28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ludlum-like but not Ludlum, June 29, 2002
If one is fond of this genre, one will find an interesting trend beginning to develop. Several well-known authors are taking on co-authors (apprentices actually) in their latest offerings. Patterson with his latest, Cussler with his latest, Clancy for some time and now, Ludlum with his previous two and this one, THE PARIS OPTION. Of course, Mr. Ludlum passed away over a year ago (an incredible loss to the literary world) and anything with his name will be co-authored or a reissue. For those of us who are die-hard Ludlumites, any taste from the Master is welcome. However, these co-authored books are less than authentic and THE PARIS OPTION is no exception.
Robert Ludlum was the absolute ruler of intrigue. If you are reading this review and haven't read a "real" Ludlum, pick up The Parsifal Mosaic or The Matarese Circle or the Bourne series (unlike a previous reviewer, I felt the Bourne movie didn't do the book justice). These books will absolutely put you on your heels. Ludlum had a way of telekenetically transporting the reader into the story. You are there...with the characters....truly spellbinding! In the co-authored books, apparently Mr. Ludlum's only contributions are the short outlines and a mentoring review (this, per an interview with Gayle Lynds). In the combined efforts, Ms. Lynds (and Philip Shelby in THE CASSANDRA COMPACT) develops the storyline and characters, which is what most hard-line Ludlum fans miss the most from Mr. Ludlum himself. While Ms. Lynds does a reasonable job of creating a suspenseful plot, it falls short of Ludlumite expectations. I would even go as far to say that if this was a standalone offering from Ms. Lynds, it might receive a more favorable critical review if for no other reason than not having to live up to the Ludlum standard.
To the story.......Jon Smith, our resident M.D. and superspy of Covert-One, returns from THE HADES FACTOR to unravel the mystery of the missing DNA computer. The brilliant French scientist, Emile' Chambord, is clandestinely putting the finishing touches on the world's first DNA computer (a computer combining life and computational sciences thereby creating a "living" machine) in Paris' own Pasteur Institute when an incredible explosion shatters the Institute and ostensibly Dr. Chambord and his invention. When Smith discovers that his friend, Marty Zellerbach, was in the Institute working with Chambord and was seriously injured in the blast, he drops his current research and heads for Paris.
Once there, the mysterious explosion, the frightening potential of the DNA computer and the uncertainty of Chambord's death throw Smith into the middle of an international crisis. An unknown cabal calling itself the Scarlet Shield, a pan-Islamic organization, is apparently behind the terror. Ultimately, Smith is joined by his spook cohorts from HADES, Randi Russell of the CIA and Peter Howell, retired (sort of) with MI6.
The plot is timely and has the requisite sharp edges. The character definition is moderate (better if one has previously read HADES) and the climax is probably the best part of the book. All-in-all, a decent read but if you're looking for this book to have the delictable flavor of a Ludlum thriller, you're likely to be sorely disappointed.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good spy thriller, February 18, 2006
Fast paced. Good plot line. Sometimes hard to keep up with all the names. I remember characters from previous novel so I enjoyed going through another adventure with them. Ludlum, as usual, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just let your mind relax and enjoy!, July 14, 2008
Wow! Again I am very happy that I do not read the reviews before I read the novel. Of the 38 reviews 23 gave the book a bad rating (1-2 stars). I on the other hand gave it 4 stars. I have given all 3 books in this covert 1 series 4 stars. After skimming over a few of the reviews I realize how lucky I am. With every book I read I try to have a very open mind. So what if the truth is exaggerated. DNA COMPUTER! That is the basis of this book and If it gets too technical then I just skip over that section which usually is small.
The book grabbed my attention immidiately and never waned. Our hero again is Lt. Col. Jon Smith, MD. My wife is in the medical field and I was in a Navy hosiptal for quite awhile and never have I met a Doc like this Smith. Not only is he a top research doc but a super James Bond hero type. But, that does not stop me from enjoying the book. There are 3 more heroes and one of them is his nerd buddy from childhood days, Marty. The other two are Randi from the CIA who is also his sister-in-law and his old buddy from MI6 Peter Howell. The 4 of them make an interesting team.
Marty was working on the DNA computer with the genius DR. Chambord at the Pasteur Institute in Paris when there was a huge explosion. Marty is injured but he makes it okay in time to join the other 3 in their search for who did it and what happened to the computer. A number of twists and turns happen such as Chambord's daughter gets kidnapped. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you do too.
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