Although neither of them had ever called their meeting a case of love at first sight, they’d both agreed it had certainly been a case of “pretty darn sure at first hour.”

 

 

A First for Everything

Sahara, starring Steve Zahn and Matthew McConaughey, is one of my favorite movies.  We watch it as a family quite frequently.  The original book Sahara (though far different from the movie) was written by Clive Cussler.  Although my grandmother read every Clive Cussler she could get her hands on, I didn’t have much interest in his books for a long time, regardless of my love for the Sahara movie.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about Clive Cussler, and some concerns about his character Dirk Pitt’s womanizing tendencies.  This didn’t come through much in the movie, and I was quite content with the movie to be honest.  However, when a book reading buddy suggested Clive Cussler’s Fargo Adventures for our next mini book club read, I decided I might as well give him a shot.  Couldn’t be any worse than The Turn of the Key right?!

Turns out, I don’t mind Clive Cussler.  🙂

A Little Adventure Never Hurt Anyone

Sam and Remi Fargo are the epitome of an adventurous couple.  Millionaires from previous jobs, they’ve retired to their spacious and technologically advanced home in California to be treasure hunters and philanthropists.

Things get exciting for the Fargos when they discover a WWII submarine and a shard from a wine bottle that appears to be a part of Napolean’s “Lost Cellar” in the most unlikely of places: Pocomoke Swamp.  However, danger lurks just around the corner when Sam and Remi realize that they aren’t the only ones interested in Napolean’s wine collection.

Russians and Guns and Cliffs, Oh My!

The more time that passes after finishing this book, the less thrilled I am with the story.  When I first finished it I was quite excited by the plot and thrilled at the ending.  However, when I began to consider how I would review it, the quality of the story seemed to drop.  In fact, it just got worse as I considered it more.  It’s the awful truth.

Let’s start with the good news: there were not any inappropriate scenes.  I was pleasantly surprised, considering the main characters are married.  Another plus was the fun dynamic between Sam and Remy.  They have laid back, intelligent personalities that matched quite well and made conversations fun to read.

However, the downsides of the plot more than outweigh a few good personalities and lack of romance.  On top of that, the language was distracting.  I’ve read much much worse, such as The Turn of the Key and even The Lost and Found Bookshop.  Oh and I can’t forget to mention the violence.  Thought not completely disturbing, the wounds inflicted and deaths that occurred were odd and caused me to grimace more than once.

The complete lack of reality checks detracts from the story the most.  Language and violence aside, as the story progresses the plausibility decreases exponentially.  It does not logically make sense that an American couple with backgrounds in technology and archaeology could out-smart and out-run professional Russian thugs.  No sense whatsoever . . .

To Read or Not to Read

I only have two reasons for you not to read this book: the language and violence.  The violence was not horrific, but if it bothers you, find something else to read.  The language was not heinous either, but again, every one has different standards and opinions.

Beyond these, feel free to pick this up from your local library or book store.  Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when you start to roll your eyes during the car chases.  🙂

Have a lovely Monday, and go read a book!