Shock Wave is probably one of the more intense Dirk Pitt's adventure that I have read. And I have read most of them : ).

Numa agents are sent in the Antarctic to investigate the deaths of several species of sea animals without any visible cause. Pitt is walking through a storm on Seymour Island when he hears shouts and finds out that a really nice woman by the name of Maeve Fletcher is stranded with several older tourists on the island.

It appears that the cruise ship where she was with the other tourists has totally disappeared. Pitt and Giordino go on a search to find the ship and see if there are any survivors. They find the ship going straight on the reefs of another island and in extremis Pitt saved the ship. All aboard but one, who is actually Maeve's sister, are dead. All found as if they had vomited and died under terrible pain.

The animals on Seymour Island are all dead. All the bodies are sent to try to find the reason of their death and Maeve examines several specimens of the animals. All appear to have died of heart attack.

Pitt comes up with an impossible theory that comes to be true and involves Maeve's father, a murderer who only cares about his own wealth, and Maeve's two sisters, both as bad as their father.

Maeve and Pitt follow the trek and nearly died at the hand of her father to prove that their theory is right.

Along the ride, Pitt and Maeve fall in love.

One of the most intense of Cussler's novels, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And as usual, it never stops. It is a roller coaster and you will be surprised at a lot of things.