by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul

A non-Hawaiian island is the center of attention on Dec. 7, 1941, for a young band of brothers living near Forks, Wash. Their discovery starts a chain of events that gathers speed over time, culminating in a final political climax nearly seven decades later.

Book seven of the Oregon Files covers a wide expanse of history, with players and events from China, North America, South America and Antarctica.  Juan Cabrillo and his corporate co-workers are smart, resourceful and not afraid to use deadly force as they scramble to solve a centuries-old puzzle (that has already claimed numerous lives) before militant forces from other countries beat them to it.

Essentially, this is a high-stakes globe-trotting tale of adventure and intrigue. Every time a corporate member (or team) gets into a jam (which is frequent), they devise amazingly creative methods of escape. There is a lot of physical destruction, and a pretty high body count as well. The mystery aspect does not disappoint, although the resolution of the overshadowing political predicament is somewhat weak.

Rated: Mild. A dozen uses of two mild terms, and a handful of single instances of other crude terms. Although there is a lot of death, there are no gory details.