Book Review - Robert Ludlum's The Altman Code by Gayle Lynds
Category Book Reviews
The other paperback I was using to kill time on the plane during my recent trip was Robert Ludlum's The Altman Code by Gayle Lynds. This is my first exposure to the Covert-One series, so I can't compare it to others for quality. But so far as political espionage yarns go, this wasn't bad...
The American government gets wind of a chemical shipment from China to Iran, and the material has only one use... as weapons. The official cargo manifest doesn't reflect that reality, and therein lies the problem. If the military stops the boat, they risk international condemnation for aggression (especially if they are wrong about the contents). But if they don't stop the boat, then the Iranian government has weapons of mass destruction. To complicate issues (because there *always* has to be complications), all the official channels that could be used to resolve this matter are taking stances that will move each country to the brink of a massive war. Not only does the boat need to be stopped before it enters the Gulf, but the government also needs to figure out who is pushing for war over peace...
In many ways, this is the typical "covert action, disavow all knowledge if anything happens" type story. There's a subplot involving the President and an old prisoner held in China who claims to be the President's biological father. It's a little "out there", but not so much that it distracts from the main story. Based on what I saw in this novel, I'd be inclined to look for a few more in the series if I was looking for some mind-candy...
The other paperback I was using to kill time on the plane during my recent trip was Robert Ludlum's The Altman Code by Gayle Lynds. This is my first exposure to the Covert-One series, so I can't compare it to others for quality. But so far as political espionage yarns go, this wasn't bad...
The American government gets wind of a chemical shipment from China to Iran, and the material has only one use... as weapons. The official cargo manifest doesn't reflect that reality, and therein lies the problem. If the military stops the boat, they risk international condemnation for aggression (especially if they are wrong about the contents). But if they don't stop the boat, then the Iranian government has weapons of mass destruction. To complicate issues (because there *always* has to be complications), all the official channels that could be used to resolve this matter are taking stances that will move each country to the brink of a massive war. Not only does the boat need to be stopped before it enters the Gulf, but the government also needs to figure out who is pushing for war over peace...
In many ways, this is the typical "covert action, disavow all knowledge if anything happens" type story. There's a subplot involving the President and an old prisoner held in China who claims to be the President's biological father. It's a little "out there", but not so much that it distracts from the main story. Based on what I saw in this novel, I'd be inclined to look for a few more in the series if I was looking for some mind-candy...
| Permalink |
