Rating: 
Summary: Mr Ludlum does it again!
Review: I am sorry that Mr Ludlum died this year, who knows what Paul Janson would done next! This is vintage Ludlum, The Bourne series comes to mind, the action was fast paced and Paul met his match in Jessie Kincaid! I loved this book, a must read!
Sorry that we lost a giant of suspense and espionage so soon!
Rating: 
Summary: Missplaced Directives!
Review: Paul Janson thought he had left the world of spies and intrigue behind. The nightmares had faded as well though he still mourned his deceased pregnant wife Helene. Her death at the hands of terrorists occurred five years ago and was the impetus for his leaving Consular Operations, a covert spy unit within the State Department.The five years have been financially rewarding, as Janson is now a corporate security consultant. The company is his and his reputation allows him to be very selective about his clients. His calm and very orderly life is shattered when, while sitting in a VIP lounge at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, he hears an old operational alias of his being paged. What initially appears to be coincidence quickly turns into an urgent plea for help from Marta Lange on behalf of Peter Novak. Peter Novak is a Billionaire and philanthropist who oversees the Liberty Foundation. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Novak is a visionary who has achieved peaceful settlements in some of the most war torn places in the world. While brokering a peace agreement, he was kidnapped by Kanga rebels led by the world-renowned terrorist known as Caliph. They have announced that Novak is to be executed for various crimes within days. Not only does Janson owe his life to Novak because of a past situation, the very group responsible for killing Helene in a terrorist bomb attack has grabbed Novak. A debt of honor must be paid and Janson quickly assembles a team consisting of some of the most skilled operatives he has worked with in the past. For various stated political reasons, the United States government won't help and it is up to Janson, his four-member team and the resources of the Liberty Foundation to rescue Novak. But things begin to go very wrong from the start of the operation and Janson, feeling his age as well as his old skills returning, becomes aware that he is being used by forces unknown for unknown purposes. Compromised and suspected by his agents of his own government he thought were friends and allies, Janson finds himself soon on another rescue mission. In this case to save his own life and clear his name. It is extremely difficult to criticize a novel by a novelist now deceased. This novel has all the usual Ludlum elements in that it features complex storylines, plots within plots, rogue elements of the United States government, honor and debts to be repaid as well as a globe trotting spy cast adrift. But it misses the human touch that made some of his work so incredibly good. Paul Janson is a complex character full of deep emotion and pain according to the novel. And while that idea is constantly reinforced throughout the work, the novel never makes the visceral connection with the reader. There is an emotional detachment to the work, which is difficult to describe, that distances the novel from the reader and renders the repeated emotional references meaningless. Despite the usual Ludlum elements as noted above, this lack of human connection in the work makes this an average read at best and disappointing at worst. For long time Ludlum fans with a discerning eye, this novel does not reflect the grand master at his best. Rumor has it that at least one more and possibly as many as three more are in the publishing pipeline. One can hope that one of those may reflect the grand master at his writing best.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Ludlum, with a touch of "Ghost"
Review: I highly recommend this book without any reservations! Having read or listened to most of the books he had written, this book is in the top tier. It is a good believable read and the protaganist is well thought out. The hero, if you will, is Paul Janson, a less than perfect human being, just like the rest of us. He has a lot of unresolved issues about his past, Vietnam and his government work. Another scarred survivor of the Vietnam War who was good at what he did, almost too good for his own liking. The story moves along very well and has very believable, well developed characters. Ludlum is one of my favorite adventure writers, and I have listened to this book twice this year. If you like a good adventure yarn with ironic twists and turns throughout the story, you would do well to read or listen to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Still the Master as a Ghost(writer)...
Review: Well, we have two gentlemen to thank for this piece of work, Mr. Ludlum's long time agent, Henry Morrison and his editor, Keith Kahla. With a reported 90% of the manuscript completed, Messrs. Morrison and Kahla rounded out a gem in THE JANSON DIRECTIVE; this book rings true to the REAL Ludlum as opposed to the "Covert One" series carrying his name. This storyline has the same content, feel, flair, and panache as Ludlum's classics (PARSIFAL MOSAIC, THE MATARESE CIRCLE, The BOURNE series...), which makes sense in that he wrote the vast majority of THE JANSON DIRECTIVE. I guess true Ludlumites will be hoping Mr. Ludlum left behind several more uncompleted manuscripts to quench our endless thirst for his works. Regardless, THE JANSON DIRECTIVE certainly was a nice surprise. For those unfamiliar with Ludlum, the basic premise of most of his thrillers is to create an arguable hero, a villanous cabal or individual, and place our hero against impossible odds. The price of failure? The fate of the world. Our hero in THE JANSON DIRECTIVE is Paul Janson, a legendary superspook retired from the clandestine covert agency where he made his career. His taste for brutality and violence bitter, the loss of his wife and the desire to live a solitary existence, Janson joins the ranks of the entrepreneur and hires himself out as an industrial consultant. The peaceful life takes a turn south when he is contacted by a representative of the Liberty Foundation, a private organization devoted to peace and democracy throughout the world. The Foundation's founder and nobel prize-winning laureate, Peter Novak, has been kidnapped and is scheduled to be publicly executed...by the same terrorist group responsible for his wife's death. Janson has another reason to consider reactivation; Novak was personally resonsible for saving Janson's life many years ago and Janson is not one to forget a debt owed. Without hesitation, Janson assembles a team of star operatives to rescue Novak. The mission, against incredible and overwhelming odds, is a success until, moments after Janson bids farewell to his team and Novak, the escape helicopter explodes into a fiery ball of flames as Janson watches. His team, his friend and star pupil, and Novak-gone in a flash. As Janson tries to piece together WHY?, he finds himself marked for death in nearly every city he passes through. Janson believes it must be operatives of the terrorist group seeking revenge for his part in the daring rescue of Novak. However, Janson soon realizes his would-be assassins are American! As the storyline builds, Janson saves one of his latent assassins from rape and certain death. This act creates doubt in the assassin, Jessica Kincaid. As soon as Janson realizes that Kincaid works for the same agency from which he retired, his peerless instincts kick in, making Jason an inexorable opponent for his former agency. As with most TRUE Ludlum novels, the plot devinely twists and turns keeping the reader absorbed in the storyline until the final twist at climax. While the Covert One series maintains the broad brush "ideas" of Ludlum, these books are not true Ludlum books. Do not be mistaken, the Covert One authors, Gayle Lynds and Philip Shelby, are fine writers and understand the mechanics of the spy/mystery genre. However, those of us who grew up reading Ludlum know the Covert One books are a mere shadow of what was. Lynds and Shelby lack the characterization and panache of the master; we can only hope they continue to aspire to his literary summit. Kudos again to Messrs. Morrison and Kahla for briefly quenching an insatiable deire for more of Ludlum's gems. Here's hoping there are more.
Rating:
Summary: The real Ludlum or a "ghost"?? Does it matter?
Review: Needless to say, the plot of the novel is an excellent one, though parts of it have been heavily borrowed from previous Ludlum hits...makes you wonder if this is indeed an "original" work from the master, or it is was penned by a "master" ghost writer..Either way, it is an interesting story, told at a fast pace, with intermittent "flashback" segments....overall, the story is predictable after the second part (of the total 4 parts) or so. The first part of the book evokes immense interest and suspense...and then it is almost downhill or at best, stagnant...Has immense potential to become a TV movie...or another "Minority Report", if the plot is polished to sustain the suspense through most part...
Rating:
Summary: full of suspense, well read, would make a pretty good movie
Review: The late Robert Ludlum has put out a pretty good book, with strong characters and a story full of suspense. I would not give the plot away, though there is plenty of twist and turns, as the main character finds as he seeks the truth. A philanthropist who isn't everything he's made out to be, deception, a nefarious character called the Caliph, and more. Would make a nifty movie.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal government plot
Review: Peter Novak, multibillionaire philanthropist, Nobel peace prize winner and head of the Liberty Foundation has been kidnapped while trying to broker a peace settlement on the Indian Ocean island of Anura. A terrorist leader there known as the Caliph has refused ransom and plans to execute Novak. Using it's vast resources the Liberty Foundation reaches out to former top Consular Operations specialist Paul Janson. Janson, now a corporate security specialist, was at one time the top covert operative in his agency. Janson was a resourceful killing machine who had spent 18 months as a POW in Vietnam before escaping. Top executives from Liberty implore Janson to rescue Novak. Janson reluctantly assembles a top notch 5 man team to extract Novak from his fortress-like prison on Anura. In the midst of this daring raid Janson becomes aware that there is some convoluted government plot behind this abduction. He learns of some secretive information that turns him from the hunter to the hunted. Janson's own government has designated him as a rogue agent marked for assasination. Janson now must use all his elaborate training to avoid the Consular Operations teams sent out to eliminate him. Ludlum's last offering before his unfortunate demise represents a nice effort in the action and adventure genre he made so popular.
Rating:
Summary: Best since Bourne Identity
Review: I have been an on and off fan of Ludlum's for many years. The Janson Directive is one of Ludlum's best. Not since The Bourne Identity has the reader had such an honest human character, one with faults and weaknesses as well as sometimes impossible strengths. The story take the reader across the globe, Asia to Europe to the U.S. The storyline appears simple at first, but develops well into a true spy mystery. A very good book, especially considering its post-cold war subjects. My only complaint would be that the main character, Janson, is just a bit too lucky in all of his actions -- but that's a fault of many of Ludlum's characters.
Rating:
Summary: An enhanced Ludlum
Review: Whoever wrote this has done a good job. I was a bit concerned at first that it was almost a 'by the numbers' Ludlum story: Intelligence expert/ everyone trying to kill him / a secret organisation / everyone he talks to gets killed and so on. At one stage the lead character breaks into a secret HQ set in the middle of no-where and I thought I was re-reading an old book by mistake, but....
There are enough tweaks and diversions to retain the Ludlum tradition but also bring in some new elements and the writing is good and the story works well.
There was also a message in here about how much of the world regards America which I thought was handled in an interesting and thought provoking way.
Enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: The best Ludlum since 1982
Review: This is the best thriller written by Ludlum since 1982's "The Parsifal Mossaic". He manages to grip the reader's interest from the start and, at last after so many years,manages to keep it up the rest of the way. The plot seems fresher and the twists make sense.
To me, he reached his peak with "The Bourne Identity", kept it with Parsifal, but began losing his magic since. Of all the books in the interim, "The Icarus Agenda" was first class Ludlum for the first third of the book, then went steadily downhill: the rest were all major dissapointments. Here he (or whomever!) went back to his former glory.
This is high praise from me, as I consider "The Bourne Identity" to be the greatest "thriller" I ever read.
|
