The Kingdom

Clive Cussler was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt®, NUMA® Files, Oregon® Files, Isaac Bell®, and Sam and Remi Fargo®. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Like Pitt, Cussler collected classic automobiles. His collection featured more than one hundred examples of custom coachwork. Cussler passed away in February 2020.

Grant Blackwood is the New York Times bestselling author of the Briggs Tanner series. He is also the coauthor of the Fargo Adventure series with Clive Cussler, the #1 New York Times bestseller Dead or Alive with Tom Clancy, and the thriller The Kill Switch with James Rollins. A US Navy veteran, Grant spent three years aboard a guided missile frigate as an operations specialist and a pilot rescue swimmer. He lives in Arizona.