Du Brul, Jack B. 1968-

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Du Brul, Jack B. 1968-

PERSONAL:

Born October 15, 1968, in Burlington, VT; married Debbie Saunders, 2001. Education: George Washington University, B.A., 1990.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary Agency, 7 Indian Valley Rd., Weston, CT 06883. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Worked variously as a bartender and carpenter. Ran a property management company.

WRITINGS:

"PHILIP MERCER" SERIES

Vulcan's Forge, Forge (New York, NY), 1998.

Charon's Landing, Forge (New York, NY), 1999.

The Medusa Stone, Onyx (New York, NY), 2000.

Pandora's Curse, Onyx (New York, NY), 2001.

River of Ruin, Onyx (New York, NY), 2002.

Deep Fire Rising, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Havoc, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

"OREGON FILES" SERIES; WITH CLIVE CUSSLER

Dark Watch, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Skeleton Coast, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Vermont native Jack B. Du Brul attended boarding school in Connecticut before earning a degree at George Washington University. He moved to Florida after graduation, where he began to write Vulcan's Forge, the novel that introduced his ongoing character, geologist Philip Mercer. Du Brul's novels are often set in locations he himself has visited. The plot of this debut novel revolves around the creation of a small volcano below the South Pacific, formed after a Soviet nuclear blast that also forged a new and very valuable type of metal. Decades later, as the submerged island rises to the surface, a plan is formed by a Soviet agent to convince Hawaiians to secede from the union, in the event it breaks through among the islands.

Additional works in the series feature Mercer's exploits around the globe. Figuring in the plot of Charon's Landing are a Middle Eastern oil minister, a former KGB scientist, and eco-terrorists involved in international espionage connected with the opening of the oil fields in the Arctic National Refuge. When they are both kidnapped, Mercer, a mining engineer, becomes involved with oil heiress Aggie Johnston. In The Medusa Stone, Mercer is on a quest to save an old friend who has been kidnapped by Israeli terrorists. His search leads him to the poor African island of Eritrea where the legendary diamond mine of King Solomon may be located. Mercer is charged with saving the world in Pandora's Curse, when he uncovers an abandoned U.S. Army base buried under the ice of Greenland and discovers a body still hot with radiation. Clues lead Mercer to the Pandora Project, a Nazi scheme to sell a lethal substance to the highest bidder and which is contained in solid gold boxes made from looted treasure.

The Panama Canal is threatened in River of Ruin, and Mercer must subvert a plan by the Chinese to bomb it and pressure the United States into allowing a Chinese takeover of Taiwan. As in all of the Mercer novels, there is a love interest, this time U.S. Army officer Lauren Vanik. As in his other stories, this one is packed with action, as well as advanced technology. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote: "It's evident at the outset that Mercer and his team will come out on top, but the fun is watching Du Brul untangle his own skillfully woven knots."

Du Brul continues his series with Deep Fire Rising, in which Mercer is put in charge of installing a nuclear waste holding tank at the mysterious Area fifty-one in Nevada. However, Mercer soon learns that all is not as it seems, as he is forced to escape an assassination attempt, getting away with the timely assistance of Tisa Nguyen. As he investigates, he learns of a secret group that is headquartered at a Tibetan monastery from where they are supposedly able to predict upcoming disasters. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly remarked that "smart, resilient Mercer is a savvy adventure hero for the new millennium." Mercer's adventures become even more action packed in Havoc, when he goes searching for a rare metal in Africa and uncovers a mysterious conspiracy. Jeff Ayers, in a review for Library Journal, commented that "it's not necessary to read the other entries in this series, but patrons will seek them out after reading this twisty page-turner." In addition, Du Brul contributes to a second series, the "Oregon Files" books, which he cowrites with action/adventure novelist Clive Cussler.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, October 15, 2006, Jeff Ayers, review of Havoc, p. 50.

Publishers Weekly, December 8, 1997, review of Vulcan's Forge, p. 53; April 12, 1999, review of Charon's Landing, p. 53; April 17, 2000, review of The Medusa Stone, p. 58; August 27, 2001, review of Pandora's Curse, p. 62; October 28, 2002, review of River of Ruin, p. 56; November 3, 2003, review of Dark Fire Rising, p. 59.