Dirk Cussler Books In Order

Publication Order of Dirk Pitt Books

Dirk Cussler is an American author best known for the Dirk Pitt series. The book series was created by his father, Clive Cussler, who also named the main character after him.

Cussler went to Berkeley where he earned his MBA. He then went to work in the world of finance for many years before eventually leaving to assist his father in writing. He made his debut as co-author with 2004’s Black Wind. He has continued to co-author books in the series ever since, including Celtic Empire which won the 2020 Colorado Book Award for Best Mystery.

In addition to his work as an author, Dirk is also a big part of the non-profit foundation National Underwater and Marine Agency. He is the dead of the council and a member of the Board of Trustees. The National Underwater and Marine Agency was founded by his father and the organization is dedicated to “preserving our maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts.” The organization actually started as a fictional government organization in Clive Cussler’s books, but they eventually made it into a real non-profit organization. NUMA has went on many expeditions to find ships of American origin from the early 19th century to the early 20th century.

The first book in the Dirk Pitt series was actually written when Dirk Cussler was just twelve years old. There were seventeen books in the series before he came on board, but he had read many of them and basically considered Dirk Pitt to be like an old friend. He grew up reading the series, but unlike most readers he had the chance to look at his father’s manuscripts before publication.

He co-wrote seven books in the Dirk Pitt series with his father before his father passed away in 2020. The Devil’s Sea, released in 2021, was the first book that he wrote without his father. The book received a lot of good reviews from long time readers. Dirk has picked up the legacy of his father’s character and carried it on with success.

The first book that Dirk Cussler co-authored with his father was Black Wind. The book follows the legendary oceanographer Dirk Pitt as he works with his children. How fitting is that for their first collaboration? During the final days of World War II, the Japanese had attempted a desperate move to win the war. The move was kept secret from almost all of the officials and two submariners were sent to the United States. They were carrying a biological virus with plans to unleash hell on the west coast. The subs never made it to their target, but they were not lost.

Despite the secrecy of the mission, someone knows about the subs and what they were carrying as well as where they might be. They have a plan in mind to retrieve it and a plan that could change the world forever. The only thing that stands in their way are three people: a marine biologist named Summer, a marine engineer named Dirk, and their father, Dirk Pitt. Together, the three of them will team up to stop what looks to be pure evil.

The Dirk Pitt series continues with Treasure of Khan. Dirk Pitt begins this novel trying to rescue an oil survey team from a freak wave in Russia when he is nearly killed. It seems to be a simple act of nature, but he soon realizes that is not the case. The survey team is abducted and his research vessel is nearly sunk. It soon becomes clear that this isn’t a case of bad lack, it is something, or someone, sinister with bad intentions. Pitt and the NUMA crew have found themselves between a Mongolian tycoon who has plans to corner the global oil market. He is making covert negotiations in China and in order to ensure the deal goes through, he will encourage acts of sabotage and violence.

Pitt and Al Giordino will soon find that the tycoon’s power steams from a dark secret about Genghis Khan. The Khan empire is a legend to them and they know little of his tomb, but the legacy of Genghis Khan is a very real thing. The treasure of his grandson Kublai Khan is the key to stopping the Mongolian tycoon from restoring the conquests of his ancestors. The only thing they need to do is get there first.

Artic Drift is another book in the Dirk Pitt series of books. A technological breakthrough in the world of clean energy is slowed down by an act of sabotage. Now, the United States finds itself of the brink of war with one of their closest allies. In order to prevent a global catastrophe, Dirk and his children will piece together the remains of the original experiment. The scientists were looking for a solution to global warming, but they don’t know how it was done. The only clue that they are left with is a mysterious silvery mineral traced to a long-ago expedition in the Northwest Passage. No one survived that doomed mission back then and if Dirk and company aren’t careful, neither will they.

The Devil’s Sea is the first Dirk Pitt Adventure written exclusively by Dirk Cussler. In 1959 Tibet, a Buddhist artifact was lost to history during the Communist takeover. Now, over six years later, Dirk Pitt has discovered a plane crash site in the Phillipine Sea that may hold the clue to what exactly happened. Pitt and Giordino have bigger problems when they are ordered to recovered a failed hypersonic missile. They aren’t the only ones after it as a Chinese military team has hijacked a ship capable of controlling the waters of the deep. The mission will take them from the depths of the Pacific to the Himalaya Mountains as Dirk and company look to solve a mystery that could save a nation, and the world.

One Response to “Dirk Cussler”

1. Debbie Campbell: 1 year ago

   I’m truly sorry about Clive Cussler’s passing. But will his son, Dirk, continue in his father’s footsteps & continue to write with the same characters as his father. Just love all the books. Great adventure series of each character.

   Reply