Customer Reviews

The Sigma Protocol

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

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.

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

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!

The great Robert Ludlum passed on March 12, 2001. This reader has read each and every one of Mr. Ludlum's 24 novels including the most recent, "The Sigma Protocol." Mr. Ludlum was THE master of intrigue and proved it time and again with each offering. I cannot image the literary world without this icon but I will always have incredibly fond memories. Your passing is one of sadness yet your life was one of greatness.

THE SIGMA PROTOCOL

Ben Hartman, international financier and heir to the throne of Hartman Capital Management, is in Zurich for a ski vacation when all hell breaks loose. His old friend(?), Jimmy Cavanaugh, unexpectedly shows up as Ben is leaving his hotel with a silenced pistol and begins attempting to end Ben's life. Although narrowly escaping death, Ben begins to ponder why him, why here, where his twin brother Peter suspiciously died in a small plane accident? As Ben begins his investigation, he finds that his brother Peter had been investigating a very strange cabal named Sigma. As Ben gets deeper into his quest, he realizes that Peter's "death" is anything but an accident and that the unknown force monikered Sigma is set on Ben joining his brother's fate.

Meanwhile, DOJ agent Anna Navarro is curiously assigned to locate the whereabouts of several old men on a list begrudgingly supplied by superspook Alan Bartlett. The connection between these men, while seemingly unrelated, comes from a CIA file dating back to the 1940s, code word Sigma. As she begins her search for these aged men, she finds that each subject has mysteriously died just before she can reach them. Those remaining alive on the list begins to wane but Anna smells a rat. Just as she begins to put together a case that each of these men have been murdered, many dramatic attempts are made on her life.

In only a fashion brought to life by Mr. Ludlum, Ben and Anna are thrust together and soon come to the common conclusion that they seek the same answer: Who and what is Sigma and why does this shrouded group want them dead? Determined to find the answers and coming to the obvious conclusion that their only hope is to work together, they criscross Europe to uncover the secrets behind Sigma. They soon find that Sigma's tentacles are threaded through all levels of industry and law enforcement placing the odds overwhelming against them. These secrets threaten everything Ben and Anna hold sacred, everything they knew of history, their friends and, incredibly enough, their families. These secrets actually hold the fate of world and it's future.

This storyline is incredibly intertwined, complex and thoroughly delightful as only Robert Ludlum can weave. This book is a page-turner and kept this reader on the edge of his seat throughout. For all mystery/intrigue fans, this is a can't miss book. For all Robert Ludlum fans, this is a throwback to the "Bourne," "Matarese," and "Parsifal" days. In other words, Ludlumites MUST have this book.

Ludlum fans, while saddened by his passing, should take heart in the fact that Mr. Ludlum's publisher will publish at least two more significantly complete novels Mr. Ludlum had been working on prior to his death.

Not really, of course. Mr. Ludlum died before The Sigma Protocol was published, but fortunately for his reading fans the book was edited and published. It is vintage Ludlum with fast paced action from the opening to the final page. Ben Hartman is an unlikely hero who is plunged into a world of deception where in true Ludlum fashion "nothing is as it seems." Ben is an investment banker who just happens to be in great shape. Although he is a complete amatuer in the world of espionage he manages to stay alive as the world around him begins to change with the appearance of an old "friend" who pulls a gun on him.

Ben's twin brother's death in Switzerland four years earlier had been ruled an accident. His brother had been searchig for the members of the Sigma Protocol and was getting close to the truth.
Read the book to find out what really happened to Peter and how Ben finally finds a partner to help him solve the mystery and stop the killings.

Sigma Protocol is as good as some of Ludlum's earlier books. Hopefully, there are other manuscripts waiting to be published.

I've never met a Robert Ludlum book I didn't like, and this was no exception. It followed the usual Ludlum format: handsome athletic protagonist who is great in bed and can do almost anything, love interest who is intelligent and capable, and a plot only Ludlum could conceive.
Since this is FICTION, I don't expect reality. However, in previous Ludlum books, like the Bourne trilogy, I find the characters more believable. In this story, Ben is a banker, so his uncanny ability to get himself out of trouble and elude the bad guys is a bit of a stretch. But rather than making me want to snort and throw the book down, I think he must be a pretty smart guy, maybe somebody I might even know. As with all Ludlum books, it called me from the coffee table, giving me the perfect excuse to skip housework until it was finished.
If you like books in this genre, you will enjoy this one. Probably not my favorite Ludlum book, but entertaining.
p.s. I am saddened to hear of Ludlum's death, but think it is a good thing he isn't around to see Matt Damon cast as Jason Bourne.

The book starts out well enough when banker Ben Hartman, in Switzerland on business, runs into an old college buddy who tries to kill him. Then through a series of accidental discoveries, narrow escapes, and unbelievable coincidences, Hartman learns that practically everybody he knows, and everyone new he meets, is involved in an evil cabal bent on world domination.
When you finally find out who the criminal mastermind is, it seems like something only Austin Powers' nemesis Dr. Evil could have pulled off. Without giving too much away - I have to say that the ending involves the hero attempting a daring rescue from the villain's heavily-guarded, secret mountain lair. And of course there is a scene where the villain feels the need to carry on a long monologue to explain his evil plot to the hero. Yeah baby, yeah!

My first Ludlum novel. I went to buy The Bourne Identity which was Out Of Stock at my bookstore so I decided to purchase The Sigma Protocol to get a taste of Ludlum's writing.

The Sigma Protocol started out fast and furious and was quite intriguing but about halfway through the book you get the sense that he's attempting to rush the story and the reader has problems keeping a mental timeline of what is occuring within the story. At one point (and probably the worst example) a government Justice Department investigator is in the U.S. discussing details of a case and within a few pages is suddenly in Austria staking out the proposed suspect when prior to this it took Ludlum an entire 2 chapters just to get the suspect (Ben Hartman) to a particular home within Austria where he was already residing. It's events like this that begin to overcome the storyline and frustrate the reader.

Finally, the editor did a very poor job of editing facts which support areas of the story. In one particular section Ben Hartman applies a headlock to an individual which "cuts the blood supply to the man's femoral artery" and renders the individual unconscious. Well, the only thing that is going to happen if you cut the blood supply off by blocking the femoral artery is that your leg will go to sleep since the artery is not located in the neck (as Ludlum leads you to belive). This happens every once in a while throughout the story.

Overall, if it's action and a fast-paced story you are interested in then this book will probably satisfy your appetite. Happy reading!

After the last several duds from Ludlum, he, at long last, has written a book that approaches the quality of some of his early excellent books -- The Gemini Contenders, The Osterman Weekend, The Matarese Circle, etc. The Sigma Protocol is a very fast, spellbinding read that is loaded with suspense, action, and excitement. The only factor keeping me from rating it five stars is that the characters, while serviceable for the purposes of THE STORY, were not as well-developed as I would have hoped. Nevertheless, this is a minor detail and should not deter you from reading The Sigma Protocol. I think you'll find that this 528 page book (I read the hardcover version) will keep you turning the pages as fast as your fingers will allow. Get ready for a very enjoyable "escape" reading experience. Enjoy!

This book is a never-ending stream of action cliches that have you shouting "get to the point already... we figured it out 300 pages ago!"

A few of the tired devices employed over and over and OVER again: professional killers emptying countless magazines of ammo at our two heroes without hitting either of them; throw-away characters who further the plot with a rambling monologue or two but are assassinated before they give too much away (although the heroes escape scot-free); left-for-dead villains who somehow recover from their injuries (like multiple gunshot wounds to the chest!) and become threats again -- and of course a bottomless supply of experts, just a phone call away when the undiscoverable needs to be discovered.

And throughout it all you have our heroine -- supposedly a cream-of-the-crop government agent -- acting like a rank amateur: repeatedly making highly-sensitive phone calls ON HER HOTEL ROOM PHONE, and even discussing top secret material on her cell phone -- while in her seat on a commercial airliner still at the gate!

The worst part, though, was the novel's predictability. Every new revelation is obvious to the reader long before it's obvious to the heroes, although that doesn't dissuade Ludlum from his heavy-handedly attempts to inject suspense into every discovery scene. It's excruciating to be saying "yeah, yeah, I figured that out ages ago" while Ludlum is basically screaming: "Wow, isn't this discovery earth-shattering? Isn't this just too incredible to fathom? Haven't you just been on the edge of your seat, waiting for this particular part of the mystery to be revealed?"

Pass on this one.