The Sigma Protocol

Rating:
Summary: March 12, 2001...An incredible day of sadness.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: First Ludlum book- DEFINITELY NOT THE LAST!!!
Review: I found out Mr. Ludlum passed away in the last year. I thought- why not read one of his books? I sort of wanted to at best. What I got into COMPLETELY took me by surprise.

THIS MAY BE THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!!!! Imagine Ben Hartman seeing one of his old high school buddies who he hasn't seen in the past 15 years in Europe. Now imagine your "buddy" pulling a gun out to try to kill you. Ben luckily survives and then the "turn-your-world-upside-down-trying-to-figure-out-what-in-the-world-is-going-on" world tour is on. You see, all Ben thought he understood about his life has been mostly a big lie. Friends are now your enemies. And total strangers hold your life in their hands.

Everybody you speak to seems to be gunned down by some secret shadow group simply called- SIGMA. Axis, Allies, Nazis, megacorporations, money, good guys, and bad guys all on the same side? This isn't possible- is it??? What Ludlum eloquently gives the reader is COMPLETELY mind-numbing. This can't be happening? Can it? Yet he intricately weaves his tale to be not only possible, but entirely plausible!!

Don't take my word for it. Read this COMPLETELY ABSORBING book. I certainly know this will not be my last Ludlum book. 23 more books to go? I can't wait.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting classic Ludlum
Review: The late Robert Ludlum was the true master of the international thriller. Upon opening one of his weighty volumes, a reader was assured of being transported all over the world accompanied by one of his idealistic superheroes in the midst of a life and death struggle to save the human race. This posthumous work is no exception and in many ways represents the best of Ludlum.
Ben Hartman is on vacation in Zurich, Switzerland. As he leaves his hotel, an old school friend approaches him. Instead of a handshake, his friend pulls out a gun intending to kill him. This highly illogical beginning plunges Ben into a world of intrigue involving his own family's secret history. His search for answers takes him all over Europe and North America as assassins chase him.
Parallel to Ben's escapades, Department of Justice field agent, Anna Navarro is given the assignment of looking into the deaths of elderly men all over the world. There appears to be a connection between them through an organization known as Sigma. As the old men continue to die, Anna's investigations take her on a collision course with Ben. They soon realize they have a common foe and join together to attempt to fight this covert organization, which could place the civilized world at stake.
Robert Ludlum has done it again. The plot is highly complex yet vastly exciting. All the classic Ludlum elements are here. The world is at risk by an enemy who adequately represents a timely threat reflecting our current events. The hero and heroine are gorgeous globetrotters full of physical stamina and military skills. Much explanation is required to get through the very long plot, which is interspersed with action sequences that justly made Robert Ludlum famous. The solution might be a bit of a stretch, however, Robert Ludlum considered himself primarily an entertainer and with that goal he succeeds again.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining read
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Fitting Closeout to a Wonderful Career
Review: Many of the other reviewers are right. This is Ludlum's best book in years, but I can't place it on par with the best in recent fiction. I have been a Ludlum fan since day one. And perhaps like you, I was disappointed in his later efforts, but few were as adept at weaving a story. That is taking a thread here, a thread here, a thread here and building a tapestry. Unfortunately THE SIGMA PROTOCOL turned out to be less of a tapestry and more of an afghan (no pun here). You feel the tugging of a great concept, but are led from the prospect of an enormous, implausible worldwide conspiracy to an implausible conculsion. Many questions are left unanswered. Along with Stephen King's BLACK HOUSE, this is the second book in as many months which has used the theme of world-wide missing children to bolster the story. Both results belong closer to the science fiction aisle than the horror or mystery section. In the end, a good read. Buy the paperback for a rainy weekend.

Rating:
Summary: Grand Slam Thriller
Review: This book was very long and descriptive. However, it is action-packed with many plot twists and turns.

Anna Navarro is a Justice Department agent who is given the assignment of finding out why a group of elderly men around the world are getting killed. These men belonged to a highly secretive organization known as Sigma. In the interim, Ben Hartman is a thirty-ish banker on a ski trip and as he is about to depart, an old college "friend" notices him in a hotel lobby and makes an attempt on his life but fails.

Anna and Ben accidentally meet each other about a third way through the novel and discover that they both have a lot in common which is the desire to learn more about Sigma and some of its past and present members.

This was a great novel with lots of good history on the many doctors who performed human experiments during (...) Germany. Of course, some of it is fiction but much of it is not after I had done my own research on the topics in this book. If you do not read any other Ludlum novel, please find time to read the Sigma Protocol.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Ludlum: The Sigma Protocol
Review: It is fitting that the late Robert Ludlum in quite possibly his last novel (depending on which rumor you believe) penned a work that reads so well and reminds one of his early work, such as the Bourne series. There was and has been simply no one better when he was on at crafting a complex conspiracy and the fate of the world hanging in the balance. When it was assumed that there would be an ending to the spy thrillers after the cold war ended, Ludlum just changed them slightly and weaved stories of demonic corporations ruled by greedy power moguls manipulating world governments. With his novels firmly rooted in reality, one always wonders just how much is real and how much is fiction. Simply put, he has done it again in fine form.

As the novel opens, Ben Hartman is walking the streets of Zurich, Switzerland. After the death of his brother, Peter, Ben was forced into the family business and to take up the legacy of his father's company, Hartman Capital Management. Ben hates investment banking and is bored out of his mind.

His boredom is shattered when he sees his old friend Jimmy Cavanaugh whom, he has known since his sophomore year at Princeton. Ben hasn't seen him in years, but there is no mistake and Jimmy also recognizes him, offering a big smile of his own. At the same time, Jimmy pulls out a weapon and opens fire on Ben, narrowly missing him. The chase is on through the cold streets as Ben tries to flee an old friend, who while trying to kill him is indiscriminately shooting innocent people on the streets.

At the same time, half a world away, Agent Anna Navarro of the Justice Department is having her own problems. She works in the office of Special Investigations under the incompetent supervision of Arliss Dupree. Like petty bureaucrats everywhere, he wields the little authority he has in an attempt to get even with some of the staff. He surrounds himself with toadies and since Anna isn't part of the "in" crowd, he singles her out for cheap shots. The fact that she is extremely good at what she does, in addition to refusing to sleep with him or go out drinking with the boys, just bugs him all the more. It also brings her to the attention of Alan Bartlett of the Internal Compliance Unite. This is a super secret group that handles internal governmental investigations that individual departments can't, for whatever reason. Bartlett wants her and this annoys Dupree even further.

Anna reports to Bartlett and gets an extremely murky assignment. Bartlett wants her to investigate eleven suspicious deaths. The eleven are all elderly and died of what appears to be natural causes. The only link that has been discovered is that each man had the word "Sigma" reference in his files but there is no record of what Sigma was supposed to be. The files date back to the 40's under the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. The men were investigated and cleared for some operation, but what?

The eleven men have all died in an incredibly short period of time and Bartlett wants to know why as well as what Sigma was. Anna is aware that she is not getting the full story and Bartlett knows more than he is letting on, but she has been assigned to him and this case and she has no choice in the matter.

Ludlum weaves these two separate storylines together in a complex and fascinating thriller. The characters are deep and intriguing and the premise becomes increasingly more complicated with tentacles that stretch from the 40's until present day. Once again, Ludlum blurs the line between fiction and fact and it makes for a very enjoyable read. At 535 pages, it will not be a very fast read, but it is well worth the time and effort to read this one. This reads like vintage Ludlum, before the Covert One series and his more recent shallow books. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I started reading this book when my dad brought it home a while ago from a trip to, guess where? switzerland! yeah. so i read the first few chapters and was totally hooked, but didnt get time to read the rest. now the time has arose that i can read it for my english class and i jumped at the chance to finish it. yes it is long, and a bit confusing but it is one of the best books i've read. i highly reccomend it, especially if you have free time and your mind is wandering. This is a good place to put a bored brain to work.

Rating:
Summary: Starts Out Slow, Speeds Up, and Ends Ubruptly
Review: I had never read a Ludlum book before, but after seeing "The Bourne Identity", I thought I'd give him a try.

It took me some time to get into the book. I think I started it two or three times and would love the first chapter and then get bored after about 30 pages into it and put it down. By the time I picked it up again, I had to start over.

After finally getting into it, I really started to love it. I couldn't put it down. It was a super page turner, lots of action and not too much boring detail.

By the end, it just ended so ubruptly, it made me wonder why all of the characters in the book were introduced when very few of them were significant enough to remember by the end.

Read with a notepad to keep track of the characters and their purpose + other important facts that return to the plot 400 pages after being introduced.

Good read all together. I can see how maybe his earlier books would be better though. 3 Stars ***

Rating:
Summary: All The Usual Ingredients
Review: THE SIGMA PROTOCOL has the usual elements readers have come to expect from Robert Ludlum over the years. It's an action-packed, intricately plotted thrill-ride of a book. At his best, Ludlum is the five-star standard in this genre. So why only four stars here? Primarily because, in a genre characterized by over-the-top conspiracies of truly credibility-stretching proportions, the evil conspiracy in this book goes so much further that it became laughable for me. I just couldn't take it seriously by the time I got to the finish. These guys aren't just out to reinstate the thousand-year reich or anything as mundane as that. These nasties have been firmly in control of events world-wide since the end of World War II. They've managed to manipulate things from behind the scenes for over fifty years. There's more, too, but I don't want to give it all away. Suffice it to say that a pretty good overall read went a little south by the end because it was just a bit too much to swallow. Further, the end was rather predictable and, consequently, something of a letdown on that score, as well.

I've read a lot of Ludlum books over the years and very much enjoyed most of them. I think he did his best work earlier in his writing career with books like THE RHINEMANN EXCHANGE, THE OSYERMAN WEEKEND, THE MATARESE CIRCLE and THE BOURNE IDENTITY. It has seemed to me that in his more recent books he has reached further for complex plots and lost some of the edge from the intense and compelling action and drama that were his greatest strengths. Don't get me wrong, though. THE SIGMA PROTOCOL is definitely a page-turner and fun to read. Four stars is still a pretty good rating. I just feel that it's a step beneath Ludlum's best.