I have never been a fan of Cussler, but I have read several because a friend keeps forcing them on me and I'm too cheap to go out and buy a good book. This book was given to me in its unabridged audio version, and I now believe that you get a different perspective by listening, rather than reading, this man's books. It now seems obvious to me that he he leads (how shall I put this without upsetting the younger readers), an 'alternative lifestyle' that lets him see men from a position outside the norm. His descriptions of Pitt; piercing eyes, broad shoulders, animal grace, etc., etc. are all things that you might hear on Castro Street in San Francisco. He may want to start writing gourmet cookbooks, travelogue brochures, and/or style and wardrobe articles. He appears to know more about all of these things than he does about the relationships between men and women. I think from now on I will just tell my friend to give his books to someone else.