<b>The 40th-anniversary edition of the first Dirk Pitt adventure from the #1 <i>New York Times</i>-bestselling author and grand master of adventure.</b><br><br>When Clive Cussler published his first novel in 1973, he knew he didn't want to write a familiar kind of character - no spy or detective or undercover investigator - his hero would have grand adventures set on or under water. He named him Dirk Pitt, and his organization the National Underwater and Marine Agency, or NUMA - and one of the world's most beloved series characters was born.<br><br>Now in a special 40th-anniversary edition, complete with endpaper maps and a new foreword from Cussler, here is the book that started it all, filled with every one of the Cussler hallmarks: the cutting-edge technology, the treacherous men and exotic women, and, of course, the fabulous plots.<br><br>On a quiet Greek island, a U.S. air force base has come under attack - by a World War I fighter plane. . . .<br><br>Now it is up to Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, and the rest of the NUMA team to root out the elusive truth behind the incident - and find out how it's connected to mysterious acts of sabotage against a scientific expedition, an international smuggling ring, and a dark-haired beauty with some dangerous secrets.
