The Sigma Protocol

Rating:
Summary: Final Work of The Master (or is it?)
Review: Investment banker Ben Hartman is on vacation in Zurich when he recognizes his old college friend Jimmy Cavanaugh. Jimmy recognizes him also, but instead of offering a handshake and a warm hello, he pulls out a gun and uses Ben as target practice. In the mêlée that follows, Cavanaugh, and many innocent bystanders, end up dead, and Ben is the prime suspect. When Ben attempts to find out why Cavanaugh was trying to murder him, he learns a family secret that forces him to relive a horrible tragedy. He also discovers, through circuitous means, that he is a suspect in a series of murders that take place around the globe. Investigating these cases is FBI Special Agent Anna Navarro. When their paths eventually cross they find their mutual interest is in working together so they can both stay alive.

SIGMA PROTOCOL has an intriguing plot premise. The buildup is riveting, the storyline is ingenious, but it falls flat in execution. The first third of the book reads like vintage Ludlum; an exciting, edge-of-your-seat page turner. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle the story became uninspiring. Events seemed to drag on forever. It was almost as if there were an extra 200 pages in this book that needn't be there. Ludlum had a way of storytelling that always kept you guessing. Nothing was fully explained. He forced us to draw our own conclusions while the plot was still unfolding. Here, there is nothing left to the imagination.

For those of us with no expectations, THE SIGMA PROTOCOL is a good read. It just doesn't have the snap, crackle or pop of a true Ludlum global thriller.

It's hard to believe that we will never see another complete work bearing his name (or will we? How many unfinished manuscripts were there, I wonder??) There was a time when he was the only master of his game. I shall miss him very much. Rest in peace.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: This is the vintage Ludlum. Ben Hartman,an American investment banker has replaced his late brother in the firm. While in Zurich
an old college friend tries to kill Hartman killing several
innocent bystanders. This sets off a wild chain of events.Enter
Anna Navarro a field agent for the Department of Justice who is
investigating the deaths of several old men.They come into possession of an old secret file that links everything into an
organization called Sigma.Ben and Anna are being stalked by a hired assassin who is very good at what he does. The books spirals into a colossul conspiracy. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat.A very good book to read. You will enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: International suspense par excellence
Review: This was my first Ludlum and like many Ludlumists I cannot help but thinking my first was the best. Afterwards I tried to read all of his works but none of them tasted like Sigma. Ben Hartman, son of a rich Jewish immigrant, is shot at and chased by what he had thought by an old friend in Zurich. [By the way this starts to happen just on page 6.] A rather haphazard chain of events lead him to a secretive organisation called the Sigma AG, a group of former Nazis and their industrialist collaboraters in the West who are responsible from shaping and directing global politics a la Bilderberg. In this endeavor Ben reveals certain truths about the past of his family and the metamorphosis that the Sigma is experiencing. Equally secretive Internal Compliance Unit of US govertment assigns a second generation Latina who later becomes Ben's girlfriend. The twist after twist after twist will simply mesmerize you. Just buy it!