Robert Ludlum, one of the most popular authors of best selling thrillers passed away early this year. With 23 novels, over 200 million copies in print, Ludlum’s contribution to the genre of action thrillers is indeed worth reckoning. I pay my humble tributes to this talented writer who has kept book lovers like me hooked to his writings for over 20 years. As a reviewer and a critic, I have found Ludlum taxing the gullibility of his readers with his bizarre, outrageous plots, implausible storylines, and his constant fixation on ’’conspiracy by a super-secret, ultra powerful, underground organisation’’ which has been repeated so many times that it has become a bore. Nevertheless, as a reader, Ludlum has never ceased to fascinate me with complex plots, twists and turns, fast paced action, violence, heroics, nerve wrecking drama, intrigue, nail biting suspense, and his ability to keep the adrenaline pumping, readers on tenterhooks, making his books ’’unputdownable’’! This book, the last of the author is another such thriller about a secret organisation SIGMA.
Ben Hartman, a young business tycoon from America on a holiday in Europe, gets caught in a web of intrigue and suspense when suddenly he is being persued by a gang of ruthless killers. He finds that his twin brother, who had died years ago in Europe in an ’accident’, was privy to some secrets. His investigations make Ben aware of SIGMA. Ben decides to keep digging till he unravels the truth. Anna Navarro, a beautiful young woman, is an agent of US Government investigation agency, on a mission to investigate a string of deaths in Europe of once powerful, influential, old men, discovers that a group of people are being systematically eliminated by an unknown assassin/s.She also finds that all the victims are members of an organisation SIGMA. Ben and Anna, after a series of confrontations, decide to join forces and gang up to find out the truth. SIGMA in the meanwhile has managed to make both of them pariahs and wanted criminals being chased by law-enforcement agencies all over the world. Both of them are on the run now, SIGMA as well as security agencies are on the look out for the couple.What then happens doesn’t need any great imagination….better you read it for yourselves. The novel keeps you glued and makes an interesting reading. DON’T TRY TO THINK OR ANALYSE! Enjoy it, just as one enjoys mindless action thriller fillums of Dharmendra et all.
This book too has its own share of incongruities, unexplained incidents and unanswered questions….don’t bother , just enjoy! After having read so many of Ludlum (nearly all of them), one thing that bothers me is that, even though Ludlum names many well known persons, Corporations, agencies and incidents, how come nobody has even tried to sue him?…What if, some of his wild theories are true?…One shudders to think of the possibilities!