Heavy water. The Joint Army-Navy Intelligence Group, (JANIG), a science secret service has discovered that someone is shipping heavy water, often used for atomic purposes, from a secret source in Asia. JANIG's mission is to make sure that science does not get misused. A coded telegram is received by Rick Brandt on Spindrift Island from his Hindu friend Chada.  

Spindrift Island is a scientific research facility off the coast of New Jersey. After decoding the telegram, Hanson Brandt, Rick's father telephones JANIG to discuss the telegram's contents. JANIG quickly enlists the aid of Rick, his ex-Marine friend Scotty, and a nuclear physicist named Zircon from the research facility to discover the source of the heavy water and if it is being used for nefarious purposes. Upon arriving in Hong Kong, the trio is plunged into a whirlwind of danger and mystery.

Rick Brant is the central character in a series of 24 adventure and mystery novels by John Blaine, a pen name for Harold L. Goodwin. Goodwin was a popular science writer with a strong technical background and a sense of style unusual in the juvenile adventure-series field. The series has a scientific tone and is realistic for the time period in which the books are penned. 

The books are suspenseful, well-plotted, and enriched by humor and important characterization as well as personal experience. Exotic locales such as tropical islands, the Philippine jungles, and the Himalayas are given vivid and well-researched descriptions. All in all, a good fun listen for teens of all ages.