Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event (Covert-One)
by James H. Cobb, Robert Ludlum
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Book Summary Information
Author: James H. Cobb, Robert LudlumEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-26
ISBN: 0446699071
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event (Covert-One)
Book Review: Torn feelings
Summary: 4 Stars
Right off the bat let me say I thouroughly enjoyed the book, that question does not even enter the equation here. I figured I would when I saw the dedication to Donald Hamilton, author of the "real" Matt Helm. Being a fan of the Helm novels since I was about 16, and also a fan of Covert One, I figured I was in for a good one. So why the torn feelings?
This book, while highly enjoyable, seems to be moving more in the direction the previous book, Moscow Vector, started, that is the action is starting to take precedence over the thriller. Both Jon Smith, the hero, and Covert One itself are moving more towards the stereotypical action adventure norms. The book opens with Dr Smith taking an Army training course in combat situations and it continues with more openness about his working in the intelligence field. Dr Smith, once portrayed as Scientist who worked as agent on occasion, is now becoming full time agent, his science and medical background becoming more mention than critical to the plot. In the same sense Covert One, an agency that existed in the shadows, that the rest of the community hardly even suspected let alone knowing existed, is all of a sudden making demands of major government agencies such as DOD and CIA with presidential backing. How long can an organization remain secret in such circumstances? The Covert One premise seems to be veering off in a new, more standardized action spy novel, direction.
OTOH, while the direction the series seems to be going in gives me pause the addition of James Cobb to the list of Covert One authors does not. By his dedication one can see that Mr Cobb was a fan of the Matt Helm novels and their influence tells, especially in the character of Valentina Metrace, a woman whose amoral attitude toward violence, weapons and sex would fit perfectly well within the pages of a Matt Helm novel. A nice addition to Covert One that I hope to see built upon. The introduction of Prof Metrace also throws the premise into another U turn. While there were problems in the previous books between Jon Smith and Randi Russell, CIA agent and almost sister-in-law of Jon Smith, due to the death of both her fiance and her sister, both of which had the involvment of Dr Smith, and due to their crossing paths in the line of work, in which Jon had complete knowledge of Randi's role but she was totally in the dark about his, there was still a hint of sexual tension that was built upon in each succeeding book. Now all of a sudden Val has moved in to the territory and though Randi seems to show a bit of jealousy early on by the end it's like all that tension that was hinted at in the other books no longer existed. This, in addition to the possibility of adding Russell to the Covert One lineup makes one wonder. Is all the tension between Smith and Russell going to vanish while Metrov moves in? Will Russell and Metrov start have a bit of tension between themselves over Dr Smith. Only time will tell.
In addition to her character the description and use of personalized, and fairly non standard, weapons also shows the Donald Hamilton influence. While again, as it did in Moscow Vector, the action supplants the thriller in carrying the plot line it is done a lot better. Though the solving of the mystery is not key here the suspense is carried a lot better in the situations the team faces rather than the innumberable traps that Jon Smith had to escape in the last novel, the situations being a lot more varied and plausible. Having Professor Metrace throw a knife into a teammate's arm as a way of guaranteeing he hung on to the damn thing when faced with a life and death situation was a nice touch.
So, though I am not sure I like the direction the Covert One series is starting to take I say this novel is still a very enjoyable read and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the action thriller.
Summary of Robert Ludlum's The Arctic Event (Covert-One)
On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic, researchers discover the wreckage of a mysterious World War II-era aircraft, a discovery that forces the Russian Federation into a shocking admission. The unmarked plane is a Soviet strategic bomber that disappeared with its crew more than fifty years ago while carrying two metric tons of weaponized anthrax.Desperate to prevent a political and diplomatic firestorm, the U.S. president dispatches a Covert-One team led by Lieutenant Colonel Jon Smith to the crash site. But others have reached the frigid, windswept island first, including an international arms dealer and his crew of vicious mercenaries. As for the Russians, they are lying: a second, even deadlier secret rests within the hulk of the lost bomber, a secret the Russians are willing to kill to protect. Trapped in a polar wilderness, Smith and his team find themselves fighting a savage war on two front--against an enemy they can see and another hiding within their own ranks.
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