While still an easy read, this latest entry by new author Mike Maden, was not as enjoyable and did not hold my interest as intently as other entries. It also continued the recent trend of yet another outsider being made privy to all of the Oregon's secrets. It also seemed somewhat overly dramatic in how it described the members of the Oregon's crew and during some of the battle scenes, and also with the resolution; once, twice, this time for sure. Hopefully if Mr. Maden continues writing for the series he finds his footing in the next installment.

Juan C is the chairman of a unique company . One that works for clients a bit off the spectrum. In this novel , it is the government he is working for. Trying to protect two small islands from extinction of humans. Perpetrated by a couple mafia type terrorists.
Lots of action and high tech suspense…. Very entertaining.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC. I do recommend.

Starting off with an action packed sequence worthy of a summer blockbuster, Hellburner sees the return of Juan Cabrillo and his team taking on a new criminal group: Pipeline. This is Mike Maden’s first turn working on The Oregon Files series and I’d say he nailed it. He captured the feel of the entire Oregon crew and the storyline is top notch. Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Hellburner.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clive-cusslers-hellburner-mike-maden/1140967310?ean=9780593540640&bvnotificationId=2bfac4ea-2f05-11ed-bb5b-0ecf3ec4cdbb&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/216870451

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3AAR729PTKWQ7/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

3.5⭐
Battle of mercenaries!

And the Oregon Files has a new author. "Hellburner" is book #16 that can be read as a standalone.

Oh, how I love the disguised fighter and intel-gathering ship, The Oregon. It marvels me that this state of art technology ship has an outer shell of an old, rusty, filthy, and SMELLY tramp steamer. The inside though is equipped with just about everything you can imagine; a weapons room, a garage for their cutting-edge vehicles, a tiltrotor, a pool, five stars kitchen & chef, a meeting room that mirrors the WH situation room, a trauma center, and a science lab. They adorn their interior walls with priceless original paintings for crying out loud! The crew is mostly former military/intelligence except for a Hollywood guy who lends his special effects, makeup, and wardrobe talent.

Juan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew take on a gripping adventure on land and sea. They are pretty much high-end good guys mercenaries. They accepted a mission from a CIA liaison to capture and question the Mexican "King of Meth" that has gone tragically wrong. It became personal for Juan and the team after losing one of their own during that op. The team is left without a choice but to track the deadly fentanyl-laced meth from Mexico to its unknown destination in Europe. Meth is just a part of the smuggling operation that moves contraband and human by a syndicate called "The Pipeline". Decades-old rivalries play the role of a stolen Russian doomsday torpedo.

"Hellburner" written by Mike Maden is an exciting installment right from the start. The quality and style of the book stay true to the series. You can tell that the author is either a fan of the series or did a lot of homework. I never get tired of following these guys and gals on their adventures.

A few quibbles, first, the pace in the middle because of the details that almost turn this adventure into a geopolitical thriller. Second, Juan is on the verge of being a superhero towards the ending- a little OTT, and third, PLEASE, no romance, don't turn The Oregon into the Love Boat.

One of my favorite series and I can't wait to see where the next adventure takes them!

The Arc wasn't as good as I thought that it would. I love Clive Cussler's work and have read many of his books. Bur I just couldn't finish this one. I recommend three stars

Look, you always know what you’re getting from Clive Cussler series; over the top explosions, crazy plots, a pretty and strong lady love interest, etc. And that’s why I keep coming back! Is it formulaic? Yes, But is it still entertaining? Yes. I like that I always know the good guys are gonna win, the bad guys lose, and any injuries (mostly) sustained will be fixed at the end of the book.

I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and giver my honest review of this book

****Edit*****
Spoiler Alerts.
I am editing my review because thinking of the book after reading. the weakness in the story keeps coming to mind,

It is a solid chapter in the series. Like all writers who try to capture the style and feel of another author, it is not easy. Mr. Maden tries his best and it is a good story, well written and fun to read on a summer afternoon when it is too hot to go outside, but it is easy to tell that it is not as good as the early books in the series

What really lets the reader down is that the characters are in a RUT, the Heros are super heroic and nothing bad ever happens to them, it is only the minor characters that pay the price for saving the world one more time. The major characters do get hurt but always make a full recovery by the end of the book to return to the Ship ready to save the world in the next book. The required damsel in distress is a stubborn bitch who doesn't listen to anyone causing more trouble than she is worth. The Chairman Juan Cabrillo should have left her to her fate and said good riddance. At least it would have made the story more fun to read.

A continuation of the Oregon files, this story of Juan Carrilo falls into the standard tropes and storytelling expected of a Clive Cussler book. It's a fast-paced and fun read with enough technical statements to make the story all the more captivating. I think probably I may be a bit bitter, but I can tell Clive Cussler didn't write this and it made it a bit difficult. Mike Maden is a great writer and I look forward to reading his independent work.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Maden weaves together a complex and exciting story. A nuclear submarine missile is stolen from Russia. Criminal organizations plan to detonate it and start a world war.

Hellburner is another exciting episode of The Oregon Files following in Mr. Cussler’s adventurous ways by Mike Maden. The story and characters were compelling and interesting. Juan Cabrillo leads his crew through the Mediterranean to the Mexican peninsula then to Turkey in this action packed thriller. Make sure to put this on your summer reading list.

The Oregon series is my favorite of Cusslers books. I was happy to see a new book. Hellburner stays faithful to its origins, imho. Its fast paced and keeps you reading. My thanks to Mike Maden for sharing his talent and NetGallery for the ARC

I've been an Oregon fan for a while so I was excited to have an opportunity through NetGalley to receive an a free advanced copy of Hellburner to review. The Oregon returns, with new author Mike Madsen taking over from Boyd Morrison.

I won't go into plot details since the synopsis and other reviews sum it up nicely. All the usual Oregon prerequisites are here - over the top action scenes, multiple countries, and sinister billionaire bad guys with world destruction plots. If you're looking for a fast paced action packed novel, this is a good choice.

However - and I hate writing this - Hellburner just doesn't measure up to previous books for me. I can admit that I'm probably just getting burnt out on the Oregon series having read a lot of them in the last few months, but even so, there really wasn't anything here that hasn't been done better beforehand. It's entertaining, but there's only so many times I can read about the Oregon saving a city or country from annihilation with a few seconds left on the countdown clock through some crazy scheme Juan has cooked up.

The rest of the book is just average to me. It's not bad by any means, but there's nothing outstanding either. There's nothing particularly memorable about the villains, and I've come to realize nothing is ever going to change for the Oregon crew. Slight spoilers here. The crew somehow never seem to get older, always have the same rank,, and never change either physically or mentally in the long term. Here we have a crew member blinded in an attack, but I honestly didn't even care because I knew by the end of the book - just like Linda's deafness and Murph's paralysis in earlier books - that they'd be back to normal with no physical or psychological damage. There's been a couple of minor character deaths and replacements over the years, but everything else is the same. I've lost count of the times I read about Murph's heavy metal music tastes, Linda's hair color changes, Max's weight battles, Gomez's good looks, Juan's Casablanca inspired cabin and railroad safe..... it feels like the characters are stuck in a time warp.

This will likely be my last Oregon Files read, which is a depressing thought because it really has been a fantastic ride. Mike Maden seems a capable author, but I'm realizing this series isn't ever going to evolve further and probably should have ended a few books ago. The Oregon seems nigh on invincible at this point, being equipped with a rail gun, Gatling guns, missiles, EMP cannons, super drones, NSA level audio and visual surveillance, and so many other bells and whistles that I can't see anything being a threat to them at this point. It's a fun action story, but there's much better books in the Oregon Files to try.

I haven't read a Cussler novel in a while. I know Clive is no longer with us, but his stories live on. The Oregon is still steaming around the oceans and Juan is at the helm.

The novel was written in true Clive fashion and you will not be disappointed in reading this novel.

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

This was a ver good book I like this series match better then the Kurt Austin books and maybe even the last couple of Pitt books Thanks to Netgalley for the book

First I received the ARC, with the agreement to read it and give a fair review! I can honestly say I was excited to read a book in my favorite series and I loved all the action, twists and turns through out the book. It was an excellent read, great story line and stayed true to the series!

#16 in Clive Cussler's Oregon Files series, written by Mike Maden, and I can say with all honesty, he did justice to this book! Fast paced action starting with taking down the head of the a major Drug Lord in Mexico. The attempt goes badly and one of the Oregon's crew is killed!

Overholt contacts Juan to go after a group called "Pipeline" The Pipeline is behind Drugs, Human trafficking and Weapons. Edge of your seat fast paced action and adventure including a member of the Oregon's crew getting badly injured and possibly not able to come back from that injury! Juan and the crew continue to do what they do best under tough odds.

I look forward to being able to recommend this when it hits the shelves!

Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation are on the move facing dangers and saving the world repeatedly in this fast paced thriller. Orders from Langston Overholt, their CIA handler begin with the assassination of a Mexican Drug Lord, but the job goes sideways and they lose one of their own. Next they are asked to investigate "The Pipeline" a drug, alcohol, weapons and human trafficking ring in the Mediterranean. Lots of action, lots of near death daring with little progress until a Russian sub goes missing that was carrying a Canyon stealth bomb. Can they figure out who is behind all this and what the plan is before somewhere in the world goes BOOM!
This is a serious nail-biting thriller, true in every way to Cussler's signature style. A very enjoyable read!!

Mike Maden takes over writing the Oregon Files in this 16th installment of the long running series and succeeds wonderfully with probably the most bonkers Cusslerverse book in a long-while. Cussler books can often fill like you've read the same one multiple times and they work best when you feel that they've landed on something novel. Mike Maden has done this with Hellburner.

This book has everything you could want from an Oregon Files book; It has new gadgets on the Oregon, it has interesting new villains, and a threat that could cause devastation on unimaginable scales. However, it also has the crew of the Oregon being their heroic selves led by the wonderful Juan Cabrillo. Boyd Morrison wrote some of my favorite Cusslerverse books and quickly became my favorite writer of the bunch and I think Mike Maden has filled those big shoes well. The plot of this book is done deftly and even though it's one of the most over-the-top stories of recent Cusslerverse books, Maden handles it well and brings it to a thrilling conclusion.

The Oregon Files are in good hands with Mike Maden and I look forward to his next installment of the series.

Another great read in the Clive Cussler series. There were a lot of cool high-tech gadgets and underwater suspense. The characters were relatable with real feelings.