catsflipped's review against another edition
3.0
Once again Jon Smith is called apon to stop possible world disaster. A new DNA computer capable of breaking any code and security protocol within seconds has fallen into the wrong hands. As time ticks by and the threat become dire can Jon and his friend from other agencies come together to stop what could be a devastating attack.
I struggled to get fully into this book, I'm not sure if it was the book or the world I am living in while I read it - perhaps the book was a little too close to home with the threat of war looming that my mind kept comparing to today's news. Nevertheless I've marked it based on how engaging it was and whilst both the story and writing were fine I did find there was quite a lot to keep track of and brain just couldn't keep up.
I did enjoy it, just not as much as the previous 2, hopefully by the time I pick up book 4 the world will be a better place and I will be able to concentrate more on my love of reading.
I struggled to get fully into this book, I'm not sure if it was the book or the world I am living in while I read it - perhaps the book was a little too close to home with the threat of war looming that my mind kept comparing to today's news. Nevertheless I've marked it based on how engaging it was and whilst both the story and writing were fine I did find there was quite a lot to keep track of and brain just couldn't keep up.
I did enjoy it, just not as much as the previous 2, hopefully by the time I pick up book 4 the world will be a better place and I will be able to concentrate more on my love of reading.
jaxboiler's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book on a road trip over the weekend and it was very enjoyable. I think this is the third in the Covert One Series that I have read and I have enjoyed them all.
rmardel's review against another edition
3.0
I don't really know why I picked this book up. I was in a bookstore and I find it impossible not to buy a book. Perhaps it was the Ludlum name as I always enjoyed Ludlum's novels. I was aware that it was not written, or written completely by Ludlum. I wasn't really aware at the time that Ludlum had passed away and this doesn't bother me, this marketing of Ludlum's name to sell more books although I wonder about the benefit of this. It probably does sell more books, but I suspect that many readers are overly critical because it does not live up to the expections of the Ludlum name.
That said, I found it an enjoyable thriller. I have not read any of the other books in the Covert One series. The book is well written, the story moves right along, fast enough with enough human interest as well to keep one reading. It is by no means boring and it has a few clever moments where I was laughing out loud. I'm not going to comment on whether anything is realistic or reasonable or "true"; that is not quite what thrillers are about, but it was good entertainment. And in the end, it actually made me think about a few things, make connections to my own life and the world I see and live in; not profound associations perhaps, but it did make me think about things we take for granted: our overconfidence about our own competence, safety, the concept of heartland, idealism, and the darker sides of human nature. What more could I ask from a casual book: escape, relaxation, reflection. For me, considering that I read very fast, this is a far better use of time and money than most expeditions to the movie theater.
That said, I found it an enjoyable thriller. I have not read any of the other books in the Covert One series. The book is well written, the story moves right along, fast enough with enough human interest as well to keep one reading. It is by no means boring and it has a few clever moments where I was laughing out loud. I'm not going to comment on whether anything is realistic or reasonable or "true"; that is not quite what thrillers are about, but it was good entertainment. And in the end, it actually made me think about a few things, make connections to my own life and the world I see and live in; not profound associations perhaps, but it did make me think about things we take for granted: our overconfidence about our own competence, safety, the concept of heartland, idealism, and the darker sides of human nature. What more could I ask from a casual book: escape, relaxation, reflection. For me, considering that I read very fast, this is a far better use of time and money than most expeditions to the movie theater.
speesh's review against another edition
3.0
A decent story, but could have been better.
And by 'better', I'm thinking better told. According to the cover, it's a collaboration, and I think it shows. It's a fair bit longer than it really should be (it follows the premise of the last 'Bourne' I read, by having the whole thing build to a climax in the middle, then go on again. You know you're only half way through, as you can see there's still a couple of inches of book to go, it can't possibly have the impact it really should), and a bit flabby. Robert Ludlum's originals are usually a lot more tightly-written and suspense-filled than this. It could be trimmed and streamlined and not lose anything.
Plus, the main concept of 'the problem' (without giving anything away) wasn't developed as deeply as it could have been. The results of its 'deployment' were just shown as tests, not full-blown attacks, and weren't described in deep enough detail, so didn't really carry the level of dread they really should have. That of course, affects the levels of suspense generated when they're trying to stop the bad guys. You really have to believe they're fighting to save civilisation from this 'problem', and here it's a little 'meh'. That's as good as I can put it.
A second 'plus...', the English secret agent - you can tell he's English (if you should forget his introductory section), because he calls people 'lad', says 'frightfully', and generally runs around in the background like James Bond. He doesn't actually say 'I say!', but only because it probably got edited out.
Still, a right rattlin' read - Harlev bibliotek scores again!
And by 'better', I'm thinking better told. According to the cover, it's a collaboration, and I think it shows. It's a fair bit longer than it really should be (it follows the premise of the last 'Bourne' I read, by having the whole thing build to a climax in the middle, then go on again. You know you're only half way through, as you can see there's still a couple of inches of book to go, it can't possibly have the impact it really should), and a bit flabby. Robert Ludlum's originals are usually a lot more tightly-written and suspense-filled than this. It could be trimmed and streamlined and not lose anything.
Plus, the main concept of 'the problem' (without giving anything away) wasn't developed as deeply as it could have been. The results of its 'deployment' were just shown as tests, not full-blown attacks, and weren't described in deep enough detail, so didn't really carry the level of dread they really should have. That of course, affects the levels of suspense generated when they're trying to stop the bad guys. You really have to believe they're fighting to save civilisation from this 'problem', and here it's a little 'meh'. That's as good as I can put it.
A second 'plus...', the English secret agent - you can tell he's English (if you should forget his introductory section), because he calls people 'lad', says 'frightfully', and generally runs around in the background like James Bond. He doesn't actually say 'I say!', but only because it probably got edited out.
Still, a right rattlin' read - Harlev bibliotek scores again!
fleurette's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty good story. Certainly this is not the best Ludlum I have read, but quite good and interesting. Although I doubt that I would remember much of it in a while.
This story has some strong techno-thriller elements. I definitely liked it. Gives the whole book some freshness. The whole thing with the molecular computer distinguishes this book a bit from others in this genre.
And, of course, we’ve got here a fairly typical example of global conspiracy and the problem of terrorism. But I admit that it is not as biased as in some other books I have read.So I consider the solution adopted in this book to be very good. Especially since the book was written in 2002, when, for obvious reasons, the motive of Islamic terrorists was very popular.
I am also positively surprised by the political intrigue. I have a degree in European studies, so these topics are of particular interest to me. Views on the military dimension of the European Union in the early 2000s are presented quite accurately, although perhaps a bit clichéd. This was the period when the foundations of the Common Security and Defense Policy were being laid. Although Great Britain was not so opposed to the idea of strengthening this form of cooperation, as presented in the book. I am very happy that the authors decided to make it such an important element of this book. It also often happens that American authors have difficulty understanding the dynamics of the European Union's functioning, or politics in Europe in general. They did quite well here, although you can still clearly see the American way of thinking about international politics in some parts.
This is a solid story with a well thought out plot and good characters. Nothing to remember for years but definitely good entertainment.
This story has some strong techno-thriller elements. I definitely liked it. Gives the whole book some freshness. The whole thing with the molecular computer distinguishes this book a bit from others in this genre.
And, of course, we’ve got here a fairly typical example of global conspiracy and the problem of terrorism. But I admit that it is not as biased as in some other books I have read.
Spoiler
Using Islamic terrorism as a cover for other activities and ambitions of other people is a very interesting and successful idea. This is definitely a strong element of this book. To my opinion, too often Islamists or Russians are guilty of everything in thrillers, without any deeper reason, just because they are who they are.I am also positively surprised by the political intrigue. I have a degree in European studies, so these topics are of particular interest to me. Views on the military dimension of the European Union in the early 2000s are presented quite accurately, although perhaps a bit clichéd. This was the period when the foundations of the Common Security and Defense Policy were being laid. Although Great Britain was not so opposed to the idea of strengthening this form of cooperation, as presented in the book. I am very happy that the authors decided to make it such an important element of this book. It also often happens that American authors have difficulty understanding the dynamics of the European Union's functioning, or politics in Europe in general. They did quite well here, although you can still clearly see the American way of thinking about international politics in some parts.
Spoiler
Another thing that surprised me positively is the lack of romance. We have two beautiful women here who are clearly interested in Jon and he is them. And yet there are no romantic or erotic scenes. Maybe except for a few Jon's rather cheese thoughts. And that's wonderful. There is no need for every thriller to contain some romance just to emphasize the masculinity of the main character. In my opinion, giving up this made the whole story a little more serious and mature.This is a solid story with a well thought out plot and good characters. Nothing to remember for years but definitely good entertainment.
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