Richard Mariner - Book 3 'A master of seagoing adventure.' Clive Cussler While removing toxic waste from a dead zone in the Palestinian desert, the captain of the Napoli is killed by local villagers whose land and families have been destroyed. Fully laden, the Napoli limps off to Cyprus, but desperately needs a new master-and Heritage Mariner of London are requested to provide one. Recalled from his honeymoon, John Higgins is the only captain available. But this ship has trouble written all over her. She's an ageing rust-bucket with a multi-racial crew, and the containers on board are filled with chemical and nuclear poison. Still, Higgins' orders are simple enough: take her home to Naples. But, when they arrive, they find this is only the first of many ports to refuse the leper ship entry. With an increasingly mutinous crew, and acidic waste eating away at her insides, there seems nowhere left to turn...