Rating: 
Summary: Average to be generous - Series needs a fresh start...
Review: Prefacing my remarks, I'm a 'true' Ludlum reader who has enjoyed every one of his works, starting at the very beginning with the Scarlatti Inheritance. I've read The Hades Factor, The Cassandra Compact and the Paris Option. As the series has progressed, I've noticed greater and greater divergence by the authors away from the Ludlum trademarks of subtle but deep character development, helically ascending plot twists, and intricate detail of surroundings and action scenes. The Altman Code, sadly, did not meet any of the aforementioned Ludlum criteria. However, I'm not inclined to fault Gayle Linds. Her name isn't Robert Ludlum, and she has her own writing style, but if Robert Ludlum's name is going to have top billing on the front cover I (and I believe I speak for many other readers) expect the majority of the novel to reflect his writing style, regardless of whether he's alive or dead. In reference to the plot, I can only say that it read as if it was hurried to print, slammed onto the shelves as fast as possible to keep the bucks rolling in without a lot of indepth effort put into it. There are many typographical errors, incomplete sentences, and circular statements (another reviewer pointed those out). Overall, I've been disappointed with the character developments, and quite frankly they're becoming very boring and predictable. Unfortunately, the next Covert-One book's description (not yet released) is going to recycle them once again. It's time for President Castilla to finish his term and return to the New Mexico that he longs for, Col. Smith to retire from US AAMRID and teach microbiology at some reknown university, Randy to get promoted back to a desk job at Langley, and for god's sake get rid of Marty Zellerbach however you choose - I've hated that character from the start. The Covert-One series has a chance to be great! It's just time for a fresh start on the series - new characters, new authors, new plots. Flush and forget! I'll pass on the next installments of Covert-One until this happens.
Rating:
Summary: Average to be generous - Series needs a fresh start...
Review: Prefacing my remarks, I'm a 'true' Ludlum reader who has enjoyed every one of his works, starting at the very beginning with the Scarlatti Inheritance. I've read The Hades Factor, The Cassandra Compact and the Paris Option. As the series has progressed, I've noticed greater and greater divergence by the authors away from the Ludlum trademarks of subtle but deep character development, helically ascending plot twists, and intricate detail of surroundings and action scenes. The Altman Code, sadly, did not meet any of the aforementioned Ludlum criteria. However, I'm not inclined to fault Gayle Linds. Her name isn't Robert Ludlum, and she has her own writing style, but if Robert Ludlum's name is going to have top billing on the front cover I (and I believe I speak for many other readers) expect the majority of the novel to reflect his writing style, regardless of whether he's alive or dead. In reference to the plot, I can only say that it read as if it was hurried to print, slammed onto the shelves as fast as possible to keep the bucks rolling in without a lot of indepth effort put into it. There are many typographical errors, incomplete sentences, and circular statements (another reviewer pointed those out). Overall, I've been disappointed with the character developments, and quite frankly they're becoming very boring and predictable. Unfortunately, the next Covert-One book's description (not yet released) is going to recycle them once again. It's time for President Castilla to finish his term and return to the New Mexico that he longs for, Col. Smith to retire from US AAMRID and teach microbiology at some reknown university, Randy to get promoted back to a desk job at Langley, and for god's sake get rid of Marty Zellerbach however you choose - I've hated that character from the start. The Covert-One series has a chance to be great! It's just time for a fresh start on the series - new characters, new authors, new plots. Flush and forget! I'll pass on the next installments of Covert-One until this happens.
Rating: 
Summary: I actually like the Covert novels
Review: Robert Ludlum has been my faovorite author for as long as I can remember....now that he is gone, and has written the outline for these books, I didn't think I would like them, but I was wrong, I like them all....I will be standing in line to get all of these books!
Rating: 
Summary: A Sleeper
Review: Sometimes the best of authors miss their mark. The Altman code
hits the bullseye. Co-author Gayle Lynds writes like a man and thinks smart as a woman. A rollicking good read in the tradition of well written spy thrillers. As Olivert Twist said.."more please!"
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Ludlum-caliber book
Review: The book is entertaining if you're looking for an action story that doesn't require a lot of thought. However, it's certainly not a Ludlum-caliber book, and his name should not be so prominently displayed on the cover. This book was not authored by Ludlum, and if you're looking for his quality of work, you're going to be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Ludlum-caliber book
Review: The book is entertaining if you're looking for an action story that doesn't require a lot of thought. However, it's certainly not a Ludlum-caliber book, and his name should not be so prominently displayed on the cover. This book was not authored by Ludlum, and if you're looking for his quality of work, you're going to be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book was wonderful! Timely with its issues, keeps you locked to the page, rich with information and characters - you move through this book at a frenetic pace, devouring page after page until the end - an oh what an ending! From the cover, it looks like this was written by Gayle alone based on the series with Ludlum and to be honest, I think she's outdone the master! This one will keep you turning the pages until well in the morning. Bravo Gayle! On another fantastic read.
Rating:
Summary: One Terrific Read & Intelligent, too!
Review: This is the first thriller in a long time that actually thrilled me. I just read some of the negative reviews on this site, which is why I'm even bothering to write. Ordinarily I assume a book this terrific needs no one to point out the obvious. In the first place, there are several Kalashnikov rifles today. The old one -- the AK-47 is the one most people are familiar with. A newer, updated version is the AK-74. Ms. Lynds (and Mr. Ludlum, if he had input) got it right. Both versions exist. She assigned the weapon correctly on the basis of which character would tend to have access to which rifle. I was amused by the outraged critic here who claimed the book was so bad that even the proofreader couldn't catch Ms. Lynds's "mistake" in using an AK-74. Check it out. The AK-74 not only exists, it's a great weapon. If Ludlum didn't plot this book, then Lynds must've, and -- dare I say it? -- she's better, more heart-stopping, more imaginative, and more adventurous than he was except in his earliest years. His first 6 books were among the top ever written in the field. The Altman Code is in that class. For instance, very little is really known about the inner workings of the Chinese government -- how decisions are made at the very top, even WHERE they are made. Lynds takes us inside for the sort of intimate details that make you feel you're right there, living it. Did you know that most of China's highest officials live and work in an exclusive enclave next to Tianamen Square called Zhongnanhai? Did you know that it's so secret that there's nowhere in Beijing that's allowed to be built high enough to look over Zhongnanhai's walls? I'd never heard of any of that, and when I finally found some sources that knew enough to talk about it, Lynds had gotten it all absolutely correct. That impressed me. BTW, this is the sort of unusual and difficult-to-know thing that made Ludlum stand out in the early days. You don't see him doing it now in his new single byline books. The operation of the Chinese secret service was fascinating. Also the new Chinese business class that is in an odd war with the government while at the same working hand-in-glove with it. Then there was the political maneuvering within the government's highest echelon -- the Standing Committee (they're the ones in Zhongnanhai). Byzantine! Reminded me of the Kremlin in the old Cold War days. Maybe worse. Great, great stuff. Loved it. The story is based on an incident I remember from the early '90s -- the U.S. government had evidence a Chinese ship called the Yinhe was carrying chemicals to make weapons. The US Navy chased that ship for some 20 days, and when we finally forced it to stop on the high seas and boarded it, there was nothing but farm tools and other innocent cargo. It was a huge international incident, a big black eye for us. But no one who knew anything believed it was all that innocent. There had to have been chemicals at one time. In the Altman Code, we get a much more realistic result. Waiting to find out whether the Chinese and U.S. governments were going to explode into war over what the ship, the Dowager Empress, was carrying nearly gave me heart palpitations. Well, that's not entirely true. It was also whether Jon Smith, the hero, was going to get the old man -- maybe the president's father -- out of the Chinese prison, too. This is what a great thriller is supposed to do! The story races from Washington to Beijing, from Shanghai to Hong Kong, to the high seas on US naval vessels. There are escape scenes that leave your heart pounding, and twists and turns that make you kick yourself because it was all there, you just didn't see it. There's also double dealing in the White House and insider Washington politics and a great take on the CIA. What I want is an intelligent thriller. That's what works for me. If it's just stupid piling up of bodies -- boring! The Altman code is smart, crammed with accurate insider info, peopled with fascinating and believable characters, and it left me hungering for more. It's everything a great thriller is supposed to be and more. Irresistible. I've heard it said Lynds is Ludlum's successor. That he annoited her. Hey, he was the master. I've got to figure he knew what he was doing. He was never known, as some current authors are, for being a money grubber, so I doubt the argument that this series was created simply because he was a crass man who only wanted to make more and more money. It's far too good for that. I heard he had never written an actual series before and wanted to branch out to try something new. That makes a lot more sense. It's logical, and more power to him. In any case, I've read all of the Covert-Ones now. I'm going to try Lynds's books next.
Rating:
Summary: A Poor Work for the Ludlum Name!
Review: This will be short. The shortcomings of this book are previously mantioned-if you love Tom Clancy but hate 'his' "Op-Center" series, you'll know just how Ludlum's name is being used in this series. Just like Clancy's name shouldn't be on the Op-Center books, Ludlum's name has no place on this one. If you're looking for Ludlum, buy one he wrote.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it if you really ain't nothing better to do
Review: Well, to put it short, this is a boaring book. Mr. Ludlum skill, knwoledge and writing style are been buried with him and what last is a naif atteimpt to imitate his "way".
The plot is pretty like a soap (including the "idea" of the US President's father who live since 50 year in a light security chinese prison) and some passage (as when Jon Smith enter in the carrying company ran by the bad people, just picking the locks with medic disguised pick tools) are really light year far away from a serious confidence with the covert operations literary topics.
Not to mention what happens when dealing with weapons: it seems that the gun/rifle universe of Ms. Lynds stops to "old AK47", Beretta and a few others.
I don't think Mr.Ludlum would be happy with this book.
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