Cussler, Clive & Craig Dirgo. Sacred stone; a novel of the Oregon Files.

CUSSLER, Clive & Craig Dirgo. Sacred stone; a novel of the Oregon Files. Penguin, Berkley. 406p. c2004. 0-425-198480. $15.00. SA

The "Corporation" is a private security and covert operations group, made up of ex-military and CIA operatives. They are hired to find a nuclear bomb stolen from the Ukraine. This bomb will get into the hands of Al-Khalifa, an Islamic fanatic bent on smuggling the bomb into London to detonate it at the heart of the British financial and governmental district. At the same time the Corporation is asked to obtain a meteor that is highly radioactive and potentially can be used to create a "dirty bomb." By the time Juan Cabrillo, head of the Corporation, gets to the site of the meteor it has been stolen by someone. As the story unfolds it is discovered that an extremely wealthy American wants it as part of his plan to eliminate the core of the Islamic religion by destroying the sacred places of Islam. The motivation for this destruction is the death of his son, an American soldier killed by Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan.

This novel is plot-driven, and the reader may find it difficult to keep track of all the players. The reader is placed in the position of facing current Middle East issues and stopping both extremist groups for the good of the world. Though the conflict is deadly, the graphic nature of the violence is held to a minimum, and in solving the dilemmas the authors display the morality and humanity of the Corporation in the way it protects the lives of innocents. Steve Dobosz, Roy, WA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.