Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Patriot Attack (Covert-One series)

Solid entry into the covert-one series. Mills is definitely the best writer of those that have attempted it, and here he does an admirable job of weaving a convincing story of current politics with some believable futuristic tech. If you read the series you'll enjoy it, and it's definitely a step above the other Ludlum spinoff of Paul Janson, but still behind Lustbader's Bourne. If you haven't read the series before, start with The Arctic Event, which remains the best entry.

Robert Ludlum would never have written a novel like this with so little action and so much time spent with so many people doing little. OK some of that is necessary to produce the plot, but this was excessive. Very disappointed. Jon Smith is a good character but this book did not the extent of his capabilities.

So far no one has come close to Ludlum's talents of action, plot development and character appeal. He was the master of intrigue and action!

I have read this story previously. I did enjoy the story very much though literary license is occasionally used to excess. At the first reading many years ago, I was absolutely floored as to the outcome...a real thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat.

This book recommended by Richard Maybery who writes THE EARLY WARNING REPORT. The point of the book is valid, being the possibility of a war between Japan (Who we are committed to support) against China. The story line with its characters however is ridiculous!

The Patriot Attack -- excuse me, Robert Ludlum's The Patriot Attack -- wasn't written by the long-deceased Ludlum. Despite the appearance of the name "Jason Bourne" in the cover's largest font, this isn't a Jason Bourne novel. If you don't develop unfulfilled expectations based on the publisher's questionable marketing tactics, you'll find a reasonably entertaining Covert One novel written by Kyle Mills, one of the more reliable authors in the Ludlum factory.

The premise is refreshing, in that it turns away from tired stories about Middle Eastern terrorists and focuses on a potential war between China and Japan which, if initiated by China, might require the United States to honor treaty obligations by coming to Japan's defense. The title doesn't have much to do with the story but the word "Patriot" apparently sells books so there it is.

The story begins with a mad scientist's "What have I done?" moment in Japan. The Patriot Attack then turns to the present as Jon Smith dodges bullets and crossbow bolts to recover a package. The package leads to evidence that someone in Japan is about to unleash a weapon that risks the destruction of all life on the planet. As one of the characters notes, it's the sort of doomsday weapon that should never be developed, much less unleashed.

The novel takes a sophisticated view of China's internal problems and the dilemma that the United States would face if China and Japan were at war. America is economically dependent on China, both as a manufacturer of consumer goods for American vendors and as a lender that holds a huge amount of American debt. America also has strong economic ties with Japan, not to mention a defense treaty. China arguably has an incentive to attack Japan as a means of winning the support of an increasingly restless population, although China has little incentive to take on the American military or to lose the income it receives from American businesses. On the other hand, Japan would be trounced if it started a war with China ... unless, of course, it had a convenient doomsday weapon and a madman who was willing to launch it.

Series regular Randi Russell is given a prominent role while Fred Klein is relegated to infrequent appearances (which is fine since he's the kind of wooden character who speaks without moving his lips). The story is fanciful but it is told in a credible way that builds excitement. The ending is easier and more abrupt than Ludlum himself would have delivered, but as a factory-based novel, this one isn't bad. And, to its credit, the Ludlum factory doesn't outsource labor to China.

**** 4 out of 5 stars
Review by: Brennan Palm

Robert Ludlum’s The Patriot Attack
By: Kyle Mills

Well I finally read my first Robert Ludlum book. It actually wasn’t written by Ludlum but by Kyle Mills who should actually get most of the credit. It was one of the best suspense novels I’ve ever read. Besides for the ending and the incredibly questionable marketing tactic of using a dead man’s legacy to make lots of money whilst actually printing the credit to the real author about as small as this. While inferring that it’s a Bourne novel in text THAT’S THIS LUDICROUSLY OVERSIZED!
Okay enough with that though. I’m supposed to review the book not how it was marketed. Though they should give the author more credit because he wrote an amazing book! Mr. Mill’s should get the credit he deserves for this book so can go off and become one of the most famous suspense writers of all time.
Besides for all that the book is, as I stated before, it is a really good book. It should be noted though that the book actually never has any “Patriots” or “Patriot” attacking anyone of anything. The book has lots of suspense and thrill in it until the end where it kind of quietly fades into the shadows. The only boring character in the book is constrained to a few pages.

Another thing I have to give to the book is a much needed setting change. Almost every spy novel ever written has something to do with Russia or the Middle East. This one takes place mostly in Japan and it involves an incident that pushes Japan and China to the brink of war. It takes a while to figure out who the villain is and the book explores the dilemma of what would happen if China and Japan were minutes away from declaring war. In it a covert 1 operative called Joe Smith, yes Joe Smith, goes missing after a mission to the Fukushima reactor plant after a Japanese ship is destroyed. So CIA Agent Randi Russell starts to search for him unsanctioned to uncover the sinister conspiracy.
Overall great book, good writing, with a refreshing oasis of an Asian spy book setting instead of a desert Russian/Middle Eastern spy book settings, and suspense a plenty.

Ok, let me get this straight. Japan was creating high tech toys in the 1980s. that made it likely to become the world's premier economic power. We know their economy fell apart. All of us know that's because Japan choose to have the government control its economy, picking winners and losers instead of letter the free market reign. Everyone knows(well, everyone but Obama) that Socialism kills prosperity. However, this book suggests another possibility. All of the intellectual Japanese innovators left the private sector and went into secret weapons production so that the sneaky Japanese could again Pearl Harbor the world and become rulers of the earth. Yeah, right.....
With this unlikely premise in place, the same tired old one dimensional characters go through the same motions and save the world again through a formulaic adventure