Rating: 
Summary: A Flashback to when Ludlum wrote TRUE thrillers...
Review: ...'The Sigma Protocol' is like taking a time machine back to when Ludlum could do no wrong when it came to writing books which took your average everyday person (or maybe above average spy) and placed them in impossible situations against a global conspiracy which threatened peace on either part of or all of the planet. I am happy to say that whether or not a shadow writer helped to fine tune whatever script Ludlum left before he passed away makes no difference to me. All the elements of what made him my all-time favorite thriller author are still in place in 'The Sigma Protocol'. Fast pacing. Incredibly choreographed chase scenes that rival ANYTHING ever put on film...oh, and the bodies pile up. Make NO mistake about that...when it comes to reading a book by Robert Ludlum, you can ALWAYS expect bullets to be flying, many of which hit their targets, producing dead folk left and right. While this may not sit well with those who are allergic to graphic violence, it was always one of the things that I enjoyed about these books. Are some of the characters less than two dimensional? Yes...but you can say the same about pretty much all of his books. Some of the dialogue can sound forced and Ludlum always put way too many !!exclamation points in his stories, and sometimes the swearing got waaay out of hand to the point that it no longer served any purpose because the characters were using it so often that it no longer made a difference to the story. All this aside, taking the novel as a whole, 'The Sigma Protocol' is another winning entry in Ludlum's long list of adventures in global conspiracies!! I very much look forward to 'The Janson Directive'!!
Rating: 
Summary: Come on guys, even if I was cheerleading
Review: I couldn't have given this book more than one star. The plot is so-so, the characters semi-believable, but the writing is just downright bad. Which is pretty consistent with his other work, come to think of it. How bad is bad? How about "Ben slipped his right hand under his left jacket lapel, reached for the cold hard steel of the gun and was afraid." Huh? Or "He couldn't put it past Agent Navarro to have had some male colleague call the hotel to get his messages, see whom he was in touch with." Huh? I feel the room around me spinning... Cover of the books says "Perfectly executed...Thunders forward at breakneck pace." - People. That it ain't. Looks like the pro reviewers are no different than stock analysts. Jack Grubman, you've got company, man. Lots of company.
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: The Ludlum Review
Review: When you read a Robert Ludlum novel, there are certain things you expect: a story about a lone man up against a far-reaching conspiracy that threatens the world, a beautiful woman also fighting the conspiracy who will eventually become the hero's lover and a plot that is structured as find a clue/have an action scene/repeat till villain is exposed and killed. The thing you're not sure of, however, is how well Ludlum will execute this standard formula. In this case, Ludlum does an above-average job in telling the story of Ben Hartman, a disillusioned businessman who is unexpectedly a target of assassins and framed for crimes he didn't commit. Out of his league initially, Hartman eventually acquires the experience and intelligence to battle his mysterious foes. I won't reveal what the purpose of the Sigma conspiracy is, but it is very reminiscent of a science fiction classic by Norman Spinrad called Bug Jack Barron. If you haven't read this book, this will mean nothing; if you have, you will probably catch on to the big secret much earlier. This is not a perfect book; Ludlum is not that great a writer. On the other hand, for Ludlum fans, this will enjoyable and for other suspense fans, this will be a decent diversion.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Light, Quick, typical Ludlum novel
Review: Too many reviewers have criticized this novel stating it is "Predictable", "Slow" or not well developed, I would say these people are not Ludlum readers and are looking for a different writting style. I would not say it is Ludlum at his finest, but it is definitely a good, fast paced and entertaining read. The Sigma Protocol contains the typical international intrigue, good looking sexy characters, conspiracy theory, chase scenes, etc. that you could expect from Ludlum. If you want deeply developed characters and pages of profound filosophical thoughts, go read Le Carré. If you enjoy Ludlum or Forsyth and are looking for a light read, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Dreadful
Review: Robert Ludlum has probably been the premier writer of spy and thriller novels of the past quarter century. However, a few years ago he had bypass surgery, and the quality of his novels since then, if he actually wrote them, have been steadily declining. Unfortunately, "The Sigma Protocol" represents an even weaker effort than his last novel, "The Prometheus Deception". This time around Ben Hartman, an investment banker, and Anna Navarro, an agent for some obscure (and probably fictional) agency of the Justice Department, are on the trail of, well, at times it's hard to tell who is on the trail of who in this mess. Ben's brother Peter died four years before in a plane crash, but wait, he's really still alive. Anna has been sent by some bigwig in her agency to find some men in their eighties and nineties who are targeted to be murdered (why bother). However, each of them is killed after she finds them. (Figure it out, Anna.) Soon Ben and Anna have hooked up and are the targets of an international man (and woman) hunt, accused of everything but the Lindberg kidnapping. Fortunately, the people hunting them are even dumber than either Ben and Anna, and one adversary, a famous hitman who survives being shot in the heart (it just grazed his heart, like a flesh wound) seems to lose the ability to shoot straight when he has them in his sights. In the mean time, the cause of this plot is kept secret from the readers until the final pages, except that I figured it out about half way through the book. It was just too obvious who the wonderful (spelled e-v-i-l) Dr. Lenz really is and what he's up to. By the end of this loser, Ben and Anna have just about every major politician in the world aligned against them but strangely unable to hunt them down. Ben is running around with no money and unable to use his credit cards, and still he rents cars (and then just deserts them when he's done with them), buys plane tickets to places all over Europe and South America, stays at the best hotels, and pretty much does whatever he wants. Anna, accused of being a traitor, slaps a dot on her forehead, puts on a sari, and travels around unrecognized. It could happen. This book also has a certain level of sadism. Characters appear, do their thing, and then are violently murdered, the author's way of disposing of them. If that isn't enough, the ending deals with children put in extreme danger, always the cheapest way to provide a scare to readers. Speaking of the author, Ludlum died in March of 2001, probably about the time this book was published. I guess it's possible that he really wrote this, but I doubt it or at least I hope he didn't. The Ludlum website indicates that Bob will continue to be publishing new novels for the next few years. Either there is a ghostwriter (no pun intended), or something we've been told for many years is incorrect, and dead men do tell tales. Just not very good ones.
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: Supreme
Review: THe best book I have read in my whole ife (besides the bourne books) IF you want a synopsis of the book look at another review, but I am telling you now BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Ludlum Finally Returns to "His Good Old Days!"
Review: After the last several duds from Ludlum, he, at long last, has written a book that approaches the quality of some of his early excellent books -- The Gemini Contenders, The Osterman Weekend, The Matarese Circle, etc. The Sigma Protocol is a very fast, spellbinding read that is loaded with suspense, action, and excitement. The only factor keeping me from rating it five stars is that the characters, while serviceable for the purposes of THE STORY, were not as well-developed as I would have hoped. Nevertheless, this is a minor detail and should not deter you from reading The Sigma Protocol. I think you'll find that this 528 page book (I read the hardcover version) will keep you turning the pages as fast as your fingers will allow. Get ready for a very enjoyable "escape" reading experience. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Product of brains.
Review: There are billions of books on the market but only a few are really bright. This one is. It has everything in it: characters, plot, adventure, and the world and it is very well written.
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