Robert Ludlum's The Hades Factor - A Covert-One Novel

THE SETUP
The novel is set in the mid-1990s, between the two US/Iraq wars. Following the widespread and disparate deaths of three Americans from an unknown hemorrhagic fever-type disease, Sophia Russell, of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases is assigned to investigate. In the process, she remembers a similar disease she had observed as an undergrad on a archaeological field-trip to Peru, where she had met pharmaceutical researcher Victor Tremont, who later had become the head of Blanchard Pharmaceuticals. Shortly thereafter, she is murdered by an injection of the virus. Her fiancee and colleague at USAMRIID Jonathon Smith, suspects she has been murdered, primarily because a very prepared and determined squad of men had attempted to murder him in downtown Washington DC just hours before.

Note that although nominally the first of the Covert 1 series, Smith is only invited to joint Covert 1 in the epilog at the end of the novel. However, all of the subsequent Covert 1 novels feature Smith as the antagonist, often assisted by quirky genius Marty Zellerbach, SAS/MI6 agent Peter Howell, and Smith's CIA-agent almost-sister-in-law Randi Russell.

CRITICISMS
"The Hades Factor" begins with a "grabber" a detestable device designed to catch bookstore browsers with upfront action, but usually mostly serving to confuse the readers. In this case, the gruesome deaths of three individuals is described, introducing a dozen or more characters in quick order for the reader to struggle to remember---- none of which are never seen again in the novel.

The plot is a highly contrived series of implausibilities. The worst of which is that no adequate answer is given to how and why Smith was targeted by a very determined and prepared Iraqi hit squad in downtown Washington, D.C. BEFORE Sophia is killed, mere hours after Sophia speaks to Tremont, and with no indication that Smith had any reason to suspect anything. Indeed, the hit squad was really the only reason he initially had to suspect that Sophia's death wasn't an accident. I was half-way through the novel before I realized that this question would never be answered, because there was no possible answer.

Among other implausibilities is that logically, the highest priority for Smith (et al) obviously should have been to tell everyone he can, everything he knows, and everything he learns to at least arouse suspicion of the bad guys and in case he is killed. Smith is supposed to be a highly reputable researcher in the field of exotic diseases, a very small field--he would personally know virtually every other such researcher in the world. Why doesn't he contact them and tell his story? That might even help them find a cure, especially by the point that Smith knows that the disease is from Peruvian upper the storeia.. Why doesn't the "team" send out letters and emails to every investigative reporter in the country? Countering such an effort might slow down or distract the bad guys.

In reading "The Hades Factor" again a second time after several years, I constantly anticipated events which didn't occur. Why? Because there are so many other novels with the same basic story line--even one (I don't remember the title) featuring a similar compound in the Adirondack Mountains. Honestly I don't know who borrowed from whom, but there's a lot literary incest going on. (If I use the p-word, the store filters will catch this review, and it may not get posted.)

EVALUATION
As the melodramatic title, "The Hades Factor", accurately suggest, this is a fantasy action thriller. Not a fantasy with wizards or space aliens, but rather in the vein of James Bond novels. It is so over-the-top, with both the protagonists and antagonists being unreasonably violent and taking unnecessarily risky chances, that it cannot plausibly be considered as possible in the real world. But once given the corresponding maximum "suspension of disbelief" it's a great ride. Literally--for the most part the story is a chain of chase scenes. The characters are interesting. The ending is satisfying. What more could you want?

RATING
I don't believe that it is the purpose of the the store ratings to compare "Ludlum branded" novels with genuine Ludlum novels. Books should be evaluated on their own merits. I agree that "The Hades Factor" ain't Ludlum, but it is a heck of alot of fun.

> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

The Hades Factor is the first in a series written by Gayle Lynds with perhaps some creative input from the late Robert Ludlum. Lynds has crafted a suspenseful thriller with solid, though perhaps stereotypical characters, and a good story line, though the ending was not that strong.
Our band here consists of Smith, a soldier-doctor-medical researcher, his CIA agent almost-sister-in-law, his best friend from high school-millionaire computer geek, and an aging British secret agent, living alone in the California mountains with only a trained mountain cat for company and protection. This is the first in the Covert-One series, as the government decides to formalize this group after their stunning success here.
The protangonist, Smith, finds himself AWOL, on the run from Arab killers, set up by another high school friend, grieving over the murder of a fiancee and several colleagues, and seemingly on his own to contain the world's worst outbreak of a deadly virus. Also, it seems that the evil plot has been hatched by a conspiracy of greedy businessmen, government and military officials, that goes all the way to the pinnacle of power. And that is only the first two chapters.
Forunately, Smith manages to suppress his grieving, outrun the bad guys long enough to assemble his team in a armor plated Winnebago, and escape down a California logging trail. Here the team splits up with the commando and the geek heading east, hacking every computer on the trail of the criminals, while Smith heads to Iraq on the trail of the virus, where he meets up with Russell, the sister of his late fiancee.
Ultimately, the team determines that a pharmaceutical firm has been spreading the virus for many years, simultaneously developing and stockpiling the vaccine, in order to prosper from the worldwide disaster they created. The science and technology descriptions are masterfully revealed, a true strength of both Ludlum and Lynds. Finally, this thing comes to a rather weak conclusion, with the perpetrators being revealed and caught in a formulaic fashion.

A rather obvious and predictable but very fast-paced and thrilling tale of a deadly virus and an even more sinister conspiracy afoot. When Lt. Col. Jonathan Smith loses his fiancee Sophia Russell to a new Ebola-style bug(how many times has this one been trodden out), he begins his own investigation. Warned by an old school friend(who happens to be in with the bad guys, ominous music burst cue) and tipped off that Siphia was murdered, he vows to tack down her killers. With the help of ex-SAS colonel Peter Howell and Asperger's-syndrome-afflicted Marty Zellenbach who is an ace computer hacker and elctronics genius, his trail leads to Iraq and a secret experiment from Desert Storm involving human guinea pigs and a dormant virus. And how does Victor Tremont, muscling in to control multinational Blanchard Pharmaceuticals, fit in to the conspiracy? It seems that everywhere Jon Smith turns, he is a wanted man - by the FBI, the military and corrupt politicians. Who can he trust? As you read, you will surely guess the ending . . . maybe. The basic character of Smith is obviously plagarised from Joel Converse in Ludlum's earlier classic THE AQUITAINE PROGRESION, and the subject of a doomsday virus may not exactly be original(re:EXECUTIVE ORDERS, PANDORA'S CLOCK and THE COBRA EVENT) but this somehow is such a well-plotted, easy to read book that you cannot help but be intrigued, and does manage to keep the reader hooked in abig way. A great airplane read!

In Boston, homeless person Mario Dublin dies just outside a pharmacy. In Atlanta, teenager Billie Jo Pickett dies following a performance in a high school play. Finally, in Fort Irwin, Major Keith Anderson also dies. Each one of the victims die from the same unknown but sudden disease.

The US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick heads the investigation into this unknown but deadly virus. Specifically, Dr. Sophia Russell sees a similarity with a mysterious disease that she encountered in Peru. In spite of her precautions, Sophia becomes number four. Sophia's fiancé Lt. Col. Jonathan "Jon" Smith of (USAMRIID) returns from London to barely survive an attack on his life. Jon, a former Army spook, begins searching for the truth behind a virus that has struck in four different regions of the country before it becomes pandemic.

Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds collaborate on an exciting medical-military thriller that moves at a rapid pace to its climax. The story line is crisp but having the hero and heroine (Sophia's CIA sister) both being professional James (and Jane) Bond types hurts the believability factor. Though no Bond or even Powers, still fans of the sub-genre will gain pleasure from the first installment of what could turn out to be an exciting new series.

Harriet Klausner

No one will ever confuse Robert Ludlum with great literature. But, hey, that's ok. That's not his lot in life. Not everyone wants a thought provoking read or a novel with a message. For those of us who prefer cheesburgers to filet mignon, for those who thought "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the best picture ever made, this is a novel for you. End-to end, non-stop action. No real time to stop and think.
A homeless man in Boston, an army major in California, and a teenager in Atlanta all succumb to a mysterious virus. The controller of a vast pharmaceutical corporation discovers a virus in the jungles of Peru that has no antedote except for an antibody that appears in monkey blood. So, he releases the virus on an unsuspecting world and, basically, blackmails humanity for the cure. Enter Ludlum and Lynd's soon-to-be Covert One team. Sounds exciting? You bet it is. Sure Ludlum has a lot of cartoon characters. For instance, our hero says to the villan "You're not a fool, just a ghoul." Bullets miss people's throats "...by the thickness of a hair" but when they hit they "...stab like searing ice" (?) Still, remember, this is make believe. This is escapism.
So for those of us who want no moral, no message, no hidden meaning, let's grab that cheeseburger, put our feet up, put our minds in neutral, and enjoy the ride.

[sigh] I guess one of the downsides of our capitalist economy is that what passes for art must inevitably end up being sacrificed on the alter of economics. Ludlum, who really is unrivaled as a thriller writer but can only knock one out every couple of years, has thus joined the ranks of those best-selling authors who are selling their name for the money. As with Clancy and Cussler, or the posthumous "collaborations" of Ian Flemming and Alistair Maclean, this new book is attempting to leverage another stream of revenue off the Ludlum franchise.
The success or failure of these third-party corporate franchises is, as one would expect, completely dependent on the skill of semi-ghost. In some cases, as with the Alistair MacNeil attempt to carry on the Maclean legacy, it was a still-born disaster. In others, such as Cussler's NUMA spin-off written by Paul Kemprecos, you can welcome a decent new series with a familiar feel.
With this first book in a new "Covert-One" series, however, Ludlum's chosen author lets the team down somewhat, although nowhere near as badly as Pieczenik squanders the Clancy name in selling the deprecable Op-Center series. Gayle Lynds' "Hades Factor" attempts to reuse some of the usual Ludlum conspiracy approaches and undercover violence, but unlike the master, the book is not particularly well written, the plot (the thesis of which is very similar to Rainbow Six) is laughably implausible and obvious, the characters are two dimensional and stereotypical, and the set-up for the rest of the series too pat.
It should be pretty easy to figure out ahead of time whether or not you'll like this one: if you have an insatiable appetite for thrillers, are more concerned with the usual "good guys overcome obstacles using cool violence to save the world" genre than you are with a particular author, and are the kind of person who happily gobbles up the Clancy/Pieczenik OpCenter series, you'll find this an acceptable book. It's OK for a summer beach read, and has the usual quotient of ingredients that you would expect from the Ludlum/Clancy/Cussler camps, as written through the keyboard of a romance novelist (ie, a lot more romantic introspection and longing than the usual Ludlum). But if you are a true afficiando of good thriller writing, who really appreciates Ludlum's finely honed paranoia, be forewarned that you will be disappointed.
The bottom line is that it's an OK-but-not-particularly-great book, much better than OpCenter but not as good as NUMA. I'm not sure if I'll get any future books in this series...it probably depends on how desperate I get for my thriller fix.

Gayle Lynds makes this story and plot work great. It is obviously the best book in this series. The TV two-part movie was good - but as always, it seems that the book was much better! Gayle has her signature all over this plot and story - it is obvious that she is responsible for the entire book.

I only wish that ABC Television had enough sense to make her award winning book "The Last Spymaster" a TV movie. In fact, all of her books would make wonderful movies and I look forward to someday seeing more of them produced.

This is one of those books that makes for a great vacation read or one to huddle up with in the cold winter months next to the old fireplace. It is entertainment that is intelligent and clearly a cut above most books in this genre. I totally recommend this book - in fact, I recommend any book that the author Gayle Lynds has written - she is on my short list of all-time best thriller writers.

A homeless man in boston enters a drugstore complaining of a headache...within minutes he is dead. In California, an Army Major collapses in front of his wife...within minutes he is dead. A teenage girl in Atlanta complains to her mother of cold like symptoms...within minutes, she too, is dead.
When researcher Sophia Russell began working the 3 outbreaks of this unknown virus she had no idea of what she would uncover.
Expert researcher, Jonathan Smith, is returning home to help fiancee, Russell, find the source of the deadly virus, upon his arrival, after surviving several attempts on his life, he finds Russell has been murdered.
Smith must put together his own team to stop the virus, and find out "who" was behind Russell's murder. To his surprise, he is being watched, and no one can be trusted, for what he will discover can decide the fate of the world.
Smith must stop the evil plan, and the madman behind it.
Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds have created a big, mean, readable thriller, complete with all the "Ludlum" trademarks, and a nasty "Hot Zone" like virus thrown in to keep readers turning the pages. It is great to see Ludlum back in top form. "The Hades Factor" is the first novel in the promising "Covert-One" series. Suspense, fast-pacing, and international intrigue make for a great summer read.
Nick Gonnella

It started out okay, and the premise of the story was sound, but it simply became implausible and the characters acted unrealistically. In fact if the characters had acted more realistically, there would have been no story.
Out of all of the silly situations, one example is when the main character finds out that his fiancé had in fact been murdered by a lethal injection rather than the accidental exposure they had first thought. He was with the pathologist at the time when they both discovered a small injection mark on her ankle. But did either of them report this murder to the appropriate authorities? No!
Another incredible event was the cutting out of a page in a notebook by the bad guys who had broken into a laboratory. The page was cut out so well, that it took examination under a microscope to reveal the missing page. Hard to believe that someone who broke in to a high security military installation, and therefore had limited time to work, could manage the degree of precision needed to hide a cut as well as this.
So my advice is to avoid this book, unless you fancy switching off your brain and reading some clichéd and ultimately boring Ludlam.

In a nutshell, this book is sharp, fast and moves at lightningspeed all over the globe.
To be quite honest, Robert Ludlum had mea bit worried with his last four efforts but he has redeemed himself with the Hades Factor (with the help of Gayle Lynds, of course). This book is good...I mean reeeeally good!
Don't let the plot summary turn you off. Forget the fact that this has been played out before and leave your worries at the door. This duo pounces on you with a story line you will never forget.
The Hades Factor delivers everything you want in an international thriller plus more; clandestine meetings in exotic locations (including a few unusual and truly beautiful respites on US soil), three-dimensional characters that literally bounce off every page, and a skillfully written plot that moves at warp speed. This is definitely NOT one for the faint of heart! Ludlum and Lynds will take you on a literary roller coaster of intrigue and deception that will leave you breathless...and with a renewed sense of the true meaning of forgiveness (yes, he has turned a bit sentimental on us, but it works!)
This was truly a great read. It will become a permanent fixture in my library and I look forward to picking it up again someday. Ludlum and Lynds truly deliver...DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

I have been reading Ludlum for the better part of 25 years. I've read virtually all of his novels. I even suffered through the film version of "The Osterman Weekend". However, while reading "The Hades Factor", I couldn't help but wonder how much, if any, of this mess was written Ludlum and how much was actually written by Gayle Lynds who is listed as co-author.
According to this book, the world is divided into three groups. Group one is made up of an apparently large number of people who would participate in the murder of millions if it would make them rich. Their method of mayhem is the random release of a deadly virus. Since they have no real way of controlling the means of spreading the virus, it means that any of their family or friends could be infected.
The second group is even larger. It is made up of people who are so stupid, they probably deserve to be infected. They are incapable of seeing any relationship between the sudden spread of an unknown virus and group one who will make billions through the use of a "miracle cure" that they just coincidentally happen to have.
The third group is a handful of people who are the heroes of the story. They include a doctor who happens to also be an army commando, a British spy who is sort of a senior citizen version of James Bond, and two characters who are mandatory for this type of book, a beautiful CIA agent and a computer geek. Talk about clichés. The doctor is named Jon Smith. I guess the originality in there was dropping the "h" from his first name.
For those of you who don't know, Ludlum has had heart problems the past few years and has had surgery. Perhaps it has taken something out of him. Perhaps his medical bills have caused him to license out his name to Ms. Lynds. I noted that there is another installment of the adventures of Dr. Smith coming out soon that lists a different co-author. Perhaps Ludlum has decided that he should be more careful about who cashes in on his readership.

I'm guessing, as others have, that Gayle Lynds did most of the writing with this one. Not that I've read anything else by Gayle Lynds, but Ludlum seems so much superior to this. I'm hoping so, anyway.
There aren't very many redeeming factors to this book. Most of the writing is very, very laboured. I could see the writer(s) trying to dig for the most dramatic way to put things, and the most dramatic circumstances, even if they would never happen. It never felt really natural. The relationship and loss, which is described on the backcover, is an over-drawn cliche that left me shaking my head. They knew they needed the relationship to be a strong, lovey-dovey type to make the suffering and loss seem real, but they never let the relationship develop on its own. It was just a gimmick. Similarly, there's a conflicted character who reallly baffled me. He's made a conscious decision to take part in a plan that could forseeably kill millions and millions of people, but finally sees the light when he realizes one of his former friends would be affected. WHAT???? You didn't think, with *millions* of people dying, that it *might* get personal???
They really force it. As they do the plot, which takes a few turns, but never really takes off. There are many cliches and few genuine surprises. With how many times this plot (big company starts epidemic, sells cure for big bucks) has to replicated in the past few years (MI2, multiple video games, Tom Clancy novels, etc.), there needs to be some new insight into it. This novel does not even come close to offering it.
As far as the prose goes, any novel that can get away with saying "Some madman . . . decided to play God. Or Satan, if you will" just isn't worth reading.
Pick up "The Bourne Identity". It's much much better overall. But, if you're looking for a fast-paced if cliched and occasionally groan-inducing read, you could do worse than this one.
Matty J

Despite being a long-term Ludlum fan, I had previously been hesitant to jump into the Covert One series. This changed when I picked up Cassandra Compact in an airport bookstore. Having enjoyed Cassandra Compact, I decided to go back to the beginning of the series. With The Hades Factor, I was not disappointed. The tale, although lighter and clearly not nearly as complex as the typical Ludlum, kept me turning the pages. This book, which grabs the reader early and does not let go, contains much of the suspense and plot twists that Ludlum aficionados have come to love in the conspiracy-thriller genre. If you are considering picking up the Covert One books, I would recommend starting with The Hades Factor. It is a very quick read and provides a nice foundation in terms of character building for future works in the series.

According to the cover, this book is coauthored by Robert Ludlam and Gayle Lynds. From reading this book, I would guess that Lynds did most of the writing and Ludlum's name was used to sell more copies.
Robert Ludlum wasn't a genius and some of his books do have some problems. But, he was great at writing suspenseful, action packed stories. This book has none of the suspense or tension usually found in Ludlum's books. The action scenes aren't very exciting. It is also filled with cliched characters, such as the computer nerd and the retired covert operator.
One of the big problems with the Hades Factor is that you know who the bad guys are and what they are up to from the beginning. There is no mystery. The other big problem is that the ending is one big cliche.
A good contrast is the Sigma Protocol, Ludlum's last book, which was released at about the same time as the Hades Factor. The Sigma Protocol is a far superior book. It has all the elements that make a Ludlum book so enjoyable.
The warning is don't get these "co-authored" imitations of Ludlum. Seek out the real thing.

In Robert Ludlum's "The Hades Factor," the improbably handsome, intelligent, and talented Lt. Col. Jon Smith, M.D. returns from a conference to find his similarly spectacular fiancée dying of a new, lethal virus she had been working to identify at their laboratory at USAMRIID. A warning from a friend and former FBI agent tells him to run for his life. He doesn't; he is determined to find out what killed her, and why.
The story is gripping and suspenseful. Of course the bad guys are diabolical and powerful beyond reason, and the good guys resourceful beyond credulity. That's part of the deal with this kind of book. It's good entertainment, straining the limits of belief just enough to be a fun read while not crossing the line into complete silliness.
The audiotape version is well-read, and I highly recommend it for listening to in the car during a trip or commute.

I absolutely loved this novel from Ludlum considering I have never read anything of his before. This book kept me enthralled from the very first page and would let go.
Lt Col Jon Smith (USAMRIID) is trying to investigate the death of his beloved Dr Sophia Russell, who was killed after doing some detective work on a very rare virus that seemed to be kiliing random people across the world. This virus had Ebola-type symptoms and after Sophia goes digging into what sort of virus it is and where it comes from, somebody thinks she is better off dead.
Smith enlists the help of 2 friends to uncover a myriad of missing documents, doors slammed shut and unethical scientists that seem to love making terrible viruses and trying them out to see what would happen, but the question is why??
I thought this was a sensational read, not too heavy and very well written. Being a research biochemist myself, I love the way Ludlum incorporated todays technology into a suspense thriller that was able to keep me up all night! Excllent piece of fiction, Mr Ludlum, I will definately be reading everything else that you have written!
Highly recommended!

'Hades Factor' is the first Ludlum book I have read in a very long time. I greatly enjoyed his early books but stopped reading the late Mr Ludlum's novels after his stories became too incredulous to believe. 'Hades Factor' has many of the fine characteristics of an early Ludlum but seems to have been hastily written. After I was half way through the book, I had to look back to find where the story lost me as a reader; where I started to back away from the story and no longer believed any of the characters. It was around page 70.
Sophia, Jon Smith's love of his life, dies in his arms after being injected with a virus, and in his grief, Jon ... performs an autopsy on his beloved, removes tissue samples and travels the next day to California? Huh? Wait a minute. From this incredibly unbelievable response to death onward, I read this novel from a critical distance, noting the inconsistancies in plot and lack of logic of character motivations. Yet still, I recommend this book for a quick read. Not a great Ludlum, not even a very good one, but some of the good stuff that made a Ludlum novel so appealing still manages to peek through every now and then.

Riveting. Saw this book on our library’s Freebie shelf and then couldn’t put it down. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jon Smith M.D. vs. his Evil counterpart in the battle for billions and the Religion of Worldwide Supremacy.

Good story, this being one of Robert Ludlum's last book I felt I had to read it. The plot is excellent and it will keep you guessing until the very end.
There is only one part I didn't like, in some books and movies whenever there is a flat part the dialog something happens that is unique to that book or movie. This means that in such an instance Arnold Swartenager kills someone or a Christian in the Left Behind series would pray.
In this book when there is a flat line the dialogue Jonathan Smith pines and moans over his wife to be. I am not saying this isn't nessacary but after the 5th time you just want to yell "SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH THE STORY MAN"!
Overall-Very good I particularly like the character of Marty Zelerback and hope to read the next book in this series.

This is a typical thriller involving a deadly virus which is a cross between a hanta virus and Ebola and causes a fatal version of ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). There doesn't appear to be much effort on the part of the authors to be realistic. People have already commented on the dialog which sounds like a poorly made "made for TV movie." but the book shows a total lack of understanding of the subject matter in most areas.

An unknown lethal virus is loose in the world and when the first 3 patients die and bleed out the regular hospitals do autopsies and send the material to AMRID. They have recognized the situation might in involve a hemorrhagic virus even at the local hospital level, but they do the autopsies to get the material to send to AMRID in an ordinary morgue rather than a level 4 containment area (the book doesn't deal with the contamination issues at the local hospitals and there would have been serious ones. Also for some reason the media doesn't get the story at any of the 3 widely separated hospitals.)

At AMRID latter in the book they are treating it as a level 4 contagion (like Ebola and smallpox ). A team sneaks into the lab to remove material and to kill a scientist who "knows too much." They kill her by injecting her with a large dose of the mutated virus (normally this virus is dormant like HIV for a long period of time before it acts up and kills the infected person. Also it takes longer to kill those in the west because of better health, medical care and according the authors genetics) The bad guys are a rogue pharmaceutical company who have the cure and now they need to create the epidemic). There is no way it would kill a person in the hour or so that it does in the book. It takes a while to build up the necessary virus load throughout the body to do the amount of damage this virus does in its final phase.

After the female scientist is left for dead where she would have been easily discovered she somehow survives long enough to drive home (condo she recently sold but hasn't fully moved out of) where her fiancé is waiting. She collapses and he calls an ambulance and she is taken to a normal hospital (he doesn't know about the virus). The hospital who does know about the virus keeps her in a normal room and when she dies they do the autopsy at the hospital in a normal morgue without level 4 containment equipment. Remember this is a level 4 lethal virus that is unlike anything anyone has seen before and they don't know whether it's airborne (most hanta viruses are airborne) nor how contagious it is. No one in their right mind would have had her in a normal hospital room even in an oxygen tent and do an autopsy in a normal morgue in a local hospital.

By the time you get to this point in the book there probably are a dozen other problems like the ones I've mentioned and new ones pop up with a regularity all through the book that exceeds almost any other book I've ever read by a long ways. I can't recommend this book to anyone because of problems like these and the awful dialog.

Story line above.
Robert Ludlum's collaboration with co-author Gayle Lynds leaves little to be desired as far as thrills and action are concerned. The story moves at a rapid pace that will keep you glued to your chair, all the way to the suspenseful ending. At times you'll have to suspend the believability, such as when you have all these powerful and supposed respectful people willing to sacrifice what could be millions of lives, for money. E.g. the Surgeon General? A Congressman? Top Brass?
Overall a satisfying read. I intend to be a regular reader of this new Covert-One Series.
Martin Zellerbach was quite a character.
Recommended for an adventurous read.

An american businessman decides he wants to infect the world with a rare virus to which he is the only one to have an antidote. He just calls it "good business"...
Although this subject of virus spreading has already been taken by other authors, this time the plot centers on the objective of this businessman, that is: to make more money.
The plot is entertaining throughout, and although you can guess at the ending, you cannot tell how it will evolve. The characters are also well presented and very real.
In all, it is a good easy reading. And, we can see it will be the beginning of a new series by these authors?

"He yanked the steering wheel, turned the RV around, and blasted it out of the forest like toothpaste from a tube." I do not believe that Mr. Ludlum would write that wretched a metaphor.
I am about as loyal a reader of Mr. Ludlum as I could be. I have read all of his books, and certainly some have been better than others, however this breaks new ground and then sinks into it. The only bright spot is that he has what I hope will be a great novel that is shown on the inside cover, "The Prometheus Deception", arriving this fall. This next work will carry only his name, and I hope it restores him to the top of the list in this genre. Reviewers did not greet his last full novel with great enthusiasm.
Read the description of the book's storyline on the back cover, think for a moment, and if it sounds familiar, don't be surprised. The same description could be used for one of this summer's movies, and a ticket to it costs less. The mechanics of how the story is carried out, again from another movie from the not too distant past.
I lived in the town and worked in one of the Cities that are used in the book. No one involved with this book knows anything about the City in question. They mention a prominent structure and it's newness. I don't now how you describe a structure that has stood for decades as new, or recent, or in the last 20 years. The book is riddled with factual errors; the story has been done many times, and done many times better.
Mr. Ludlum evidently produced this as a joint effort with Ms. Gayle Lynds. I have no idea who wrote what, but the result is not worth your reading time.
At one point during the story President Castilla of the United States says, "Are we all to perish under our own stupidity". The answer Mr. President is yes, if you believe a massive Pharmaceutical Campus can be built in a National Park.
Buy and read almost anything else.

When THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN appeared, I wrote a scathing (and well-deserved) review of the worst book Robert Ludlum had ever written. In that review, I suggested that Ludlum either retire or rediscover the passion and inventiveness that marked his early work. With the help of Gayle Lynds, he seems to be making a comeback.
THE HADES FACTOR will be familiar to long-time Ludlum readers. The protagonist, Lt. Colonel Jonathan Smith, M.D., faces a conspiracy of monumental proportions aided by only a few long-time acquaintances and a beautiful sidekick. Yet the Ludlum-Lynds tandem breathes new life into this somewhat stale framework. The result is a story that moves along fairly well (although too hastily at times) with much better character development than his most recent work (although one would like to see a little bit more of Smith's background, it will likely be covered later in the series). In particular, I very much enjoyed Martin Zellerbach, the computer genius with Asperger's Syndrome who I sincerely hope will make appearances in other Covert-One novels.
Unfortunately, the plot remains problematic. Indeed, THE HADES FACTOR's storyline is almost a mirror image of the most recent Tom Clancy offering, RAINBOW SIX. Without giving too much away, you have a killer virus sprung on the world with ulterior motives (profit this time, not ecological purity as in Clancy's novel). The derivative plot is not the only problem here, but the others are minor in comparison--for instance, the Zellerbach character is drawn a bit too cartoonish despite Ludlum and Lynds's best intentions, but again, this could be touched up in later books.
The book is obviously intended to be a jumping off point for a new series of books (all collaborations between Ludlum and other authors one suspects) a la Tom Clancy's OP CENTER. There is definite potential here for sequels, but let's hope that Ludlum and his future partners become more imaginative with their plotlines.

I'm a big fan of thrillers and medical thrillers. For straight out political thrillers, I don't think you can do better than Tom Clancy. For medical thrillers, Robin Cook is unparalleled. This book seems to be a great combination of the two authors. I have never read a Robert Ludlum book before, and had no real intention to until I was browsing a bookstore, saw this title, and picked it up. I have always been a fan of fiction dealing with microbes, and especially as biological weapons. This book did not disappoint me. It is fast paced, highly addictive (WARNING - don't being reading late at night - you'll lose a lot of sleep staying up to finish it) and informative without being too hard to understand.
So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Well, I think that the ending plot twist was somewhat predictable, and some of the characters weren't quite realistic enough. Another large disappointment is that the back cover of the book reveals the death of one of the major characters. People don't want to see that - people (or at least I do) want to be surprised by things like that. Overall, those are just minor things, but keep the book from perfection. On the plus side, some of the characters are so intriguing, they just beg for a sequel to continue fleshing out their characters (Marty comes to mind, for those who have read this already).
This is a great read for anyone, but just shy of a perfect biological weapon novel (In my opinion, Executive Orders is unapproachable in that category). It is a worthy beginning to a proposed series, and well worth your time and money.

Hades Factor is pure entertainment! Ludlum and Lynds are a great partnership who bring us an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a killer virus and an unethical drug company. Jon Smith is the hero, who together with his unusual friends, finds a way to save us all. We knew,of course, that he would but the action is swift and the characters are people we want to meet again. This book is not rocket science but if you are looking for something to spice up your life, grab it! And let's hope we meet Jon, Marty and Peter many more times.

I think that someone should have checked out the basic characteristics of Asperger's in DSM IV. The only characteristics they got right were the high intelligence factor and the social anxiety. Marty's "unmedicated" manic behavior more strongly suggests a Bi-Polar "diagnosis". Hos ability to perceive the feelings and viewpoints of others is quite admirable, especially since one of the things that folks with Asperger's often need is lots of help with is the ability to take another person's perspective. (Check out " Theory of Mind").
Generally , I was very disappointed by this book. Having been an avid Ludlom reader in the 70's, I found this book to lack the seemingly authentic research and the intricately woven and believable plot twists and turns of his earlier solo work. This book "felt" way too contrived. Its sad that his name is on this "Ludlom" work.

After reading this weak entry, I'm convinced that it could not be of Ludlum's own. In his final days, He had simply regressed into a literary prostitute, lending his name to lesser authors, capitalizing on the very readers who once sat rivited to his past works, making him rich and famous. This weak story line cannibalized key words, phrases, and other medical jargon from "The Hot Zone" written by Richard Preston. The story line is utterly unbelievable, as are many of these so-called action scenes. Not to discourage the would-be readers..... If you think an autistic computer genius who is capable of,"zooming into never-never land, and be so out of control he's dangerous to himself and others, without his meds.".....or meeting a reclusive ex-SAS intelligence officer who has a "full-grown mountain lion that "sprang from a tree crouched and snarling, awaiting his masters' call to pounce."..... No I'm not exaggerating, these are quotes, and you should see the scene where the main character, the autistic, and the mountain version of "Crocodile Dundee" escape 14 armed assasins, two SUV's, and a helicopter, while driving an RV through a mountain ravine, taking shortcuts through narrow gorges and onto a busy interstate. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention this RV is fully equipped with the latest sattelite tracking equipment, and a super computer. My advice is if you want to waste some of your life, take a nap, but do not help line the pockets of an ex- writer who is exploiting his loyal readers.

I enjoyed this one! The pace kept the pages turning. While the plot wasn't necessarily original, the characters were interesting (Marty with his 'Zounds!' and mild autism). I do like biological terror books and hadn't read one in a long time, so this fit the bill. Plus, she mercifully didn't throw the remaining couple together at the end. I look forward to more books in the series.

The book seems like a cross between the Matarese Circle and the Hot Zone (Richard Preston). I'm not sure if I like the biological aspect, but the book was pretty well written. It definately held my attention, and I couldn't put it down towards the end. However, I can understand why people wouldn't enjoy it. Nevertheless, it is a must read, even if only because if the series is anything like the first book, the series will be successful. I too especially liked Marty-I hope that he returns.

I bought this book because I enjoy medical thrillers, end-of-the-world types of stories, that have some intrique and not always predictable. The Hades Factor filled this role nicely. Although I prefer more medical information this book had enough medical information in it to keep a person interested but not so much, or so technical that it would overwhelm anyone who is not into medical thrillers. The virus really was secondary to the search to find out how it came about, why, and how to stop it.

This simply was a great and intense book. Lots of action and likable characters. Although this was not as good as Vector from Robin Cook as far as introducing a lot of good knowledge about bio-war, it is still a great read. I don't think it's one of Ludlum's best but it is worth the read.

What a terrrrrific collaboration of two realllly fine writers! I cannot wait for more from these two....and soon! This has it all.....biowarfare, twists and turns, the foreign locales and truly awesome characters....sort of stallone meets arnold in the hot zone! grab it ... read it on a plane trip, on the beach...you'll be glad that you did. While it starts out rather slow, the tension mounts quite fast and soon it's a total page turner!

This book was awesome. THe fast pace definitley keep me turning those pages. The topic of a deadly world virus is one that may come to affect our world in the future. THis is what i think keeps people into reading this book. I give it 5/5 stars definitley give it a try!

This book is fantastic. It came out yesterday and I read it in one night (I am suffering slight sleep deprivation today). I am a big fan of Ludlum and I have actually read some of Lynds' other books. They really make a great team. They both share the same strength--research and accuracy of research. I am not sure if one of them has a medical background, but I was amazed at the depth this book goes into, I not only enjoyed the action but felt like I learned a few things. The action scenes are classic Ludlum (the scenes on the eastern slope of the sierras were great, they made me miss backpacking). As much as I love Ludlum's work, Lynds seems to bring an extra dimension to the characters, she takes the typical action-hero and makes him believable. Marty, the guy with asperger's syndrome, was particularly entertaining. Of course, any good action book needs villains, and theirs are not only well-developed, but particularly depraved.

"The Hades Factor" is a unique spy thriller unlike any other book or film. Like Bourne (movies), Robert Ludlum has given an unique twist to the spy thriller genre in creating quite complex twists and cliffhangers with deep character development instead of cardboard-like characters you see in James Bond films or novels. An unique story of a doomsday virus of no name and mystrey to others which threatens the entire world and that of every-day life. Great characters, plot twists and overall suspense make "The Hades Factor" a great novel.

Lite as in co-billing and lesser quality, not fewer pages. A pretty standard Ludlum international global conspiracy of evil plot, without any memorable characteristics. Read it if you're bored, I guess, but this is really the pop fiction equivalent of an insipid t.v. sit-com.

Of course the answer is having Robert Ludlum's name associated with it. I am a long time Ludlum fan but this book is poorly written. Words are misused, the dialogue is clumsy and flat, there is an obvious attempt to substitute inappropriate multisyllabic words for decent writing. Don't waste your time with this.

I keep looking for something like the Matlock Paper or the Gemini Contenders, but this had all the traditional Ludlum themes: beautiful women, seemingly all powerful villians, and hero who gets most of the breaks.

Another dissapointment from what used to be my favorite author. Granted, this was not his own work, but I found this book to be a real waste of time. Very little suspense, and even at only 400 pages, there was a lot of fluff inserted.
If this keeps up I'll have to scratch Ludlum from my list

Ludlum and Lynds team together to create one awesome bio-terrorist thriller. The great thing about this story is that it has all the earmarks of Ludlum's expertise of espionage at the highest levels combined with the flavor of Lynd's storytelling. One can only hope these two team up again.

Robert Ludlum fans will be greatly disappointed. I know this wasn't written by him, I'm guessing someone found an outline of his or something like that. The idea is very Ludlum but the characters and dialogue are straight from a grade school easy-reader. Read a true Ludlum book and you'll notice the difference immediately.

This my first Robert Ludlum Book to read. I read other reviews that put it down and I just don't understand. I think it was a "Can't Put It Down" Book. I loved it. I don't even know why I picked it up, I really thought it was a read for my husband. Well, I told him that he has to read it. I also feel that it would make a Great Movie. I will continue to read Ludlum books. Please do not hesitate to buy this book.

I should have read the review (see other reviews here in web site) by David S. Rose. I agree with him that this is a poor performance relative to what we'd expect from a pure Ludlum. After the first 24 pages, I had had enough and stopped reading! The sophomoric writing made it too painful to go on. Why would such a good author (Ludlum) allow this to be published?

If you like the biological thrillers and spy novels, then this book is for you... It combines these two gernres with skill and nail-biting excitement. I picked this book up last week on the beach and couldn't put it down. It's the best Ludlum I've read in a long time.

Having read this boringly predictable book co-written by a formerly great author..one longs for the rebuilding of the Berlin Wall and and the lowering once again of the Iron Curtain so that Ludlum would once again write a thriller of the calibre we always expected of him..very very sad indeed!! A waste of time and money.

Very surprised at how dull and poorly written I found this book to be. Disappointed --- Ludlum's been entertaining in the past.
Also, the constant racist stereotyping of the antagonist "Arab" was appalling and very offensive. For shame...
Can't recommend at all.

After years of truly captivating reading courtesy of Mr. Ludlum, I found this story disapointing and not very exciting. One of the main reasons I've enjoyed R. Ludlums books was the obviuosly detailed research that he did before putting pen to paper. His style of conveying details through his main characters thoughts and actions made it very difficult to put any of his solo efforts down. The Hades Factor displays none of this. It is a fairly basic story that in my opinion could have been presented as an epic battle by Mr. Ludlum if he did not have the interference of a "partner". This intrusion has resulted in a very diluted story line, vague if not transparent characters, and inconsistencies in the plot line (very thin) that are not characteristic of a Robert Ludlum novel. One only has to read some of his early efforts to realize this. Gone are the meticulous details and facts that in combination with the moral character of the main characters provide the basis for his fantastic solo efforts. Mr. Ludlum is now off my list of authors whose books I would purchase "no questions asked".
Unfortunately,I took this novel with me on vacation this year (only one week)expecting it to be a part of my activities. I read some of it and like the title of this review, ultimately it took three more weeks to get thru this book.

Disappointing. The story is prefab and strongly reminicent of MI-2 the movie, in fact, it's about the same evil corporate scheme threatening the world with a deadly new virus. If you haven't seen the movie, it may not be that boring. Still, you'll find it highly predictable.

This book is an above-average thriller; which almost seemed prophetic, given the SARS outbreak, and Ebola, and provides a fairly fast paced story. Mr. Campanella does a fine job (though his "British" accent is a bit weak) at reading this first "Covert
One" novel. Would be a good way to check the book out (before buying the print version-i.e., the abridged audio version I'm reviewing here). Also recommended, The Cassandra Compact and The Paris Option (Books two and three, respectively, in the "Covert One" series).