Cussler's 'Jungle' fails to launch

“The Jungle,” the latest in Clive Cussler's Oregon Files series, fails to launch.

Juan Cabrillo and his team aboard the Oregon ship have had their share of close calls. After being dumped by the U.S. government when a new president takes office, they find themselves trying to stir up business to stay afloat.

A woman disappears on a hike in the jungles of northern Thailand and her father pleads with Cabrillo to stage a rescue. The mission to retrieve her proves costly as new team members are captured and a sinister villain reveals a devastating weapon.

Can they save themselves and get back in the good graces of the U.S. government?

The books in the Oregon Files series have been the most consistently entertaining from the Cussler publishing empire, especially since Jack Du Brul started writing them.

Unfortunately, “The Jungle” fails on several levels. The story focuses on new crew members — and they aren't that interesting. The action and villainy expected from a Cussler book are practically nonexistent, and the ending appears rushed and tacked on to generate interest in the next book.

Instead of a complete novel, this feels like a rough draft rushed to meet a deadline.

<b>“The Jungle”</b>

By Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul

Putnam, 416 pages, $27.95, <a href="http://www.clive-cussler-books.com/" target="_blank">clive-cussler-books.com/</a>