Santorini. Alistair Maclean. 1987.

Book Club edition

The frigate Ariadne, fitted with sophisticated electronic equipment, patrols the Aegean Sea. Her official mission is to carry out a hydrographic survey/ Unofficially she is the eyes ad ears of NATO -  a spy ship. Her crew under Commander Talbot, is trained to stand firm in danger, to face death.

Danger and death are what the Ariadne finds when the distress call ‘Mayday’ echoes through the emergency frequency; a yacht, the Delos, is on fire and sinking fast. Nearby and minutes later a four-engined jet with a fire in the nose cone crashes into the sea.

It would seem that there is a sinister connection between the two tragedies and that it was no accident that the Ariadne was the only ship in the vicinity. Aided by deep-sea divers, a recovery ship and a cryptologist, Commander Talbot’s investigations uncover a diabolical plot involving drugs and terrorism which leads to the heart of the Pentagon.