively easily. There is also a pleasant surprise at the end.

A good book. Read it if you  are a fan of Bourne series.