1.China is about to sign a human rights treaty that would open its prisons and judiciary system to UN inspectors and bringing them closer to Western and International standards but someone high up in China wants to sabotage this pact.
2.An old person in a Chinese prison for the past five decades as a political prisoner claims that he is the real father of American President
3.White House is having high-profile policy leaks with someone high up in the hierarchy responsible
4.A Chinese freighter is carrying a cargo of chemicals used to make chemical weapons to Basra, Iraq
5.The American President is in a fix. Asking an American team to board the freighter and inspect the cargo and not finding the chemicals might result in further isolation of US internationally, infuriate China and result in another Cold War.
On the other hand, allowing the chemicals to reach Iraq will allow Saddam Hussein to restart Iraq?s Chemical Program. Hence, he needs a concrete proof about the cargo of the ship. He turns to Covert One. Can Fred Klein and Colonel Jon Smith save the world once again? All of the above form the intriguing plot for ?The Altman Code? a novel by Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds.
The plot shows the current situation the world faces. With only a single superpower and China eager to be recognized as a superpower, a small incident or a misguided fanatic can result in another Cold War or worse. This novel has characters that are trusting enough to avoid this but does the real world have such heroes? The novel is well written and descriptive.
Although the ending is a bit superficial and fast the novel is able to hold the attention of the reader for enough time. Here too the character of Ra-ndi Russell comes into picture but nothing happens between her and Jon. There is a chemistry between them but the author doesn?t seem to want a liaison between two secret agents working for different agencies.
Overall, the novel is a good read. It is not the best of Robert Ludlum but it?s also not the worst.