Robert Ludlum's(TM) The Janus Reprisal (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I've always enjoyed the Covert One books but I'm wondering if too many different authors will dilute the series. Lt. Col. Jon Smith returns, this time in The Hague at a conference. People start getting killed and as always people are trying to bump off Smith. He meets his match, this time not from Randi Russell, but an investment trader. The microbiology area of the book felt a little weak, particularly at the end. I picked this title up as an unabridged audio book. Now I thought it was a Robert Ludlum book - I've never read any of his titles before. Proclaimed across the top: "From the Creator of Jason Bourne... Robert Ludlum's..." Oops. I missed that apostrophe in my rush to get on the road. The book was ghost written by Jamie Freveletti - of course I didn't realize this until I was pulling the CD's from the car player. Now I realize that Robert Ludlum has been dead for a decade and yet books with his name are still pouring forth. Sigh. Next time, I will get the original.Overall the story was just okay. The writing was workman-like and mostly uninspired - however it was crisp and very cinematic. Pacing was very good - as a page-turner should be.I did like several of the characters - financial wizard Rebecca Nolan was very well done - not static and, in the end, very likable. I also liked Marty Zellerbach - the computer genius - although he eerily resembles some of my co-workers. Even Peter Howell who is an over-the-top image of James Bond was fun. On the other hand, the bad guys were about as vanilla as bad guys get. My biggest complaint was the plot to destroy America was lame. I picked the book up for a fun read - we aren't talking Tolstoy here - and I'm pretty good at suspending belief. That said, having a virus that can travel through electrical wires doesn't really require that elaborate a means of transmission. In the end, it seems that the author had great movie scenes in mind but no way to tie them together.So, this isn't a terrible book - it was a nice way to spend a few hours on the road. However, I won't be picking up more books in the Covert-One series - at least not until I've read some of Ludlum's real books.
What do You think about Robert Ludlum's(TM) The Janus Reprisal (2012)?
Thought this was a great read - kept me hooked. I would like to read more of Jamie Freveletti.
—Ritxx
good read to take you away from the mundane; not too taxing on the mind either.
—Shruti
