Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Bantam Books (1984), 352 pages
Description
Dirk Pitt must descend to the bottom of the Hudson River to recover a copy of the secret North American Treaty signed in 1914, but Great Britain is racing to find and destroy the same document.
User reviews
LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Dirk Pitt once more manages to find himself in the midst of aquatic adventure. As usual, this Cussler yarn is a standalone book, so can be read at any point. The tale itself weaves political upheaval around the search for two sunken treasures. Unfortunately, the plot requires a rather large leap of
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faith and this is compounded by stereotypical characters. That said, if you are prepared to suspend your disbelief, Night Probe has all the boxes checked that make an adventure book interesting. Although you'll want to see this one through once you've started it, there are plenty of better Cussler books you could read instead, most of which are smarter and more intriguing. Show Less
LibraryThing member R0BIN
In May 1914 two couriers disappear in twin disasters taking the only two copies of the North American Treaty with them. The governments of the United States and Great Britain order a cover up so it is as if the treaty never existed. In February 1989 Heidi Milligan, a stunningly beautiful (of
I have a soft spot for Dirk Pitt even though these books can get really over the top sometimes. This book is my favorite of the series because part of it is set in the village where I was living at the time. The physical description of the area was so detailed and so correct that I was convinced that a few of the other background details were based on fact. When I tried to hunt down the story at the local public library the story looked so plausible that the local history librarian was puzzled that she hadn't come across it before. We wrote to Clive Cussler and he replied "Don't believe everything you read" saying that he had made up every single bit of historical background in the book.
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course) naval commander discovers an obscure reference to the long-lost document which is now worth billions of dollars. The race is on to rescue one copy of the treaty from the bottom of the ocean. I have a soft spot for Dirk Pitt even though these books can get really over the top sometimes. This book is my favorite of the series because part of it is set in the village where I was living at the time. The physical description of the area was so detailed and so correct that I was convinced that a few of the other background details were based on fact. When I tried to hunt down the story at the local public library the story looked so plausible that the local history librarian was puzzled that she hadn't come across it before. We wrote to Clive Cussler and he replied "Don't believe everything you read" saying that he had made up every single bit of historical background in the book.
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LibraryThing member R0BIN
In May 1914 two couriers disappear in twin disasters taking the only two copies of the North American Treaty with them. The governments of the United States and Great Britain order a cover up so it is as if the treaty never existed. In February 1989 Heidi Milligan, a stunningly beautiful (of
I have a soft spot for Dirk Pitt even though these books can get really over the top sometimes. This book is my favorite of the series because part of it is set in the village where I was living at the time. The physical description of the area was so detailed and so correct that I was convinced that a few of the other background details were based on fact. When I tried to hunt down the story at the local public library the story looked so plausible that the local history librarian was puzzled that she hadn't come across it before. We wrote to Clive Cussler and he replied "Don't believe everything you read" saying that he had made up every single bit of historical background in the book.
Show More
course) naval commander discovers an obscure reference to the long-lost document which is now worth billions of dollars. The race is on to rescue one copy of the treaty from the bottom of the ocean. I have a soft spot for Dirk Pitt even though these books can get really over the top sometimes. This book is my favorite of the series because part of it is set in the village where I was living at the time. The physical description of the area was so detailed and so correct that I was convinced that a few of the other background details were based on fact. When I tried to hunt down the story at the local public library the story looked so plausible that the local history librarian was puzzled that she hadn't come across it before. We wrote to Clive Cussler and he replied "Don't believe everything you read" saying that he had made up every single bit of historical background in the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
search for crucial N. Atlantic Treaty - US Canadian Relation - good
In the midst of an international crisis, Heidi Milligan, a beautiful, brilliant American naval commander, accidentally discovers an obscure reference to the long-buried North American Treaty, a precedent-shattering secret pact
But in London, a daring counterplot is being orchestrated to see that the treaty is never implemented. Brian Shaw, a master spy who has often worked hand in hand with American agents, now confronts his most challenging command. Pitt’s mission: Raise the North American Treaty. Shaw’s mission: Stop Pitt.
In the midst of an international crisis, Heidi Milligan, a beautiful, brilliant American naval commander, accidentally discovers an obscure reference to the long-buried North American Treaty, a precedent-shattering secret pact
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between the United States and Great Britain. The President believes that the treaty offers the single shot at salvation for an energy-starved, economically devastated nation, but the only two copies plummeted into the watery depths of the Atlantic in twin disasters long ago. The original document must be found—and the one American who can do the job is Dirk Pitt.But in London, a daring counterplot is being orchestrated to see that the treaty is never implemented. Brian Shaw, a master spy who has often worked hand in hand with American agents, now confronts his most challenging command. Pitt’s mission: Raise the North American Treaty. Shaw’s mission: Stop Pitt.
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LibraryThing member simon_carr
Ludicrous. That's the only word to describe this book. It even has James Bond for heavens sake....
LibraryThing member mattries37315
Months before World War I consumed Europe and brought Britain’s Empire to the fields of France, a historic treaty could have changed everything if not for two accidents. The sixth book of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series, Night Probe!, finds the series protagonist on a historical and
On the same day, a railroad disaster along the Hudson River and a ship sinking in the St. Lawrence kills two diplomats from the United States and Great Britain heading from Canada to their respective capitals with signed treaties that sells Canada to the United States. After both men die and the treaties presumed lost, President Wilson communicates with his British counterpart to forget that it ever happened. Three-quarters of a century later, Heidi Mulligan finds a unknown letter by Wilson communicating to Prime Minister Asquith about the North American Treaty setting off a chain of events that discovers evidence about the unknown treaty and makes it’s way across the Pond to the British archives sending 10 Downing Street into a panic and getting out of retirement it’s greatest secret agent, Brian Shaw (not at all James Bond, but is basically an older James Bond). One of those Heidi tells is friend (from Vixen 03) Dirk Pitt who doing his own research on top of Heidi’s gives his circumstantial evidence to the new President, who was previously in the Senate with his father. The President uses the information as part of his plan with the embattled Canadian Prime Minister threatened with Quebec secession while recovering from an assassination attempt by a Quebec terrorist group headed by his own right-hand man in his cabinet, who is also having an affair with his wife. Shaw seduces Heidi to learn everything she does and then attempts to prevent Pitt from getting either copy of the treaty but comes just short. Pitt gets the Treaty to the President, who is speaking to the Canadian Parliament and announces the historical find while inviting the provinces to apply for statehood.
Before anything else, the biggest issue with this book is Cussler’s total lack of understanding of the Constitution, Canadian history, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Of the three it’s the Constitution as all treaties must be approved by the Senate, which a President that had been a sitting Senator would know as well as Pitt’s father who is still a Senator, and after 75 years attempting to bring it to a vote would probably result in a Supreme Court case. The second is the Commonwealth of Nations are all self-governing and not the British Empire under a new name, so while it would have been embarrassing to Britain it wouldn’t result in what happened in the book. Now let’s get to the story; overall, it’s a good overall adventure tale with a good spy subplot and some good political intrigue (Canadian) and not so good (President). Pitt was able to get more nuisance and Heidi Mulligan was the best female character in the series so far, Brian Shaw as the older not-James Bond but basically is was a nice touch and good way to segue into so many plots. The Canadian political intrigue, if fleshed out more, could have been its own book but just added to the overall quality and somewhat makes up for the lack of understanding of various things on Cussler’s part.
Night Probe! is a very good installment of the Dirk Pitt series that is unfortunately undermined by Clive Cussler’s intentional or unintentional lack of understanding over various political and historical factors. The various adventure, spy, and political intrigue subplots work well together to create fun book to read if you don’t think too much.
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internationally significant hunt for a Treaty that sold Canada to the United States even as the aforementioned nation is on the verge of splitting and the United Kingdom is sending it’s great secret agent to stop him.On the same day, a railroad disaster along the Hudson River and a ship sinking in the St. Lawrence kills two diplomats from the United States and Great Britain heading from Canada to their respective capitals with signed treaties that sells Canada to the United States. After both men die and the treaties presumed lost, President Wilson communicates with his British counterpart to forget that it ever happened. Three-quarters of a century later, Heidi Mulligan finds a unknown letter by Wilson communicating to Prime Minister Asquith about the North American Treaty setting off a chain of events that discovers evidence about the unknown treaty and makes it’s way across the Pond to the British archives sending 10 Downing Street into a panic and getting out of retirement it’s greatest secret agent, Brian Shaw (not at all James Bond, but is basically an older James Bond). One of those Heidi tells is friend (from Vixen 03) Dirk Pitt who doing his own research on top of Heidi’s gives his circumstantial evidence to the new President, who was previously in the Senate with his father. The President uses the information as part of his plan with the embattled Canadian Prime Minister threatened with Quebec secession while recovering from an assassination attempt by a Quebec terrorist group headed by his own right-hand man in his cabinet, who is also having an affair with his wife. Shaw seduces Heidi to learn everything she does and then attempts to prevent Pitt from getting either copy of the treaty but comes just short. Pitt gets the Treaty to the President, who is speaking to the Canadian Parliament and announces the historical find while inviting the provinces to apply for statehood.
Before anything else, the biggest issue with this book is Cussler’s total lack of understanding of the Constitution, Canadian history, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Of the three it’s the Constitution as all treaties must be approved by the Senate, which a President that had been a sitting Senator would know as well as Pitt’s father who is still a Senator, and after 75 years attempting to bring it to a vote would probably result in a Supreme Court case. The second is the Commonwealth of Nations are all self-governing and not the British Empire under a new name, so while it would have been embarrassing to Britain it wouldn’t result in what happened in the book. Now let’s get to the story; overall, it’s a good overall adventure tale with a good spy subplot and some good political intrigue (Canadian) and not so good (President). Pitt was able to get more nuisance and Heidi Mulligan was the best female character in the series so far, Brian Shaw as the older not-James Bond but basically is was a nice touch and good way to segue into so many plots. The Canadian political intrigue, if fleshed out more, could have been its own book but just added to the overall quality and somewhat makes up for the lack of understanding of various things on Cussler’s part.
Night Probe! is a very good installment of the Dirk Pitt series that is unfortunately undermined by Clive Cussler’s intentional or unintentional lack of understanding over various political and historical factors. The various adventure, spy, and political intrigue subplots work well together to create fun book to read if you don’t think too much.
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LibraryThing member Bridgey
Night Probe *****
Night Probe is Cussler's 6th instalment featuring his Bondlike hero Dirk Pitt.
As seems to be something of a recurring trademark the book deals with a modern day Pitt researching an event that has happened in the countries history. This time we are taken back to a railroad crash
Fast paced and full of action, I always enjoy a Cussler novel. If you are a fan of the Boys own type of adventure give them a try.
Night Probe is Cussler's 6th instalment featuring his Bondlike hero Dirk Pitt.
As seems to be something of a recurring trademark the book deals with a modern day Pitt researching an event that has happened in the countries history. This time we are taken back to a railroad crash
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featuring American and British diplomats that were carrying a document detailing the sale of Canada to the USA. Only two documents were in existence and both lost. A beautiful naval officer finds a reference to this after a decades long cover up and Dirk is assigned the task of recovering the papers before a national scandal erupts.Fast paced and full of action, I always enjoy a Cussler novel. If you are a fan of the Boys own type of adventure give them a try.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
Classic Dirk Pitt, this one is fun, particularly for residents of the Hudson Valley. These aren't sophisticated, realistic or complicated, just good fun reads.
LibraryThing member Huba.Library
I liked the idea of a ship and a train as possible places to explore with a hero who is always right and can do the incredible. Also, I like how many of the references used are or were in existence. I did not like how many political men were involved in the story because it confused who was who—I
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wondered where the truth was on some historical details. I didn't particularly appreciate how unscrupulous officials can be. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1981-08
ISBN
0553277405 / 9780553277401