Treachery, though at first very cautious, in the end betrays itself. --Livy.
I was rummaging through the countless books in the library that were before me, wondering what I should pickup for the weekend. I am very choosy when it comes to reading novels because one can waste a good part of the weekend to complete a book. After putting in all that effort, I feel cheated if the book is not up to the mark or, at least, doesn?t satisfy me. I feel as if I was robbed of my most valuable leisure time.
I, therefore, read and re-read the write-up on the back cover or the inside flap to make sure I am taking the right stuff home to enjoy a good read. Most of the time the author, the write-up, and remarks from my friends do help me in making the right decision. This approach is not, however, foolproof and sometimes I have had the unpleasant experience of picking some lousy books on my way home.
As I was trying to fit the entire collection in my limited field of vision, my eyes for a brief moment rested on the book ?The Parsifal Mosaic, ? by Robert Ludlum. I was a little reluctant to pick-up this book.
Now, hold on! Stop adding those 2+2s to jump to a 5. Don?t get the impression that ?Parsifal Mosaic? is a book that should not be touched with a twenty foot barge pole. On the contrary, it is one of Robert Ludlum?s best works as I see it. Of course, there are many good books of Ludlum but this one holds its own against the best Ludlum has written
The only hitch was that I had, already, read this book a long, long time ago, and so was in a dilemma as to whether I should go for a new book or refresh my memory connected with one of Ludlum?s best works. In the end, I fell for Ludlum?s charming story-writing.
I am glad that I took this book along for company and didn?t get to rue my decision
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The write-up on the inside flap of the book caught my attention: Michael Havelock?s world died on a moonlit beach on the Costa Brava. He watched as his partner and lover, Jenna Karats, double agent, was efficiently gunned down by his own agency. There was nothing left for him but to quit the game, get out. Until, in one frantic moment on a crowded railroad platform in Rome, Havelock saw his Jenna alive. From then on, he was marked for death by both U.S. and Russian assassins, racing around the globe after his beautiful betrayer, trapped in a massive mosaic of treachery created by a top-level mole with the world in his fist?Parsifal.
The Parsifal Mosaic is an action thriller with a streak of suspense continuing right till the end. Therefore, there is not much I can tell you about the story except my own interpretations and how I feel about the plot. Of course, there is no harm in dwelling on what the publishers themselves feel must be divulged to create an interest in the prospective reader.
Michael Havelock is a US spy with the kind of tortured past anyone in his shoes would like to forget in a hurry. Luckily for him, he has found some happiness with his comrade-in-arms, Jenna Karats - does it really matter whether the pun is intended or un-intended? Things change for the worse when he is shown that Jenna is a double agent, and watches her die for her betrayal.
Michael?s whole world comes crashing down. With nothing to live or aspire for, Michael prepares to abandon his fast and furious life in espionage and retire to become a teacher. But a quirk of fate gives him the shock of his life ? on a crowded railway platform in Rome, he catches a glimpse of Jenna, alive.
Struggling to grapple with the consequences of what he has just seen, Michael makes up his mind to track down Jenna and figure out why she is alive and, more importantly, why was he led to believe she is dead? Why, the elaborate canvas of death that was painted around him leading Michael to believe Jenna had paid a price for her double game and was killed as a punishment? The chase is on, as he tries to track down Jenna to learn who is deceiving who.
The trail leads to France and a secret airbase near the Italian border where he sees Jenna again in the hands of some cold-blooded terrorists. What does this mean ? is she the betrayer of his happiness, or is she the one who was betrayed? Michael?s search takes him to the US where a covert government operation is forming that could change the balance of world power as we know it for ever.
Who is behind this covert operation, and who is this furtive, manipulative Parsifal character? Well, read the book to know more about this ultra-secretive character and also what happens when Michael learns of the truth. Michael and Jenna team up for the last time to search for the all important truth, but are marked straightaway beyond salvage and to be dispensed with immediately at all cost by his own bosses.
Right from the opening scene on the Costa Brava to the fervent chase across Europe culminating in the climax in the woods of Pennsylvania, I thought this book contained vivid characterizations, breathtaking locales, and sudden twists of fate that can leave you flabbergasted - in fact, the very best of Robert Ludlum. No wonder then that Robert Ludlum had earned his reputation after this book as the ’’Unsurpassed Master of the Super thriller’’!
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Agreed, some of the situations are contrived and far-fetched. For instance, Michael?s spotting of Jenna by a mere chance in a crowded railway station in Rome especially when he so firmly believed that Jenna was dead is something I can?t digest. And the fact that these two agents defy an army of known enemies and unknown hostiles to get to the root of a covert operation of monumental proportions and unimaginable consequences, and to unravel it, and thereby save the world is a little beyond me.
But, who cares? I love to read Ludlum not for his realistic characters or authentic plot but for the fast paced action and countless engrossing twists along the way. And of course, not to mention the high head count?
© MB Farookh Feb. 2005.