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Dirk Pitt® #5
Vixen 03
1954. Vixen 03 is down. The plane, bound for the Pacific carrying thirty-six Doomsday bombs—canisters armed with quick-death germs of unbelievable potency—vanishes. Vixen has in fact crashed into an ice-covered lake in Colorado. 1988. Dirk Pitt, who heroically raised the Titanic , discovers the wreckage of Vixen 03 . But two deadly canisters are missing. They're in the hands of a terrorist group. Their lethal to sail a battleship seventy-five miles up the Potomac and blast Washington, D.C., to kingdom come. Only Dirk can stop them.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
234 people are currently reading
4677 people want to read
About the author
Clive Cussler
644 books8,520 followersCussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.
Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 408 reviews
November 7, 2009
This is the same comment for all the Dirk Pitt books:
Great set of books, I had to stagger these books into my reading rotation since they are so similar.
Dirk Series Book in less then 50 words.
(introduction to bad guy, introduction to hot chick, introduction to Dirk, Dirk gets in impossible dangerous situations to stop the bad guy, Dirk wins, Dirk gets the hot chick.)
Great set of books, I had to stagger these books into my reading rotation since they are so similar.
Dirk Series Book in less then 50 words.
(introduction to bad guy, introduction to hot chick, introduction to Dirk, Dirk gets in impossible dangerous situations to stop the bad guy, Dirk wins, Dirk gets the hot chick.)
August 1, 2025
This is the most terrifying thriller I have ever read. Highly recommended!
October 9, 2019
Read this in that there Eighties ! Enjoyed it at the time.
February 2, 2023
Accidentally missing out on book 4 did not prove a problem, and this proved to be a far better book than number 3 Iceberg. A really good story sees Dirk initially relaxing with a close female friend by a lake in the wilds of the USA and coming across some interesting pieces of wreckage in her late fathers garage. This leads Dirk on a surprising adventure, that ranges from the African continent to the Potomac river, from the lakes to the sea, sees him attacked by an elderly woman, and dropped from a helicopter.
What makes this better than the last book is that it appears far more modern, now don't get me wrong, I enjoy books that are dated, that are set in various eras, say the 50s etc, but what I don't like are books that could be modern (as in this series) but are ruined or spoilt by mores or views from the say 25 /30 years ago. Many social aspects of western life have moved on in that time, and despite this being published in 1978, some of the views are quite modern: Dirk's treatment of his female friend is quite modern, as are the questions of race, that crop up.
All in all a fun read that is a well written and flows from initial surprises to a crash bang wallop of a finish.
What makes this better than the last book is that it appears far more modern, now don't get me wrong, I enjoy books that are dated, that are set in various eras, say the 50s etc, but what I don't like are books that could be modern (as in this series) but are ruined or spoilt by mores or views from the say 25 /30 years ago. Many social aspects of western life have moved on in that time, and despite this being published in 1978, some of the views are quite modern: Dirk's treatment of his female friend is quite modern, as are the questions of race, that crop up.
All in all a fun read that is a well written and flows from initial surprises to a crash bang wallop of a finish.
May 16, 2021
What Clive Cussler did well in his other novels, he excels at here: giving us an action-packed. exciting story. However, I was not too keen on the sexual content, especially the descriptions of female nudity, which were not present in his later books; at least, the ones I've read. Hopefully, the rest of his books that I have on my shelf don't include such lurid details.
September 18, 2023
Vintage Cussler at his best, that grabs your attention and holds it no matter how many times you read it, and in spite of how old and dated (especially the South Africa segments) the material is. When I say "vintage Cussler," I mean Clive (and Dirk Pitt) at his old-school violent, bloody, profane, sexually-explicit best, not the toned-down PG-rated material (though still highly enjoyable) material he's been writing since the early 1990s (starting with "Dragon").
UPDATE AS OF 18SEP2023: I just finished reading “Vixen 03,” which I’ve never done with any other full-length novel. And since I let more than a decade elapse since the last reading, enough details and particulars had faded from my memory that there was a sufficient degree of freshness and surprise. What’s more, I now have an even greater appreciation for plots elements of the novel, thanks to some additional life experiences since the previous reading, namely: (1) touring the actual USS Iowa battleship a half-dozen times;(2) working closely with and befriending a ton of South Africans (blacks, whites, Coloreds, and Indians alike) in my overseas contracting stints; and (3) living and working in “The Beltway,” i.e. the Washington DC Metropolitan area.
UPDATE AS OF 18SEP2023: I just finished reading “Vixen 03,” which I’ve never done with any other full-length novel. And since I let more than a decade elapse since the last reading, enough details and particulars had faded from my memory that there was a sufficient degree of freshness and surprise. What’s more, I now have an even greater appreciation for plots elements of the novel, thanks to some additional life experiences since the previous reading, namely: (1) touring the actual USS Iowa battleship a half-dozen times;(2) working closely with and befriending a ton of South Africans (blacks, whites, Coloreds, and Indians alike) in my overseas contracting stints; and (3) living and working in “The Beltway,” i.e. the Washington DC Metropolitan area.
June 26, 2025
So pervert Cussler is toned down a bit in this novel, and in its place is a confusing plot for revolution in South Africa.
It only takes Dirk Pitt about the first 30 pages to solve the mystery that’s set up in the prologue. He doesn’t solve it 100% but he might as well have.
The action is fantastic when we get it, but too much of this plot is focused on multiple factions of bad guys who want to take over South Africa, or something.
Patiently rereading these to figure out when Cussler finally gets rid of the pervert cringe and just tells great stories. Didn’t quite happen in this book.
It only takes Dirk Pitt about the first 30 pages to solve the mystery that’s set up in the prologue. He doesn’t solve it 100% but he might as well have.
The action is fantastic when we get it, but too much of this plot is focused on multiple factions of bad guys who want to take over South Africa, or something.
Patiently rereading these to figure out when Cussler finally gets rid of the pervert cringe and just tells great stories. Didn’t quite happen in this book.
December 25, 2013
When I feel like a quick, action-packed read, with a big screen cinematic ending - can't go wrong with Dirk Pitt. #5 came out thirty-five years ago, but, they're still a kick-in-the-butt fun time of a read.
August 4, 2021
I read this one twice so far. Great story!
June 10, 2017
In early part of 1950's Dr.John Vetterly, a microbiologist, chemically created an artificial form of life that in turn was capable of producing a disease strain that was non detectable, unidentifiable bacteriological agent able to incapacitate a living thing within seconds of exposure and disrupt the vital body functions, causing death within three to five minutes it was named quick death shortly QD. Admiral Bass was given the task to dump the remaining 36 stainless steel canisters of QD in Rongelo from Buckley Field. Major Vylander commanded the Air Force Boeing C-97, number 75403, a Stratocruiser named Vixen 03. The plane did not reach the destination and his whereabouts was not known.
Our hero Dirk Pitt is on a vacation with his lover Loren Smith, a Congresswoman. In her father's garage he finds a part of plane wreckage, out of curiosity Pitt tries to find out where the wreckage came from. Through proper channels he contacts Colonel Abe Steiger and by chance Pitt understands that the plane should have crash landed in the nearby lake. With help from his sidekick Al, Pitt finds out the remains of Vixen 03. The report of Vixen 03 did not stir the Government and through Pitt's friend FBI agent Paul Buckner he gets information and pays a visit to retired Admiral Bass in his inn. Bass did not believe first and then together they bring up Vixen 03. But 8 canisters are missing from the lot, Bass gets ill and was hospitalized with much difficultly Pitt gets the background of Vixen 03 and the canisters.
The story moves to South Africa where internal problems was at its peak. The AAR (African Army of Revolution) headed by Hiram Lusana and assisted by Machita was gaining attraction from local people, the people look at Lusana as a messiah. To eradicate his popularity and AAR the minority whites hatches a plan, disguising as AAR and attacking white people and their farm. On one such operation navy retired Fawkes family is killed and his farm burned. Some of the officials in South African government convinces Fawkes that Lusana and his men are responsible. (This South African part drags as there is no Dirk Pitt action for a very long time.) They create one master plan "Operation Wild Rose".
Hiram Lusana comes to US to get some support from Congress, after his meeting with Congressman Daggat he was kidnapped by someone.
Now the story returns to Dirk Pitt as he was in search of the missing canisters. Did Dirk Pitt finds out the person who stole the canisters? Who kidnapped Hiram Lusana? What is Operation Wild Rose? What is the role of Fawkes in Operation Wild Rose? Did Pitt got hold of the missing QD canisters? all are answered in the remaining pages of this action packed novel.
The South African story at first looked strange and it made me feel what this has to do with the story, Clive Cussler's knack of storytelling is again become evident when he pieces them together in the end. The climax is faster and kept me at the edge. Pitt has shared more action with Abe Steiger, Sandecker and Al Giordino. The chances of finding the person behind stealing the canisters looked bleak for me but that is real twist in the story, as Pitt did some deductions like Sherlock Holmes.
The characterization and back stories of Hiram Lusana, Felicia and Fawkes are very well done. Lusana and Fawkes are opposing characters, we know that Lusana is not behind the slaughter of Fawkes family, in climax without knowing the truth both die for their cause.
I already mentioned author Clive Cussler has a bit of answering our own questions arising from story, one such appears when Admiral Bass tells them that QD is killed when in immersed in water, in our mind we also ask, then let the QD be in the lake bottom forever. That question features by way of Al Giordino, Al cuts in and says if water kills this QD stuff, why don't we simply leave it on the bottom of the lake? Bass shook his head solemnly. No thank you. If you found it, so can someone else.
Below are some one liners of Dirk Pitt.
(1) Pitt and Mapes when entering the weapons storage room.
Mapes slowed his Rolls-Royce convertible and lifted both hands from the steering wheel in an apparent greeting. The guard nodded and waved to his partner, who pulled open the gate from the inside.
I assume that was a signal of some kind, said Pitt.
Pardon?
The hands in the air routine.
An yes, Mapes said. If you had been holding a concealed gun on me, my hands would have remained on the wheel. A normal gesture. Then, as we were waves through and your attention was lulled by the guard's opening the gate, his teammate would have discreetly stepped behind the car and blown your head off.
I am glad you remembered to raise your hands.
(2) Pitt getting angry when Mapes was not able to account for the missing canisters.
How many men did your merchandise kill and maim last year, and the year before that?
If one of those gas shells went off you'd be responsible for perhaps millions of deaths.
(3) After saving Loren Smith from blackmailing.
What's that for? he asked, grinning with pleasure. A reward for bailing me out of a nasty situation. Pitt to the rescue. I always was a pushover for congresswomen in distress…
Women should be able to stand alone. He put his arm around her and led her to his car. There are times when even a dedicated feminist needs a chauvinist to lean on.
(4)Before the climax.
Bad news and dismal weather go hand in hand, Pitt said.
(5) Inside the battleship Pitt meeting Lusana who is tied.
I take it you lost the ship's popularity contest...
The dark form behind the light moved closer and Lusana felt his bonds being loosened. Where are you taking me?
Nowhere. But if you value social security in your old age, I suggest you get the hell off this boat before it's blown to pieces.
Who are you?
Not that it matters, the name's Pitt.
Are you part of Captain Fawke's crew?
No, I am free-lance. (typical Pitt one liner)
(6) Pitt and De Vall before the Fawkes family cemetery.
Why are you doing this? De Vall said savagely, What do you hope to gain?
I don't like to see traitors prosper. Pitt retorted.
Our hero Dirk Pitt is on a vacation with his lover Loren Smith, a Congresswoman. In her father's garage he finds a part of plane wreckage, out of curiosity Pitt tries to find out where the wreckage came from. Through proper channels he contacts Colonel Abe Steiger and by chance Pitt understands that the plane should have crash landed in the nearby lake. With help from his sidekick Al, Pitt finds out the remains of Vixen 03. The report of Vixen 03 did not stir the Government and through Pitt's friend FBI agent Paul Buckner he gets information and pays a visit to retired Admiral Bass in his inn. Bass did not believe first and then together they bring up Vixen 03. But 8 canisters are missing from the lot, Bass gets ill and was hospitalized with much difficultly Pitt gets the background of Vixen 03 and the canisters.
The story moves to South Africa where internal problems was at its peak. The AAR (African Army of Revolution) headed by Hiram Lusana and assisted by Machita was gaining attraction from local people, the people look at Lusana as a messiah. To eradicate his popularity and AAR the minority whites hatches a plan, disguising as AAR and attacking white people and their farm. On one such operation navy retired Fawkes family is killed and his farm burned. Some of the officials in South African government convinces Fawkes that Lusana and his men are responsible. (This South African part drags as there is no Dirk Pitt action for a very long time.) They create one master plan "Operation Wild Rose".
Hiram Lusana comes to US to get some support from Congress, after his meeting with Congressman Daggat he was kidnapped by someone.
Now the story returns to Dirk Pitt as he was in search of the missing canisters. Did Dirk Pitt finds out the person who stole the canisters? Who kidnapped Hiram Lusana? What is Operation Wild Rose? What is the role of Fawkes in Operation Wild Rose? Did Pitt got hold of the missing QD canisters? all are answered in the remaining pages of this action packed novel.
The South African story at first looked strange and it made me feel what this has to do with the story, Clive Cussler's knack of storytelling is again become evident when he pieces them together in the end. The climax is faster and kept me at the edge. Pitt has shared more action with Abe Steiger, Sandecker and Al Giordino. The chances of finding the person behind stealing the canisters looked bleak for me but that is real twist in the story, as Pitt did some deductions like Sherlock Holmes.
The characterization and back stories of Hiram Lusana, Felicia and Fawkes are very well done. Lusana and Fawkes are opposing characters, we know that Lusana is not behind the slaughter of Fawkes family, in climax without knowing the truth both die for their cause.
I already mentioned author Clive Cussler has a bit of answering our own questions arising from story, one such appears when Admiral Bass tells them that QD is killed when in immersed in water, in our mind we also ask, then let the QD be in the lake bottom forever. That question features by way of Al Giordino, Al cuts in and says if water kills this QD stuff, why don't we simply leave it on the bottom of the lake? Bass shook his head solemnly. No thank you. If you found it, so can someone else.
Below are some one liners of Dirk Pitt.
(1) Pitt and Mapes when entering the weapons storage room.
Mapes slowed his Rolls-Royce convertible and lifted both hands from the steering wheel in an apparent greeting. The guard nodded and waved to his partner, who pulled open the gate from the inside.
I assume that was a signal of some kind, said Pitt.
Pardon?
The hands in the air routine.
An yes, Mapes said. If you had been holding a concealed gun on me, my hands would have remained on the wheel. A normal gesture. Then, as we were waves through and your attention was lulled by the guard's opening the gate, his teammate would have discreetly stepped behind the car and blown your head off.
I am glad you remembered to raise your hands.
(2) Pitt getting angry when Mapes was not able to account for the missing canisters.
How many men did your merchandise kill and maim last year, and the year before that?
If one of those gas shells went off you'd be responsible for perhaps millions of deaths.
(3) After saving Loren Smith from blackmailing.
What's that for? he asked, grinning with pleasure. A reward for bailing me out of a nasty situation. Pitt to the rescue. I always was a pushover for congresswomen in distress…
Women should be able to stand alone. He put his arm around her and led her to his car. There are times when even a dedicated feminist needs a chauvinist to lean on.
(4)Before the climax.
Bad news and dismal weather go hand in hand, Pitt said.
(5) Inside the battleship Pitt meeting Lusana who is tied.
I take it you lost the ship's popularity contest...
The dark form behind the light moved closer and Lusana felt his bonds being loosened. Where are you taking me?
Nowhere. But if you value social security in your old age, I suggest you get the hell off this boat before it's blown to pieces.
Who are you?
Not that it matters, the name's Pitt.
Are you part of Captain Fawke's crew?
No, I am free-lance. (typical Pitt one liner)
(6) Pitt and De Vall before the Fawkes family cemetery.
Why are you doing this? De Vall said savagely, What do you hope to gain?
I don't like to see traitors prosper. Pitt retorted.
February 7, 2022
Should I have deviated from my reading plan for two days to read this? Maybe not. Did I enjoy the heck out of it? Yes
Clive is always surprising me both with how well he writes an action plot and how well he’s able to predict the future in his novels.
It was a bit jarring at first when the plot suddenly split to South Africa and there was no Dirk Pitt, but it really came together well in the end.
I, of course, will be reading more in this series. I love Clive.
Clive is always surprising me both with how well he writes an action plot and how well he’s able to predict the future in his novels.
It was a bit jarring at first when the plot suddenly split to South Africa and there was no Dirk Pitt, but it really came together well in the end.
I, of course, will be reading more in this series. I love Clive.
December 20, 2018
Vixen 03 by Clive Cussler
Genres; Action/Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Suspense
4 Stars
It took awhile for me to find the copy of the one I read. I think I got it right.
I wish I still had my copies! But, alas, I have lost them through the many times I have moved. Through my own adventures, while worth it, caused me to lose those copies decades ago.
Al Giordino is still my favorite character in the Dirk Pitt series.
Genres; Action/Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Suspense
4 Stars
It took awhile for me to find the copy of the one I read. I think I got it right.
I wish I still had my copies! But, alas, I have lost them through the many times I have moved. Through my own adventures, while worth it, caused me to lose those copies decades ago.
Al Giordino is still my favorite character in the Dirk Pitt series.
February 26, 2020
Another good Dirk Pitt novel, I’m still hooked. Can’t wait until I start the next one.
June 27, 2008
Vixen 03 flips back and forth between Dirk Pitt's discovery of a plane wreck in a Colorado lake and a civil war brewing in South Africa. The connection between the two is pretty clever, but unfortunately, the portions of the book that focus on the South African plot just drag. For a while, I forgot I was even reading a Dirk Pitt novel. Dirk's sections flew by in excitement, but the rest just did not mesh. After enjoying Raise the Titanic so much, I was surprised by how much of a step backwards this book took. Glancing over some reviews online, there seems to be a consensus that this is Cussler's weakest novel, so I'm expecting to be back on track with his next book in the series.
As a side note, there is stuff in here that seems racist, but I had a hard time deciding if I should be offended. Unlike some books, it was hard to tell if the comments were the author's voice or not. And, more to the point, since this was written in the '70s before I was born, and before the current PC era, I'm unsure that I should apply my 2008 views to it. At this point I figure that it's a product of an era that I never experienced.
As a side note, there is stuff in here that seems racist, but I had a hard time deciding if I should be offended. Unlike some books, it was hard to tell if the comments were the author's voice or not. And, more to the point, since this was written in the '70s before I was born, and before the current PC era, I'm unsure that I should apply my 2008 views to it. At this point I figure that it's a product of an era that I never experienced.
May 7, 2018
Another fun adventure in the Dirk Pitt series.
Following the events of the previous book, Pitt and he’s team are tasked with finding a military aircraft that disappeared 30 years ago.
The other half of the book features a civil war brewing in South Africa.
Compared to others in the series, this instalment is weaker. The fact that it referenced the previous story highlighted this.
The South Africa sections were interesting, but I was keen to get back to Pitt’s section of the book.
One for this that enjoys Cussler.
Following the events of the previous book, Pitt and he’s team are tasked with finding a military aircraft that disappeared 30 years ago.
The other half of the book features a civil war brewing in South Africa.
Compared to others in the series, this instalment is weaker. The fact that it referenced the previous story highlighted this.
The South Africa sections were interesting, but I was keen to get back to Pitt’s section of the book.
One for this that enjoys Cussler.
March 27, 2019
A deadly biological weapon thought long-lost is suddenly out in the world and a South African-planned black-op terrorist attack on the United States meant to discredit an insurgency to white rule intertwine with only one man finding himself at the crux to stop them. The fifth book of the Dirk Pitt series, Vixen 03, by Clive Cussler finds the intrepid NUMA Special Projects Director racing to first solve a mystery and then racing to save the nation.
An Air Force transport plane takes off in a January Colorado blizzard carrying a deadly cargo, but the storm results in the plane crash landing on top of a snow covered lake then sinking. The Pentagon, under orders from Eisenhower, alters the records of the plane to hide its deadly secret. Thirty-four years later in South Africa, Scottish naval captain-turned-farmer Patrick Fawkes goes to a meeting with the South African Defense Minister and discusses the feasibility of a black-op, which Fawkes explains is impossible yet during the meeting his family is murdered during an attack seemingly by the African Army of Revolution run by an American-born black against the white South African government. As a result Fawkes talks the Defense Minister into letting him do the black-op, which the AAR finds out about and gets the info to the American government though they regard it highly unlikely to take place. Meanwhile in Colorado’s Sawatch Mountains, Dirk Pitt is at the cabin of his current girlfriend, Congresswoman Loren Smith, when finds parts from an old aircraft in the garage that Loren believes her deceased eccentric father found while hiking. Bored while not having sex, Pitt begins investigating and stays at the cabin after Loren returns to Washington where she runs afoul of a black congressman who supports the AAR for his own political ends and attempts to blackmail her after getting racy photos of her and Pitt sleeping together. Pitt’s investigation results in him identifying an aircraft that shouldn’t be in Colorado but in the Pacific and along with his friend Al Giordino and an Air Force Colonel Abe Steiger investigate a nearby lake and find the wreck along with the body of Loren’s father—he supposedly blew himself up. Steiger is stonewalled in Washington while Pitt heads to his assignment raising a Union ironclad, but travels to Virginia to talk with the man who assigned the plane’s mission and finds out it carried a deadly biological weapon. Pitt finally informs his boss Admiral Sandecker and NUMA raises the aircraft but find that 8 out of the 36 shells are missing. Pitt, Giordino, and Steiger confront Loren’s neighbors who killed her father and sold them to an arms company for extra money. After conning the arms company Pitt and Steiger track down six of the eight, but the last two were accidently purchased by the AAR but really the South Africans for their terrorist attack. Fawkes with his unwitting black crew and the kidnapped AAR leader in an overhauled battleship go up the Potomac to within range of Washington and start bombarding the capital on December 7. The U.S. government “warned” by the South African Prime Minister launches an attack on the battleship since Fawkes doesn’t know he has two biological weapons. Pitt is able to get onboard the battleship and neutralizes one of the weapons, but the other was already loaded into a tube. The shell is fired, but do to it being a biological warhead it parachutes and a helicopter piloted by Steiger intercepts it and flies it out to the Atlantic. Pitt travels to South Africa to bury Fawkes and meets with the South African Defense Minister, who orchestrated the murder of Fawkes family and who sent the Prime Minister warning, is killed by a member of his own staff and a member of the AAR then buried in Fawkes’ grave.
Set a 1988, Cussler’s guess at the overall situation in the world was off but still made for interesting alternate history in which to set his book’s narrative. The two main plots following Pitt and Fawkes were well written while the two main subplots of the AAR and Loren Smith were underwhelming. Fawkes as a good tragic figure who setup by the Defense Minister was easy to guess, while Loren Smith’s first appearance as Pitt’s on-and-off girlfriend was just showing off Pitt’s sexual greatness and given his characterization in these early books isn’t surprising. The science behind the biological weapon was a little farfetched if one really thought about it, but overall it wasn’t the worst thing in the book. Critically nothing was bad, but there were a lot of things that alright.
Vixen 03 is a nice next installment in the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler, building up on Raise the Titanic! Overall it’s a good book with only a few bits that were unfortunately off putting but nothing compared to earlier books. While the not the best book of the series I’ve read so far, it’s shows a lot of improvement on Cussler’s part.
An Air Force transport plane takes off in a January Colorado blizzard carrying a deadly cargo, but the storm results in the plane crash landing on top of a snow covered lake then sinking. The Pentagon, under orders from Eisenhower, alters the records of the plane to hide its deadly secret. Thirty-four years later in South Africa, Scottish naval captain-turned-farmer Patrick Fawkes goes to a meeting with the South African Defense Minister and discusses the feasibility of a black-op, which Fawkes explains is impossible yet during the meeting his family is murdered during an attack seemingly by the African Army of Revolution run by an American-born black against the white South African government. As a result Fawkes talks the Defense Minister into letting him do the black-op, which the AAR finds out about and gets the info to the American government though they regard it highly unlikely to take place. Meanwhile in Colorado’s Sawatch Mountains, Dirk Pitt is at the cabin of his current girlfriend, Congresswoman Loren Smith, when finds parts from an old aircraft in the garage that Loren believes her deceased eccentric father found while hiking. Bored while not having sex, Pitt begins investigating and stays at the cabin after Loren returns to Washington where she runs afoul of a black congressman who supports the AAR for his own political ends and attempts to blackmail her after getting racy photos of her and Pitt sleeping together. Pitt’s investigation results in him identifying an aircraft that shouldn’t be in Colorado but in the Pacific and along with his friend Al Giordino and an Air Force Colonel Abe Steiger investigate a nearby lake and find the wreck along with the body of Loren’s father—he supposedly blew himself up. Steiger is stonewalled in Washington while Pitt heads to his assignment raising a Union ironclad, but travels to Virginia to talk with the man who assigned the plane’s mission and finds out it carried a deadly biological weapon. Pitt finally informs his boss Admiral Sandecker and NUMA raises the aircraft but find that 8 out of the 36 shells are missing. Pitt, Giordino, and Steiger confront Loren’s neighbors who killed her father and sold them to an arms company for extra money. After conning the arms company Pitt and Steiger track down six of the eight, but the last two were accidently purchased by the AAR but really the South Africans for their terrorist attack. Fawkes with his unwitting black crew and the kidnapped AAR leader in an overhauled battleship go up the Potomac to within range of Washington and start bombarding the capital on December 7. The U.S. government “warned” by the South African Prime Minister launches an attack on the battleship since Fawkes doesn’t know he has two biological weapons. Pitt is able to get onboard the battleship and neutralizes one of the weapons, but the other was already loaded into a tube. The shell is fired, but do to it being a biological warhead it parachutes and a helicopter piloted by Steiger intercepts it and flies it out to the Atlantic. Pitt travels to South Africa to bury Fawkes and meets with the South African Defense Minister, who orchestrated the murder of Fawkes family and who sent the Prime Minister warning, is killed by a member of his own staff and a member of the AAR then buried in Fawkes’ grave.
Set a 1988, Cussler’s guess at the overall situation in the world was off but still made for interesting alternate history in which to set his book’s narrative. The two main plots following Pitt and Fawkes were well written while the two main subplots of the AAR and Loren Smith were underwhelming. Fawkes as a good tragic figure who setup by the Defense Minister was easy to guess, while Loren Smith’s first appearance as Pitt’s on-and-off girlfriend was just showing off Pitt’s sexual greatness and given his characterization in these early books isn’t surprising. The science behind the biological weapon was a little farfetched if one really thought about it, but overall it wasn’t the worst thing in the book. Critically nothing was bad, but there were a lot of things that alright.
Vixen 03 is a nice next installment in the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler, building up on Raise the Titanic! Overall it’s a good book with only a few bits that were unfortunately off putting but nothing compared to earlier books. While the not the best book of the series I’ve read so far, it’s shows a lot of improvement on Cussler’s part.
April 26, 2024
Il solito Dirk Pitt indistruttibile,inossidabile,che salva il mondo con azioni rocambolesche al limite del possibile e conquista la bella di turno.
Bella trama per questa avventura.
Bella trama per questa avventura.
May 11, 2025
This story was split in two until the last section, which could have worked, but it just felt disjointed. Dirk Pitt's storyline had exciting action and mystery, but the South Africa storyline was boring, disconnected, and definitely a bit racist.
September 20, 2020
Too long and repetitive but a good read nonetheless....Go with "Deep Six" or "Iceberg" or for that matter "Sahara", chock full of historical fact & fiction. For instance, did you know Abraham Lincoln was not assassinated?" I thought not, he was actually captured by Confederate forces and taken aboard a civil-war frigate to the Sahara desert....fact or fiction?
March 5, 2025
Chock full of 1970's race and sexist language. One of my favorites is when Dirk finds his lover waiting for him at his car. "Are you crazy? A luscious creature all alone in a Washington parking lot. It's a miracle you weren't assaulted and gang banged." Dirk is such a romantic.
August 24, 2019
Another of the early Dirk Pitt novels and this one did not disappoint even some of the content and events seem a bit outdated now. A biological weapon lost at the end of WW2 is rediscovered and some of the stock is missing. This ties into a terrorist 'v' government plot in South Africa.
The story was not bad overall but there was a big coincidence that took some believing and the characters were not that deep.
I'm not sure when this was written but history has turned out otherwise in a couple of instances. For example, I know the USS Iowa was not scrapped in 1988 as it's currently sitting in the port of Long Beach, California.
The story was not bad overall but there was a big coincidence that took some believing and the characters were not that deep.
I'm not sure when this was written but history has turned out otherwise in a couple of instances. For example, I know the USS Iowa was not scrapped in 1988 as it's currently sitting in the port of Long Beach, California.
August 7, 2025
Another installment in the Dirk Pitt series. Vixen 03 had a lot of moving components and was compelling, but honestly the rampant racism and sexism is too much to warrant a higher rating. When Dirk Pitt finds an oxygen tank and nose gear in his lovebird's cabin he desperately wants to know how they got there. He discovers a sunken plane at the bottom of the lake not far from the cabin. It's a military plane with no real records. Why? And what is up with the mysterious cargo? I will still probably continue with this series. It's exciting enough.
May 16, 2019
One word review: FUN!
I haven't read a Dirk Pitt book in quite a while. Back when he was at his most popular, it was Tom Clancy that sat on my shelves, Cussler was almost a side note. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but realized that I couldn't remember too many of the characters other than Dirk within a few hours after finishing it. I guess that means it's not literature, but that's fine. I liked it, and you will too.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
I haven't read a Dirk Pitt book in quite a while. Back when he was at his most popular, it was Tom Clancy that sat on my shelves, Cussler was almost a side note. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but realized that I couldn't remember too many of the characters other than Dirk within a few hours after finishing it. I guess that means it's not literature, but that's fine. I liked it, and you will too.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
January 28, 2023
Dirk Pitt, celebre personaggio onnipresente nei romanzi di Clive Cussler nonché fedele e ironico alter ego di quest'ultimo, si trova coinvolto nel ritrovamento di un agente patogeno custodito in un aereo militare misteriosamente scomparso nel '54, affondato in un lago sulle alture del Colorado. 34 anni dopo, suo malgrado, sarà proprio Pitt a dare il via all' imminente conto alla rovescia per la fine del mondo.
Avvincente!!
Avvincente!!
April 22, 2018
The earlier Dirk Pitt stories are not as polished as the later ones, for obvious reasons. Grittier, more graphic, more heavy with the do-gooder speeches. I'm enjoying revisiting the old Pitt, to better appreciate the new one.
May 5, 2018
Pretty decent story as a long lost plane laden with a deadly poison nerve agent leads Dirk Pitt into numerous potentially life threatening situations. Less of the awful sexism that spoilt the earlier books and quite a good, gripping plot. Definitely an upturn for this series.
December 2, 2019
Properly mysterious and well paced. The only time it slows down and causes you to lose interest is when it gets into South African politics. Can't wait to get to the next one!
June 19, 2021
It's an action, adventure, stunt book. Some scenes are unrealistic, but they're incredibly fun. worth to read
December 12, 2023
Vixen 03 is a high quality action adventure novel that retained its potency 45 years after publication. Cussler built a strong plot with plenty of twists and turns building to an adrenaline filled last 100 pages. This is only my fifth Cussler book but it definitely made me want to read more of his books. A solid 4 stars.
July 7, 2024
Best one in the series so far.
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