Robert Ludlum's The Moscow Vector: A Covert-One Novel

by Robert Ludlum

Other authorsErik Bergmann (Reader)

2005

Status

Available

Publication

Macmillan Audio (2005), Edition: Abridged

Description

Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: The thrilling new novel in the bestselling Covert-One series At an international medical conference in Prague, Dr. Fiona Devin�??an American scientist attached to the Department of Defense�??is contacted by one of her Russian colleagues. Dr. Valentin Petrenko, a specialist in rare diseases, is concerned about a small cluster of deaths in Moscow but even more concerned by the Russian government's refusal to publicly release any information or data on the outbreak. When he meets with Devin to pass on his case notes and samples, the two are attacked, Petrenko is killed while Devin barely escapes with the notes and medical samples. Covert-One operative Lt. Col. Jon Smith, is dispatched to Prague to get Devin and her information safely back to the U.S. As Devin begins to analyze the information, a series of highly placed figures in the U.S. government become ill with a mysterious illness that bears a close resemblance to the disease described in Petrenko's notes. The disease is the perfect assassination tool�??a bioweapon that, using each target's DNA, is undetectable, unstoppable, and incurable. With few clues and little time, Jon Smith must find the mysterious figure who stands at the center of this nefarious p… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member PointedPundit

Don’t bother; it is not worth the Time

At first, the deaths thought to be insignificant. Then a pattern is recognized. Someone is killing the top Russian specialists in every Western intelligence agency--England’s MI6, Germany's BND, France's DGSE and our CIA.

A special virus, Hydra constructed

directly with the intended victim's DNA, is the cause. Throw in a few disgruntled Soviet dinosaurs who want to return Russia to its Communist glory days and you have the foundation for a clichéd, predictable tale.

I finished it, but found myself wishing I had left this book on the library shelf.

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LibraryThing member ZoharLaor

Having read all of Ludlum's books, this was the first "inspired by" novel that I read. The novel starts slowly, and keeps on going a bit faster, and ends very fast paced. I liked the book and it does keep with the Ludlum spirit. From some reason it simply took me a very long time to read.

If you

enjoy Ludlum's novels you will enjoy this one also, albeit maybe not each and every word.

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LibraryThing member Carl_Alves

The old school hard-line Russians are up to their old tricks, trying to return Russia to its former glory from the days of the old Soviet Unions. In this novel, the Russians have developed a new weapon that delivers a poison based on the person’s DNA. This is the ultimate assassination weapon.

With the use of this weapon, they are wiping out political opponents in an attempt to reclaim some of the republics of the former Soviet Union. Lt. Col. John Smith is leading a covert unit investigating this new weapon. Also, as part of the conspiracy the Russians are targeting the president of the US for assassination.

This novel is not quite as far-fetched as some of the Robert Ludlum novels that I have read, which is a problem I usually have with them. There is a good bit of action and drama, but the overall writing and characterization left me a little ambivalent. The characters themselves felt a bit faceless, making this story more about plot than anything else. This was a solid, but unspectacular novel.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street

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LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux

This is one of those "Robert Ludlum's ____" books so it's inspired by him, not written by him. The actual writer for this book is Patrick Larkin. He also wrote the prior book in the series 'The Lazarus Vendetta' which I read in Feb 2013 and was much better than the prior 4 which had been written by

Gayle Lynds and were pretty average.

So Moscow Vector is the 6th book in the Covert One series, the second entry by Patrick Larkin. Sadly however, it's not as good as his prior entry in the series. It wouldn't surprise me if it was ghost written or fleshed out by a hired hand as in parts it's up to standard whereas in other parts it gets a little cheesy and the quality seems to dip.

Overall it's a decent entry into a series which is all a bit far fetched aimed squarely at the action and intrigue at the price of realism end of the market yet that being said it is an entertaining read, much like a movie can be impossible in reality yet still be entertaining. Just not up to the standard set by his earlier work in the series.

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