Sam and Remi Fargo are a bantering married couple in the "Nick & Nora" mould who also happen to be renowned treasure hunters. This is the first of the Fargo Adventures I've read, though not my first foray into the world of Clive Cussler and friends. "The Eye of Heaven" takes the reader from the icy shores of Baffin Island to the sweltering jungles of Mexico and is a fun adventure.

Some of the quips and other dialogue read as a bit wooden but didn't interfere too much with my enjoyment of the book. An interesting plot point that has appeared in other works by Cussler is the notion of pre-Columbian contact between the Americas and Europe, in this case the Toltecs and the Vikings. However Cussler adds a veneer of Eurocentric superiority to the proceedings that makes me a bit uncomfortable.

Overall this was a thrilling mix of archaeology and intrigue. Sort of "The Thin Man" meets "Indiana Jones" within Clive Cussler's signature nautical milieu.

Worst Fargo adventure yet. The dialogue was horribly cheesy and the author(s) spent a weird amount of time describing what the fargos ate.
I normally like this series, but this book was pretty bad.

Hmmm. I thought this would have more puzzles and twists like Dan Brown or Steve Berry's novels. Was disappointed by the cheesy dialogue, the vagueness of the plot, quick chapters with little depth or plotting, a villain who was (only) a pompous ass, and just the luck (guess it helps being millionaires!) this couple (whose chemistry was terrible and unrealistic) had finding their answers based off some poorly described clues...although Cussler certainly had an eye for detail regarding food and wine and things with engines. Am tempted to try his earlier works (before a co-author).

In general I liked the book, but I guess after reading the previous works, I just found it too predictable.
The story itself was quite standard in terms of how it would play out and develop. Very similar to previous books in this series. The only difference being the setting and also the history that the Fargos were investigating. There were some new characters introduced. I guess they will play some role in later works and the Fargos now have a new enemy in place.

I don't know; this book felt ... incomplete? Inconsistent? Inharmonious?

There weren't really gaps in the story line, but I felt like there were easy outs in the solution. Not sure how to end a thread? Kill off a character. Don't want to explain a characters actions? Just ignore them. It was just a lot of little stuff that just turned into one big "meh" for me.

I will definitely continue with the series, this entry just fell a little flat for me.

A typical and enjoyable Cussler book. I really like the Fargos and in any ways they remind me of Tommy and Tuppence.

Sixth in the Fargo Adventure archeology suspense series and revolving around Sam and Remi Fargo. The focus is on a Mexican treasure.

My Take
I've been complaining the last couple of Fargo Adventures about the writing. This time around, I'm complaining about how blah and dull The Eye of Heaven is. The writing is okay — that prologue really made me feel the cold, the hunger, and the fear — but the action is formulaic and…boring.

It's the usual prologue, setting up the Vikings as the treasure leavers. It is, however, extremely vague in background information.

We're introduced to the big bad boy with that initial treasure hijacking attempt, just so we'll know how big and bad he is when we get to the primary storyline.

How stupid are Sam and Remi? They already know Benedict will stop at nothing, that someone on the Bermudez must be a mole, and yet they don't question that necklace? Heck, even I could see who was the leak. And how Benedict kept finding them, *eye roll*. Then there's that fabulous house of theirs with all the latest security…and they don't take into consideration eavesdroppers?

The joking between Sam and Remi is cute, and a touch more believable than it was in The Mayan Secrets, 5, although it has a nasty edge to it. I keep thinking they'll end up separated, it's so mean.

Huh what? Remi knows Selma so well? Can see she's in a lot of pain? And she's surprised to learn that Selma has to go in for hip surgery? Where has she been while Selma's been dealing with all this pain? 'Cause I know this pain didn't come up overnight.

An interesting take on the origins of Quetzalcoatl.

I guess I keep reading this because of the archeology and the Fargos' free-spending generosity, helping their friends and making it possible for hard-pressed academics and scientists to preserve history…and I do have a passion for history.

This story? I'm not sure you want to waste the time reading it. It's kind of a wanna-be James Bond up against a wanna-be SMERSH *more eye rolls*.

The Story
It's an unexpected discovery frozen in one of the bays on Baffin Island that sets the Fargos down a path that will lead them to the truth behind Quetzalcoatl and turn Toltec history and the world on its ear.

The Characters
Sam and Remi Fargo are retired and wealthy with a fascination for archeology. They employ a small staff who work out of their fabulous home in La Jolla, California: Selma Wondrash as their chief researcher with contacts everywhere while Pete Jeffcoat and Wendy Corden are junior researchers. Selma is also going in for a hip replacement surgery! Kendra Hollingsworth, Selma's niece with a double major in computer science and history, will be her replacement while she's recovering. Zoltán is their alert German shepherd whom they adopted in Tombs, 4. Since The Mayan Secrets, the Fargos have acquired a Gulfstream jet with Brad Sterling and Rex Fender their pilots and Sandra is their flight attendant.

Mexico
Carlos Ramirez is a friend of Selma's, and he's in charge of the Antiquities department in the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City. Dr. Maribela and Dr. Antonio Casuela are sister and brother and experts on the Toltecs.

The Los Zetas cartel…
…deals drugs and weapons. Ferdinando Guerrero is the Mexico City chief of the cartel.

Cuba
Dr. Lagarde is one of Selma's friends in Cuba. Professor George Milhaupt is at Cal Tech and has an interest in cryptology; he believes Lazlo Kemp is the Fargos' best bet.

Rubin Haywood is with the CIA.

Lazlo Kemp got caught and now has to reinvent himself. Unfortunately, his predilection for drink is getting in the way.

Baffin Island and the Viking ship
Commander Wes Hall is heading up a U.S. Coast Guard-sponsored expedition aboard the Alhambra to explore the island's fjords. Lieutenant Ralph Willbanks is Hall's first officer. Rick is the pilot who gets them there.

Warren Lasch had headed up the recovery of the CSS Hunley back in Lost Empire, 2. Dr. Jennings works in Montreal and is one of Canada's top archeologists.

The expedition off the coast of Cartagena, Spain
Dominic is the captain of the Bermudez and the leader of the Spanish team of divers.

Janus Benedict is a wealthy arms dealer with legitimate businesses in banking, insurance, and real estate and has a connection to stolen artifacts. Reginald is his dumb thug of a younger brother. His conspirators include Pasqual, Andrew, and Sergei. Percy is one of Benedict's go-to boys for skullduggery

Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs; the Mayans called him Votan.

The Vikings in 1085 AD
Vidar is the captain's first mate on the Sigrun.

The Cover and Title
The cover is green! A Viking ship sailing, literally, through an emerald-cliffed sea, a flash of lightning in the background. The title is in yellow with the authors' names in white — Cussler's name is WAY larger than life with Blake's name a tiny add-on.

The title is the focus of this story, The Eye of Heaven.

The Eye of Heaven takes readers back to Mexico, although this time the Fargos aren't looking for Mayan cities they are looking for evidence of Vikings. After they stumble on a pristinely preserved Viking ship carrying Toltec items - the Fargos know that everything they know about the Vikings is about to change. They actually made it to North America far before Christopher Columbus and had trade routes. What if they can find more proof and maybe the tomb of Quetzalcoatl? I enjoyed that the villain was a little different than normal - it was someone who wasn't after a specific treasure but was just after any treasure that the Fargos would find. Fun and implausible - I will keep reading this series!

I'm a huge Cussler fan but miss the days when he wrote his own books. The Fargo series leaves a lot to be desired and this one is no exception. The banter is trite and pretentious. The twists and turns of the plot don't quite live up to Cussler standards. That said, the historical information is intriguing and it was compelling enough to keep me reading.