The SIGMA Protocol: Summary and book reviews of The SIGMA Protocol by Robert Ludlum, plus links to an excerpt from The SIGMA Protocol and a biography of Robert Ludlum.
The SIGMA Protocol
by Robert Ludlum
Hardcover: Oct 2001,
528 pages.
Paperback: Oct 2002,
672 pages.
American investment banker Ben Hartman arrives in Zurich for a ski holiday, the first time he's been back to Switzerland since his twin brother died there in a tragic accident four years earlier. But his arrival triggers something far more sinister than his brother's fate. When Ben chances upon Jimmy Cavanaugh, an old college friend, Cavanaugh promptly pulls out a gun and tries to kill him. In a matter of minutes, several innocent bystanders are dead - as well as Cavanaugh - and Ben has barely managed to survive. Plunged into an unspeakable nightmare, Hartman suddenly finds himself on the run.
Department of Justice field agent Anna Navarro is being stalked around the world by a relentless killer, managing to survive the killer's attacks only by a combination of luck, skill, and her own quick wits. These attacks are somehow related to her current assignment: investigating the sudden - and seemingly unrelated - deaths of a number of very old men throughout the world. The only thing that connects them is a file in the CIA archives, over a half-century old, marked with the same puzzling code word: Sigma. But someone or something is always seemingly one step ahead of her, the survivors are rapidly dwindling, and her own life is in ever-increasing danger.
Brought together by accident, Ben and Anna soon realize that their only hope for survival lies with each other. Together they race to uncover the diabolical secrets long hidden behind the code word Sigma, secrets that threaten everything they think they know about themselves, everything they believed true about their friends and families, and everything they were ever taught about history itself. For behind Sigma lies a vast deception that is finally coming to fruition, and the fate and future of the world is in their hands.<
BOOK REVIEWS
Media Reviews
Library Journal
Unfortunately, Ludlum's latest novel (he died in March but left outlines for more posthumous thrillers) is not one of his better efforts. Even the sparks that eventually fly between Anna and Ben seem tepid.
Booklist - David Pitt
Robert Ludlum's thrillers are generally consistent their characters are wooden and their dialogue is clumsy, but their plots are compelling and well researched. They appeal to readers looking for action, not artistry. However, near the end of his career, he seemed to be developing a smoother style, an ability to create characters that felt real and dialogue that didn't sound so obviously contrived. His last novel, posthumously published, is actually quite good....
Publishers Weekly
Ludlum displays once again his dazzling prose and ability to juggle an amazing number of plot lines...
Book Magazine - Chris Barsanti
Reading this leaden tome isn't made more fun by the hopelessly hokey dialogue and the permeating sense of déjà vu.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by alejandro ulloa
I like it
Rated of 5
by johnny cash
An excellent piece of work. the writing of it was quite profound but in the end ludlum comes through with a thriller. A must read.
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Library Journal
of 5
by alejandro ulloa
of 5
by johnny cash
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