Robert Ludlum's The Hades Factor: A Covert-One Novel

Ludlum, Robert; Lynds, Gayle

ISBN 10: 1559275928 ISBN 13: 9781559275927

Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 2000

Synopsis

Robert Ludlum has been acclaimed as the master of .suspense and international intrigue for over twenty-five years. His many books have thrilled millions of readers, reaching the top of bestsellers lists the world over and setting a standard that has never been surpassed. Now, from the imagination of one of America’s greatest storytellers comes Robert Ludlum’s The Hades Factor.

A homeless man in Boston, an Army major in California, and a teenage girl in Atlanta all die suddenly and painfully—each a victim of a hitherto unknown, fast-acting viral agent. Col. Jonathon Smith, a combat doctor attached to the United States Army Research Institute of Infectious Disease assigned to investigate the virus, is first warned off by a shadowy FBI contact, then barely survives an attempt on his life.

Not knowing where to turn or whom to trust, Smith assembles a private team to aid his search for the truth behind the deadly virus—a quest that leads them to the darkest corners of the world. Written by Robert Ludlum with acclaimed suspense writer Gayle Lynds, Robert Ludlum’s The Hades Factor will thrill and delight his legions of fans.

About this title

Review:

With an unbroken string of bestsellers dating from the early '70s (beginning with 1971's The Scarlatti Inheritance) and over 200 million books sold, Robert Ludlum is an acknowledged superstar of the political thriller. Gayle Lynds, who was compared to Ludlum after her 1996 debut, Masquerade, has two successful novels and a slew of pseudonymous pulp fiction titles to her credit. Together--after a fashion--they serve up book 1 of Ludlum's new Covert-One series of trade paperback originals, Robert Ludlum's the Hades Factor.

After three disparate Americans succumb to a hitherto unknown Ebola-like virus, the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) is pressed into service. Since the USAMRIID's top doc (and former military intelligence operative) Lt. Col. Jon Smith has yet to return from an overseas conference, the job of heading the medical research team falls to Smith's colleague and fiancée, Dr. Sophia Russell.

Upon Smith's return, he is sequentially treated to a life-or-death warning from a childhood friend (and rogue FBI agent), several nasty near-death experiences, and the viscerally graphic demise of his wife-to-be, an apparent virus victim. Enraged and bereaved, Smith flies into investigatory action only to discover doctored files, expunged records, and the distinct likelihood that he's dealing with cases of murder-by-virus. As more questions are asked, more deaths occur, official channels slam shut, and Smith finds himself a wanted man, battling his best friend, an evil-genius gazillionaire scientist, corrupt politicians, and Third World terrorists. In other words, it's Smith versus all the usual suspects.

Ludlum and Lynds cover no new ground here (and their prose is less than sterling). In fact, The Hades Factor owes as much to Tom Clancy's Op-Center series--cocreated by Clancy and Steve Pieczenik--and Richard Preston's The Hot Zone as it does to Ludlum's own considerable body of work. That said, The Hades Factor still delivers a respectable level of intrigue and suspense, will likely be snapped up by output-starved Ludlum fanciers, and will be right at home on the bed stands of Preston fans. --Michael Hudson

From the Back Cover:

The #1 bestselling master of suspense and international intrigue continues to set the standard against which all other thrillers are measured with his expertly plotted, pulse-pounding Covert-One series.

ROBERT LUDLUM'S™

THE HADES FACTOR

An unknown doomsday virus has claimed the lives of four people across the country―including Dr. Sophia Russell, a research scientist working to understand the disease. Bitter and broken-hearted over her death, Lt. Colonel Jon Smith is determined to uncover the cause of the virus that killed her―and prevent it from turning into a pandemic of epic proportions.

"Reading a ludlum novel is like watching a james bond film...

slickly paced...all-consuming."―Entertainment Weekly

When new evidence reveals that Sophia's death was no accident, Smith assembles a private team to aid his fight against the deadly virus―and find the determined genius who's responsible. Smith's quest will lead him to the highest levels of power and the darkest corners of the earth...and bring him face to face with an unknown enemy who will stop at nothing to achieve his means. Meanwhile, the fate of the world hangs in the balance...

About this edition

• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1559275928
• ISBN 13: 9781559275927
• Binding: Audio Cassette