Rescuing a sole survivor, they continue on to the Azores where they participate in a race of submersibles and discover a field of wrecked ships and planes which appear to have been drawn towards a magnetic, superconducting pillar.

With Paul and Gamay Trout investigating Kinjara Maru wreckage, Austin and the Russian scientist Katarina Luskaya being attacked, and NUMA director Dirk Pitt following up on leads in the United States, they begin to suspect that someone is building a directed-energy weapon and the magnetic pillar is a hoax.

The scientists are kidnapped by a mercenary named Andras the Knife and delivered to Sierre Leone dictator Djemma Garand who forces them to work on the weapon.

This series features protagonist Kurt Austin, as well as supporting characters who work for the National Underwater and Marine Agency, an American organization dedicated to exploring the ocean.

Devil's Gate was compared to a James Bond story for the use of "high-stake thrills and hair-raising stakes"[2] and "an attractive Russian scientist...who becomes both love interest and hostage".

"[9] Writing for the Associated Press, another reviewer stated it "delivers the thrills and excitement that readers expect from a Clive Cussler novel.

"[2] The Kirkus Reviews concluded the novel is "vintage Cussler...just right for the armchair techie who likes his action nonstop and his characters uncomplicated.