Blue Gold: A Novel from the NUMA Files

Written by Clive Cussler

Narrated by David Purdham

From the #1 New York Times bestselling Grand Master of Adventure Clive Cussler comes a breathtaking thriller from the Numa Files series about a primitive Brazilian tribe whose secrets could save the world from the billionaire tycoon set on destroying it.

An investigation into the sudden deaths of a pod of gray whales leads National Underwater & Marine Agency leader Kurt Austin to the Mexican coast, where someone tries to put him and his mini-sub permanently out of commission. Meanwhile, in South America’s lush hills, a specially assigned NUMA® team discovers a murdered body—a member of a mysterious local tribe, who live like ghosts beyond a five-part waterfall the locals call the Hand of God, and are rumored to be led by a mythical white goddess. Now they are in danger from a vicious cadre of bio-pirates intent on stealing medicinal discoveries worth millions.

Soon, Austin and his crew realize that they’re working opposite ends of the same grand scheme and must race against time to save the world’s freshwater supply from a twisted eco-extortionist. But every step toward salvation takes them deeper into a dense jungle of treachery, blackmail, and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2000
• ISBN: 9780743568586

Clive Cussler

Clive Cussler (1931–2020) was the author or coauthor of over eighty books in five bestselling series, including DIRK PITT®, THE NUMA FILES®, THE OREGON FILES ®, AN ISAAC BELL ADVENTURE ®, A SAM AND REMI FARGO ADVENTURE ®, and A KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURE ®. His nonfiction works include Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, Built to Thrill: More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, The Sea Hunters, and The Sea Hunters II; these describe the true adventures of the real NUMA, which, led by Cussler, searches for lost ships of historic significance. With his crew of volunteers, Cussler discovered more than sixty ships, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley. 

Reviews for Blue Gold

[Ron Goetz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good action thriller.

The story and plot hold a good amount of action and I like the character development. Where the book was lacking was in the "why"? So many sub plots, so much double dealings, but in the end the ideas and how to accomplish them, just didn't add up to plausible, can I say- realistic incentives? If you don't look beyond the action and ponder the underlying initiatives for those actions the book reads well.

The author in the end tries to tie everything up, but it just doesn't work. I'll read the next one in the series, hoping it has a more realistic plot line at the conclusion.

[deldevries · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another good action adventure tale from Cussler. Good technology and current issues. Of course, far fetched and larger than life bad "guys" as well!

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blue Gold is a solid NUMA story. There is suspense, violence, and best of all a lot of research on the topic of blue gold. There is of course, good guys and bad guys and even a group of Amazonian native people. Very interesting to learn about our natural resource that is blue gold and how important this is to the survival of the planet earth. The book is highly recommended and thereby receives four stars in this review.

[bruce_mcnair_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kurt Austin is the team leader of a special operations team with the National Underwater & Marine Agency (NUMA). He and his team uncover a plot to control the World’s fresh water by a previously unknown multinational corporation. The race is on to stop them before they can succeed. This story was unputdownable - a classic thriller all the way. There were a few minor beefs - like the ridiculous anasazium. But I was prepared to give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

[neverstopreading-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 This was the first Clive Cussler book I've listened to, and unfortunately it was abridged. It's never good to form too much of an opinion of an author from an abridged work. The abridged audiobook, as you would expect, leaves you feeling like you missed reading something because, in fact, you did.That being said, the gist of the story is one of corporate subterfuge and unchecked capitalism that threatens all of humanity by placing the supply of the world's fresh water ("blue gold") into the hands of a few individuals, thereby making water a hot commodity available only to the highest bidder.If you're part of the ever growing, but still small, faction of libertarians who oppose any form of government control, regulation, or oversight, be advised you might not like parts of this book.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lively entry in this good series

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The style is still there...adventure, but the main characters seem like "remakes" of our favorites, Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. The story line is very good and holds your interest throughout the book. I just kept waiting for Dirk and Al. I'll read more of these, of course, because they are always exciting.

[bicyclewriter · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this series is published under the banner of the Clive Cussler stable, Mr Kemprecos is an author I’m really coming to enjoy. He has created some wonderful characters here, and this - the second in the series - continues to evolve and enhance these characters.

In this one, Austin and his sidekicks rescue the world’s water supply from corporate domination and control, meeting a new but short-lived love interest along the way.

I’m a fan after two, and will continue to read this series to fill the “adventure novel junkie” inside me.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's not extraordinarily well-written, the plot is a little weird, and the characters are all incredibly one-dimensional and pretty boring. But if you can get past all that, it's not bad.It's kind of like indulging in a meaningless action movie. You really only watch it for the action. Unfortunately, that doesn't work quite as well with literature, but Clive Cussler does an admirable job. The book is fun enough and exciting enough to pass as an okay action novel, and I will continue to read the NUMA books every once in a great while. But I'm not gonna reread them.

[jeffome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

St. Barts 2013 #1 - Another good yarn with the NUMA team. My first vacation book this year and likely the only one with a tropical or island connection. Wow, the life-threatening things these folks go through on a daily basis make me realize just how boring my life really is.....well, not really. It does however bump these books into that unbelievable realm......yet the energy and excitement certainly kept my interest nonetheless. One never expects Pulitzer Prize winning content from these adventure books anyway. The preciousness of fresh water is also one of those things we often take for granted and I appreciated the chance to give that some thought. Some great scenes in this, but my favorite by far is the discovery of a cool old wartime machine (I'll not spoil the surprise!). I have a lot of Cussler to go and I eagerly look forward to it all.

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These are fun books for me to read. Very James Bond-ish. Except Kurt Austin is less of a devil with the ladies than good ol' Dirk Pitt. At least there's something different about their characters. Regardless, I like Cussler's stories, no matter how outlandish and silly they are.

[darla_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is not a Dirk Pitt book--it's the 2nd in Cussler's collaborative series with Paul Kemprecos featuring Kurt Austin--but it's not all that different.If you've never read Clive Cussler, think James Bond with boats. The villains are over-the-top bad guys, and Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin has to face impossible odds to save the world on a regular basis.In Blue Gold, we have a syndicate, headed by an Amazon of a woman, scheming to control "blue gold" (water), and thus, the world. Throw in a scientist who's been lost in the jungle for 10 years after escaping kidnappers (she'd developed a revolutionary desalination technique), the crew at NUMA, and his trusty sidekick Joe Zavala, and you've got a real page-turner.I thoroughly enjoyed the trip into the jungle--the scientist's innovations reminded me of those in Swiss Family Robinson that I was so fascinated by when I was a kid.Kurt and Joe are no Pitt and Giordino, but then again. Pitt and Giordino aren't themselves much anymore either.I didn't really see a difference with the collaboration, but then again, the last 2 Cussler books I read were also collaborations--one with Craig Dirgo, and one with Dirk Cussler. The characters are very similar to those in the Dirk Pitt books, as are the situations, and the style of switching story threads between chapters until they all come together at the end (I'm sure there's a term for that, but I don't know what it is--if you do, please enlighten me--thanks!).At any rate, Blue Gold is exactly what I expected: a solid, 4-star, action-packed adventure.

[amacmillen_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A Kurt Austin Adventure. The plot is similar to most others. Trouts are in Venezuela and discover a Brazilian women (Fransisca) being held captive. She as a secrect recipie to make drinking water chiply and simply. Another womon a tall scandanavian women is trying produce the same results and to take over the world water supplies. She hoes to control the world. Again, the heros save the world and the day. Fransisca is killed in the end when she sets off a reaction in the Lake Taho purification experiment that kills all the bad guys and saves the process for the world.

[msbeautiful · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adventure/Thriller, Fun to listen to on tape or cd