The Matarese Countdown (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Ludlum (Author)
Key Phrases: Beowulf Agate, Frank Shields, Shepherd Boy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
On a snowy night in northern Russia, balding and bedridden Maria Yuriskaya prepares herself for the last rites of death. When a priest approaches her bed and asks for a confession, she unloads a whopper of a secret and sets off The Matarese Countdown. Apparently, the accidental killing of her world-class nuclear physicist husband by a wild bear was not an accident after all. The death was a set up and Maria knows who did it. The priest thinks she's having a senile fit, but she's serious. So serious, that uttering the dreaded words, "The Matarese ... the consummate evil" seems to vacuum the life right out of her. The legendary Matarese, the planet-threatening dynasty of killers from The Matarese Circle, is back and up to their evil tricks. The grandson of The Matarese, a laissez-faire fundamentalist with a bad case of ancestor-worship plans to finish his grandfather's wicked designs. However, political-science prodigy and CIA rookie Cameron Pryce is on the case. Armed with several languages and even more degrees, Pryce races around the world and against the clock to stop the deadly posse. Fast-paced and action-packed, The Matarese Countdown is a must for Ludlum fans, but it's not for sissies. Rugged, macho observations abound: "They waded into shore as the clattering motors came to a stop, and as women tend to do, Leslie and Toni embraced," and "Maybe the women would change your mind. After all, it was the women, the mothers, who got us all through the Ice Age. In the animal kingdom, the female is the most vicious in protecting her young." In other words, if a post Ice Age feminist read this book and ran into Ludlum, she probably wouldn't embrace him. --Rebekah Warren --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Welcome to Robert Ludlum's world...fast pacing, tight plotting, international intrigue."
--The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

"If a Pulitzer Prize were awarded for escapist fiction, Robert Ludlum undoubtedly would have won it. Ten times over."
--Mobile Register -- Review

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553579835
• ISBN-13: 978-0553579833
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,388 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book was not written by Robert Ludlum, October 25, 1999

By	David Rasquinha (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a fan of Ludlum's work for years and his Bourne trilogy in particular are all time classics. I also loved The Matarese Circle so when The Matarese Countdown appeared, I couldn't wait to lay my hands on it. But there it stopped. This book I struggled to finish whereas earlier Ludlum's I could not put down. What happened here? The plot is very thin, the dialogues horribly amateurish. Ludlum's gift was an ability to tip an unbelievable situation just over the edge and make you think hey, perhaps, just perhaps, this could happen! Sorry, not this time. The list of improbable situations is just too long. The plotline is not even 1% believable. The characters are stereotyped to the limit. The tip off is is the absence of classic Ludlum phrases and concepts ("lies", "madness") and the absence of a catchphrase ("Perro Nostro Circulo", "Cain is for Charlie and Delta is for Cain") and so many other Ludlum specialities which gives the game away.

I know I have no formal evidence as such, but for my money, this book was not written by Robert Ludlum. Only his name has been lent to it.

For all admirers of RL's work, avoid this one if you want to retain your good memory of him.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Far from his best--but not his worst, either..., April 30, 2001

By	Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I have been a Ludlum fan ever since my older brother informed me that 'The Bourne Identity' was easily one of the best thrillers ever written...well I loved that book, but I enjoyed 'The Materese Circle' even MORE. I nearly fainted with surprise when I saw 'The Materese Countdown' on the bookshelf...not knowing at all that a sequel was even in the works. B-u-u-u-t after 'The Scorpio Illusion' I was becoming a bit skeptical at Ludlums ability to write world-class thrillers...however I picked it up anyway and then it sat on my shelf for quite some time. After having read the reviews here periodically I put off reading it even longer...but once again it goes to show you how each person is unique and has VERY different views of the same thing.

I happened to have enjoyed this 2nd outing into the world of the Materese. Nowhere did I see the discrepancies in Ludlum's writing style that many are saying that they recognized...and I am not a novice Ludlum reader, either. I've been reading all of his books (and I stress ALL) since the late 70's. Now I WILL admit that 'Countdown' was far from his best thriller, however it was a great deal better than 'The Scorpio Illusion' which was okay, but seemed like the same old story re-packaged. It was great to re-visit the lives of Beowolf Agate and Toni...and fondly remember how the bad guy from the Cold War (Taleniekov) became one of his greatest characters. No, this isn't the best of Ludlum's books, but he has several which are far worse than this one, too. Judge for yourself. I can't recall the last time I read so many reviews that opposed each other so much. It seemed that most people either loved it or hated it. I was somewhat in between, with a lean more towards the 'loved it' side. My personal opinion is that after writing so many novels about spying for so long, it really IS difficult to write something entirely new and fresh...and since the Cold War ended, people no longer want to read about 'Them Vs Us' anymore...but as long as I can find a good spy novel, I know that I'll be buying them and re-living the Cold War days for many years to come...unfortunately since the recent death of Mr. Ludlum, we won't get that great opportunity from him. A great literary loss if you ask me. Goodbye Robert Ludlum. You WILL be missed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Was this really Ludlum?, April 4, 2003

By	"eaglescrest" (Lake Oswego, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matarese Countdown, The (Hardcover)

I've read almost every book Ludlum has written and this was by far the worse. In fact, I found it written so poorly, that I have a hard time believing he actually wrote it. The characters were two-dimensional and the dialog was cheesy. Put the story into an outline, and it's great... but whoever developed this outline into a novel did a poor job. If you're a Ludlum lover, stay away from this book.