The SIGMA Protocol

Ben Hartman is an American investment banker who takes over the firm started by his father after his twin brother is killed. Then a college pal tries to kill him in Zurich, which turns out to be the beginning of the attempts on his life. Together Anna Navarro, an agent from the American Justice Department, they try to unearth the secrets long-buried under the name Sigma-truths which threaten everything they know. Simply an outstanding book that I couldn't put down.

...'The Sigma Protocol' is like taking a time machine back to when Ludlum could do no wrong when it came to writing books which took your average everyday person (or maybe above average spy) and placed them in impossible situations against a global conspiracy which threatened peace on either part of or all of the planet. I am happy to say that whether or not a shadow writer helped to fine tune whatever script Ludlum left before he passed away makes no difference to me. All the elements of what made him my all-time favorite thriller author are still in place in 'The Sigma Protocol'. Fast pacing. Incredibly choreographed chase scenes that rival ANYTHING ever put on film...oh, and the bodies pile up. Make NO mistake about that...when it comes to reading a book by Robert Ludlum, you can ALWAYS expect bullets to be flying, many of which hit their targets, producing dead folk left and right. While this may not sit well with those who are allergic to graphic violence, it was always one of the things that I enjoyed about these books. Are some of the characters less than two dimensional? Yes...but you can say the same about pretty much all of his books. Some of the dialogue can sound forced and Ludlum always put way too many !!exclamation points in his stories, and sometimes the swearing got waaay out of hand to the point that it no longer served any purpose because the characters were using it so often that it no longer made a difference to the story. All this aside, taking the novel as a whole, 'The Sigma Protocol' is another winning entry in Ludlum's long list of adventures in global conspiracies!! I very much look forward to 'The Janson Directive'!!

I found out Mr. Ludlum passed away in the last year. I thought- why not read one of his books? I sort of wanted to at best. What I got into COMPLETELY took me by surprise. THIS MAY BE THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!!!! Imagine Ben Hartman seeing one of his old high school buddies who he hasn't seen in the past 15 years in Europe. Now imagine your "buddy" pulling a gun out to try to kill you. Ben luckily survives and then the "turn-your-world-upside-down-trying-to-figure-out-what-in-the-world-is-going-on" world tour is on. You see, all Ben thought he understood about his life has been mostly a big lie. Friends are now your enemies. And total strangers hold your life in their hands. Everybody you speak to seems to be gunned down by some secret shadow group simply called- SIGMA. Axis, Allies, Nazis, megacorporations, money, good guys, and bad guys all on the same side? This isn't possible- is it??? What Ludlum eloquently gives the reader is COMPLETELY mind-numbing. This can't be happening? Can it? Yet he intricately weaves his tale to be not only possible, but entirely plausible!! Don't take my word for it. Read this COMPLETELY ABSORBING book. I certainly know this will not be my last Ludlum book. 23 more books to go? I can't wait.

Although it is not known how many additional finished or nearly finished transcripts exist, if any, following the death of Robert Ludlum, I was happy to have at least had the opportunity to enjoy the Sigma Protocol. This latest work was really quite good and very difficult to put down. This book grabs the reader early and does not let go, leading on more than one occasion to fits of yawning in the morning because I had stayed up too late reading the night before. All in all, the Sigma Protocol provides all of the action, suspense, frequent plot twists, and unexpected events that Ludlum aficionados have come to love in the conspiracy-thriller genre. This is clearly Ludlum's best effort in years. My only hope is that there is another work of this quality from Ludlum in the pipeline.

Not really, of course. Mr. Ludlum died before The Sigma Protocol was published, but fortunately for his reading fans the book was edited and published. It is vintage Ludlum with fast paced action from the opening to the final page. Ben Hartman is an unlikely hero who is plunged into a world of deception where in true Ludlum fashion "nothing is as it seems." Ben is an investment banker who just happens to be in great shape. Although he is a complete amatuer in the world of espionage he manages to stay alive as the world around him begins to change with the appearance of an old "friend" who pulls a gun on him.Ben's twin brother's death in Switzerland four years earlier had been ruled an accident. His brother had been searchig for the members of the Sigma Protocol and was getting close to the truth.Read the book to find out what really happened to Peter and how Ben finally finds a partner to help him solve the mystery and stop the killings.Sigma Protocol is as good as some of Ludlum's earlier books. Hopefully, there are other manuscripts waiting to be published.