I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Final Option
by
Boyd Morrison, Clive Cussler
action thriller in a hardcover edition that was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 5, 2019 and has 400 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Piranha, The Emperor's Revenge, Typhoon Fury, Shadow Tyrants, Marauder, Crescent Dawn, The Jungle, Kingdom, Devil's Gate, The Storm, The Tombs, Poseidon's Arrow, Zero Hour, The Mayan Secrets, Mirage, Ghost Ship, The Eye of Heaven, Pirate, Odessa Sea, Havana Storm, Nighthawk, The Romanov Ransom, The Rising Sea, The Gray Ghost, Sea of Greed, The Oracle, Journey of the Pharaohs, Dragon's Moon
Fourteenth (but not last) in The Oregon Files action thriller series and revolving around Captain/Chairman Juan Cabrillo and the Corporation aboard the high tech, camouflaged Oregon.
My Take
I never knew that whales in different parts of the world had a different language. It does make sense.
It’s a tale of very active vengeance using global third-person subjective point-of-view, and the Oregon has acquired quite a few enemies.
The good guys are characters with their own quirks and commonalties with the typical humor I so enjoy. Each has their strengths that contribute to the whole. There are a number of characters with stereotypes built-in for the bad guys. While the characters do drive the story, it’s the action and high-tech that is in prominent play…and you know how giddy I get about the gadgets, lol.
The pace blows hot and cold with those hot spots keeping you wondering how the boys and girls will get out of their terrifying situations and the cold spots are a bit tedious as we move from one action event to the next.
It’s those last scenes (before the epilogue) that have me terrified, so you be sure to read that Epilogue! The Final Option is definitely better than the last few, and I can’t wait to read the next, especially for the more advanced version of the Oregon!
The Story
It’s all in a day for the Corporation when they rescue spies until the news gets out that the Oregon and her crew have gone rogue. Ripping off gun shipments, sinking ships…it’s an ugly picture. One that yanks their protection from Overholt and destroys his reputation.
So when Juan’s old partner gives him two tasks: keep the sunken Kansas City from blowing up and rescue Langston Overholt from being blown up and drowned…
It follows that Max will be on an epic quest.
The Characters
The one-legged Captain/Chairman Juan Cabrillo, a former CIA agent, runs the Corporation and the Oregon.
The Corporation is…
…a covert organization that performs deeds the US doesn’t want in the open AND which are only in America’s interests. The members live aboard the Oregon and include Max, a Vietnam veteran, who has charge of Engineering and is Juan’s second-in-command as well as president of the Corporation. Eddie Seng is a former CIA Chinese American. A former Navy veteran, Linda Ross is now one of their best sub drivers and is a vice-president of the Corporation. An avid skateboarder, Mark “Murph” Murphy had been a civilian weapons designer for the military. Doctor Julia Huxley is the ship’s surgeon; she’s a former chief medical officer at the San Diego naval base. George “Gomez” Adams pilots the helicopters and drones; he had been with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a.k.a., the Nightstalkers. A former Navy SEAL, Franklin “Linc” Lincoln is an expert at assessing threats, evac routes, and any possible hiccups in mission planning. A former Army MP investigator, the Native American Raven Malloy is new and the best shot on the ship and the fastest. The Lebanese American Hali Kasim is the communications officer. Marion MacDougall “MacD” Lawless is a former Army vet. Maurice is the ship’s steward who had served in the British Royal Navy for decades with some of that time under Admiral Beale when he was captain of the HMS Invincible. Eric Stone is the helmsman and a former Navy vet. Chuck “Tiny” Gunderson is the Corporation’s dedicated airplane pilot. Kevin Nixon is an award-winning Hollywood special effects and makeup artist who runs the Magic Shop aboard the Oregon.
“Jorge González” is a representative of the Bocas Cartel, a cocaine supplier. “Chen Lu” is an envoy for the biggest heroin smugglers in Asia.
CIA, Langley, Virginia
Langston Overholt IV is an administrator and Juan’s former boss at the CIA and the man who suggested Juan create the Corporation in the first place. Now he’s Juan’s contact. Jeff Connolly, a former Navy SEAL, is Overholt’s driver and bodyguard. Catherine Ballard runs her own operations at Langley. Patricia Kubo is the director of the CIA.
CIA Agent Jack Perry, aboard the Mantícora is meeting the Portland. Luis Machado is a CIA agent embedded in Ferreira’s company. Diego Lopez is another CIA agent faking money laundering skills and attending a soccer game at Maracanã Stadium guarded by the Juáurez Cartel in Mexico. Jessica Belasco is expecting a dead drop.
NUMA is…
…the National Underwater Marine Agency with Dirk Pitt as the director. Vice-president James Sandecker is the original founder of NUMA. The Deepwater is a NUMA research vessel leaving for the Alacalufes National Reserve in Chile. She’s captained by Rashonda Jefferson. Amelia Vargas is the Chilean pilot. Dr Mary Harper is the mission’s chief scientist and has a PhD in marine biology.
Kansas City, a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine, has people aboard including the disgruntled Navy SEALs Michael Bradley and Corporal Carlos Jiménez, boat’s corpsman Jeremy Noland, and the SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) on top of the sub.
Matheus Aguilar is the harbormaster at Porto de Santos in Brazil who is now regretting some of his bad habits. The Aguilar was a commissioned assault.
Captain Tomás commands the Brazilian Barosso, a corvette.
The sociopathic Zachariah Tate used to be partnered up with Juan in the CIA. The Abtao is captained by Durchenko, Tate’s second-in-command.
The one-legged Captain XX
Chester Knight captains the Portland, which has its own submersible, the Deceiver. Its crew consists of men and women who have been “wronged” by the Oregon. Captain White doesn’t want an inspection of the Salem. The Norego sailed from Cape Town.
Imito is…
…a clandestine organization that has pulled in a number of bad guys. Abdel Farouk, a former engineer with the Eygptian Navy, and Li Quon are partnered up in a powerboat to spy.
Ricardo Ferreira is…
…a wealthy Brazilian entrepreneur who sells anything under or over the table. Roberto Espinoza is a key player in the Slipstream Project. “Lucas Calvo” works at Ferreira Indústrias Globais.
Colonel Sánchez‘s cousin was “wronged” by the Corporation. The Colonel runs Las Armas, a covert black hole of a prison.
The Chinese
The Wuzong, a submarine in the People’s Liberation Army Navy with an active sonar that sounds like a humpback whale, is commanded by Admiral Yu Jiang, whose brother was killed by the Oregon. The brother, Yu Tien, was the commander of the destroyer Chengdo.
In 1921
Kaptän Hans Schultz and his Bremen U-boat are attacking the Deering. Istvan Horváth, a scientist who created the Irre Waffe, an insanity weapon, the sonic disruptor.
Captain Willis Wormell is in command of the Carroll A. Deering, a schooner.
The Cover and Title
The cover is the blues of deep underwater and the grays of cave walls, floor, and a submarine on fire in shades of oranges and yellows. At the very top is an info blurb in white. Directly beneath is the primary author’s name in an embossed red outlined in white. Beneath that includes the secondary author’s name in white. The title is at the bottom in an embossed white outlined in red. Below that is some series information in white.
The title is the end and a choice, the Final Option for the Oregon.
