by The Real Book Spy

I’ve been saying this for a while now—Clive Cussler works with a lot of talented co-authors, including Boyd Morrison, Jack Du Brul, Graham Brown, Justin Scott, and, of course, his own son, Dirk Cussler . . . but none of them are as talented, in my opinion, as Rogue Women Writer’s own Robin Burcell.

I’ve been a fan of Burcell’s since the moment I picked up Cold Case, the fourth book in her Kate Gillespie detective series about a decade ago. (Fun fact: my mother’s maiden name is Gillespie, and I have a first cousin named Katie Gillespie) Since then, I’ve read just about everything Robin has written and was thrilled when she began working with Clive Cussler on his Sam and Remi Fargo books back in 2016.

In just a few years, the Fargo franchise has gone from one of Cussler’s most underrated series to one of his most popular, in no short part because of Robin Burcell, who brings a whole lot to the table and somehow finds a way to deliver every time out. That is certainly the case with The Oracle, her latest thriller in stores June 11, and when I sat down to make my rogue pick for this month, it was the first title that popped into my head.

Here, the Fargos set out to uncover clues to the location of a mysterious scroll that traces back to 533 A.D. when Gelimer, the king of the Vandals, was told by an oracle that the only way his kingdom would survive the invading Byzantine army was to find and return the scroll to its rightful owner. That never happened, though, and in the present day, the scroll is still missing, it’s location unknown—that is, until Sam and Remi’s archeological dig inadvertently unearths more than they bargained for.

Think Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft. . . . The Oracle is Robin Burcell at the very top of her game, and the best book in Cussler’s bestselling series to date.

Robin Burcell

EDITOR’S NOTE: We Rogues are so proud of Robin. What a wonderful and well-deserved review by The Real Book Spy. We’re delighted (but not surprised) he saw what we knew all along. You go, Rogue Robin!

Still, I’m only half the equation in this venture. If not for Clive Cussler picking me as a cowriter in the Sam and Remi Fargo series, I wouldn’t be here. I’m currently the fourth cowriter in the series, which originated with Grant Blackwood. While I don’t know the stories behind the past authors and how they ended up writing with Clive, I am happy to say that my involvement came about after he contacted Barbara Peterson (who owns the iconic Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona), wanting to know if she could recommend a writer who might fit into the Cussler universe.

Clive & Robin, not working. Go write another book!