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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One Of His Best?, November 20, 2001
The death of Robert Ludlum was a great loss to the genre of writing that was synonymous with his name, and other greats in the Genre's Pantheon, like John Le Carre. The masters of these books are in no way limited to the two I mention; different readers will all have their favorites. The reason for the question mark at the beginning of my comments is for several reasons which I believe are important to his admirers from his earliest books, and to those readers experiencing his work for the first time. The final version of this book was completed some three months after the author's death. There is no question that the book is vintage Ludlum, however for his long time readers, evidence of the pen of another will be apparent. There is sardonic dialogue that does not read as his, and the female character, while very well done, is not a pure Ludlum creation in my opinion either. Nowhere will you find any evidence that this was published posthumously. Every detail on the jacket is in the present tense when referring to Mr. Ludlum. The reason I find this bothersome is that Mr. Ludlum is alleged to have completed 11 additional outlines for books prior to his death. I do not know what constitutes an outline, however it is not a book, and I hope the publishers will be completely candid regarding who was involved in writing these future books. I don't believe anyone can impersonate his style, so whatever may be forthcoming may be great or poor, what they will not be are true Robert Ludlum Novels. "The Sigma Protocol", is a work that will bring long time admirers back to many of his earlier works. The first work I ever read was his novel, "The Matarese Circle", and this book is almost as good as my initial experience, and other of his works considered to be among his best. The only factor that detracts from this final work is that it is a bit too slick in style. Mr. Ludlum wrote many stories that were complex and cadenced with brilliant speed, however his characters were never those that constantly tossed off quick witted repartee, and endorsed everything they came in contact with by a brand name. Mr. Ludlum wrote books not advertisements. In spite of whatever intrusion there may have been, this book will make the very short list of Ludlum's best. The tale races all over the globe, and revisits classic locales like Zurich, Vienna, and many others. The World War II element could have been a terrible cliché in a lesser writer's hands. This book portrays a familiar group, however it also legitimizes the suspension of disbelief with real science from recent years. When the book reaches its closing moments it is hard to maintain complete originality, here it was done as well as any could have penned it. I enthusiastically recommend this book even though its provenance is not completely known. This is also the reason for the lack of the 5th star. There is no way for me to know this; I just don't feel Mr. Ludlum would have wanted readers to be mislead in any manner about his work, to any degree. The bottom line is this is a great read that demonstrates that to the very end of his career Mr. Ludlum was able to create a work that can stand with the best of what he had given readers for decades.
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38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ludlum's best book in years!!!, October 31, 2001
American investment banker Ben Hartman arrives in Zurich for a much needed ski vacation. This trip marks the first time Ben has been to Switzerland since the death of his brother some four years earlier. Within minutes of his arrival he spots a man that looks familiar, it turns out to be Jim Cavanaugh, a friend he went to school with fifteen years ago. After greeting his friend, a gun is pulled, several bystanders are dead, and Ben realizes his former friend was trying to kill him. Going to the police will prove to be a difficult task for the dead body of Jim Cavanaugh is missing, and the gun used in the attack has now been planted in Ben's suitcase. While the Switzerland police question Ben as their main suspect, Ben has his lawyer looking into the back-round of Jim Cavanaugh, only to find the man never attended college with Ben, and as far as anyone can see he never existed! Across the globe, Department of Justice field agent Anna Navaro is called to investigate a large number of deaths of old men all over the world. The deeper Anna looks into each death she finds one link, a code word `SIGMA'. As her investigation continues, a relentless killer will be tracking her every move, and every step she takes he will be one step ahead. By chance Ben and Anna will be drawn together, and two seemingly unrelated cases will become one, as well as Ben realizing his brother's death may be connected to the chaos known as `SIGMA', for in that one word is the power to change everything they thought they knew about themselves, friends, family, and the fate of the world. `The Sigma Protocol' is THE BEST novel Robert Ludlum has written in years. Fast-paced and totally engrossing it grabs you by the throat on page one and DOES NOT LET GO. The twists and turns come fast and furious, while the gripping plot holds you mesmerized. There is never a dull moment in this novel: it contains enough action, suspense, intrigue, secret meetings, shadowy figures, and gunfire to satisfy the most jaded thriller reader. This one will keep you guessing right up until the end. The first MUST READ thriller of the Fall season. Nick Gonnella
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ludlum's Swan Song, December 12, 2001
Robert Ludlum, one of the most popular authors of best selling thrillers passed away early this year. With 23 novels, over 200 million copies in print, Ludlum's contribution to the genre of action thrillers is indeed worth reckoning. I pay my humble tributes to this talented writer who has kept book lovers like me hooked to his writings for over 20 years. As a reviewer and a critic, I have found Ludlum taxing the gullibility of his readers with his bizarre, outrageous plots, implausible storylines, and his constant fixation on "conspiracy by a super-secret, ultra powerful, underground organisation" which has been repeated so many times that it has become a bore. Nevertheless, as a reader, Ludlum has never ceased to fascinate me with complex plots, twists and turns, fast paced action, violence, heroics, nerve wrecking drama,intrigue,nail biting suspense, and his ability to keep the adrenaline pumping, readers on tenterhooks, making his books "unputdownable"! This book, the last of the author is another such thriller about a secret organisation SIGMA. Ben Hartman, a young business tycoon from America on a holiday in Europe, gets caught in a web of intrigue and suspense when suddenly he is being persued by a gang of ruthless killers. He finds that his twin brother, who had died years ago in Europe in an 'accident', was privy to some secrets. His investigations make Ben aware of SIGMA. Ben decides to keep digging till he unravels the truth. Anna Navarro, a beautiful young woman, is an agent of US Government investigation agency, on a mission to investigate a string of deaths in Europe of once powerful, influential, old men, discovers that a group of people are being systematically eliminated by an unknown assassin/s.She also finds that all the victims are members of an organisation SIGMA. Ben and Anna, after a series of confrontations, decide to join forces and gang up to find out the truth. SIGMA in the meanwhile has managed to make both of them pariahs and wanted criminals being chased by law-enforcement agencies all over the world. Both of them are on the run now, SIGMA as well as security agencies are on the look out for the couple.What then happens doesn't need any great imagination....better you read it for yourselves. The novel keeps you glued and makes an interesting reading. DON'T TRY TO THINK OR ANALYSE! Enjoy it, just as one enjoys mindless action thriller fillums of Dharmendra et all. This book too has its own share of incongruities, unexplained incidents and unanswered questions....don't bother , just enjoy! After having read so many of Ludlum (nearly all of them),one thing that bothers me is that, even though Ludlum names many well known persons, Corporations, agencies and incidents, how come nobody has even tried to sue him?...What if, some of his wild theories are true?...One shudders to think of the possibilities!
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