Recently I was in need of a quick, fast and fun read. Clive Cussler's Night Probe came through.

The book — picked randomly off the Cussler section — led me to be wrapped up in an intricate, action-packed mystery following the series' main character, Dirk Pitt, on an adventure that would literally change history.

Pitt must find the little-known North American treaty that represented the British sale of Canada to the United States in the early 1900s. There were only three copies of the treaty ever printed and signed and in a modern age where natural resources are short, the treaty would be an important natural resources gain for the United States.

The expedition to find a copy of the treaty takes the reader on a journey from a mysterious sunken ship in the St. Lawrence River to a train that had presumably fallen off a bridge into the Hudson River.

The implications of finding the treaty would change the North American map as we know it. Therefore, the pressure on Pitt's back is enormous, making the book a very thought-provoking and exciting read.

My only criticism is the number of characters introduced in the beginning with most of them having very small roles, making the reading a little confusing at first. Overall though, Clive Cussler's Night Probe has an excellent plot that provides a great read.



Alex Wirth is a junior at Santa Fe Prep. You can reach him at Alxirth@gmail.com.