Treasure

When the great Library of Alexandria was ordered sacked in A.D. 391, could some of its fabulous art treasures and volumes from its magnificent library have escaped the flames and been ferried across the Atlantic? It's an improbable if intriguing notion, but probability is not the strong suit of this wild charade of a novel that features the greatest treasure hunt of all timesome 1600 years after the fabulous riches disappeared. The narrative also encompasses the bloody attempts of two supposedly religious fanatics (who turn out to be brothers in a ""criminal dynasty'') to seize power in Egypt and Mexico, respectively; the kidnapping of the legitimate presidents of those two countries aboard a cruise ship; and the dazzling exploits of the green-eyed Dirk Pitt, a super-James Bond type whom ``no woman could completely possess.'' These exploits include tracking the cruise ship to Tierra del Fuego, defeating, with the aid of some Special Forces agents, hordes of Arab and Mexican terrorists in several brutal encounters, and locating and saving the treasure. It's essentially schoolboy stuff, and it leads one to surmise that Cussler, author of the bestselling Cyclops, may have been so intent on packing his tale with action that he forgot about credibility altogether. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Literary Guild main selection. (April)