Robert Ludlum's

Robert Ludlum's The Cassandra Compact: A Covert-One Novel
$7.99
The Cassandra Compact, by Robert Ludlum and Philip Shelby

Jon Smith is sent to rescue Yuri Danko, who has called the secure line and asked to be extracted. Danko has a piece of terrifying news, but before he can tell Jon, he is cut down in a spray of gunfire by assassins. Smith deduces that someone is out to steal a sample of smallpox from the Russian cache of bioweapons and perhaps manipulate it to make it more virulent. This is a face-paced, exciting and scary book. Lots of action and shoot-em-up. Not exactly my thing, but I did enjoy it quite a bit.

Robert Ludlum's The Moscow Vector: A Covert-One Novel
$7.99
THE PREMISE
The premise of "The Moscow Vector" is that the current Russian dictator is using a biological weapon to "soften up" the military hierarchy of the former European territories of the USSR, before invading and recapturing. The weapon, or more correctly weapons, tailored to the specific DNA of the target individual, are also being used against potential opponent politicians and intelligence agencies.

THE TEASER
"The Moscow Vector" begins with a teaser, a loathsome device designed to catch bookstore browsers with upfront action--but usually only confusing and often misleading the reader. In the teaser, Covert 1 agent Fiona Devlin, undercover in Moscow as a reporter, meets with a Russian doctor, but he is killed before he can pass vital information about a new disease.

THE SETUP
The novel actually begins with a repeat of the teaser. In this repeat, medical researcher and US Army Lt. Colonel, with USAMRIID (the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) meets with a Russian doctor in Prague, but he is killed before he can pass on the vital information.

Smith (also a Covert 1 agent) and Devin soon team up. As in all Covert 1 novels, Smith is eventually assisted by CIA agent, and almost sister-in-law Randi Russell. Covert 1 is essentially the President of the U.S.'s private secret spy and "action" agency.

CRITIQUE
The Moscow Vector is a fast paced and exciting medical-espionage action thriller, with many twists and turns. However, the web of "bad guys" is a bit needlessly complex, and potentially confusing.

Some previous Covert 1 novels have been so over-the-top that they can only be described as "fantasy thrillers" (in the James Bond mold), fun but requiring much suspension of disbelief. Unlike those novels, the plot and execution of "The Moscow Vector" are trully Ludlum-esque, or Clancy-esque. The events are unlikely, but concievable.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Deception
$27.99
I listened to this book on audiodotapes and have to disagree with such the negative reviews. I agree that this book is a bit different from Robert Ludlum's originals, but so are the times. I can't beleive that people find it hard to follow the plot. It's fast paced and generally delightful. I would certainly recommend this book for entertaining reading. The end leaves doors wide open for the next sequel. I'll definitely buy it.

Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event (Covert-One)
$15.99
I found the audiobook to be perhaps the most enjoyable and engaging audiobook I have listen to out of the Covert-One series and several Tom Clancy audiobooks. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the thriller genre. I thought that Jeff Woodman's voice characterizations and accents added significantly to the enjoyment of the story. I respectfully disagree with another reviewer who liked the sound effects. I thought they were somewhat amateurish and detracted from the story.