Treasure of Khan (2006)

Clive Cussler and son Dirk Cussler team up for the second time on Treasure of Khan, the 19th installment of the series following Marine expert and relic hunter Dirk Pitt. This edition places Pitt on the outskirts of Mongolia to stop a descendant of Genghis Khan from using a series of cataclysmic underwater earthquakes to control the world's oil supply. There are some annoying missteps, including a wafer-thin villain who spouts cliché dialogue (at one point, he makes a toast ''To [Pitt's] dry and dusty demise'') and Clive Cussler's egomaniacal tic of inserting himself into his books as a cameo character. But Khan keeps the action zipping along until a final powerhouse showdown.