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13th out of 85 books
—
29 voters
The Hades Factor (Covert-One #1)
An unknown doomsday virus quickly claims the lives of four people across the country --- including Dr. Sophia Russell, a researcher leading the team trying to crack the disease. Devastated and enraged, her fiance, Lt. Colonel Jonathan Smith, uncovers evidence that his lover's death was no accident --- that someone out there has the virus, and the pandemic that threatens co...more
Mass Market Paperback, 420 pages
Published
March 15th 2001
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published 2000)
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I have to admit now: Robert Ludlum is my guilty pleasure.
His books are addictive. I don't mind having him as my most-read author. His stories give me cheap thrills. Cheap in both literal and figurative senses. Literal because his books are being sold for about $1 or $2 and they flood the second-hand bookshops. Figurative because whenever I mention to my literary friends that I love Robert Ludlum, I do not get thumbs up unlike when I say that my favorite author is Leo Tolstoy or Alan Hollinghurst...more
His books are addictive. I don't mind having him as my most-read author. His stories give me cheap thrills. Cheap in both literal and figurative senses. Literal because his books are being sold for about $1 or $2 and they flood the second-hand bookshops. Figurative because whenever I mention to my literary friends that I love Robert Ludlum, I do not get thumbs up unlike when I say that my favorite author is Leo Tolstoy or Alan Hollinghurst...more
COVERT-ONE One of the leading suspense novelists, there are over 200 million copies of Robert Ludlum's books in print. The first entry in Covert-One, a bold new series of intrigue, espionage, and modern warfare, featuring three brave men who risk their lives to uncover the truth behind today's most deadly power plays... ROBERT LUDLUM'STHE HADES FACTOR "Ludlum pulls out all the stops and dazzles his readers."--"Chicago Tribune" A baffling virus has claimed the lives of four people across the coun...more
Basically a quick read, (just grabbed it on the way out the door leaving for a trip), typical Ludlum (but not as good as earlier ones), [Spoiler Alert] where the beautiful lover of protagonist is killed, which sets him off on a quest to find those responsible. Far-fetched plot of virulent virus that is purposely manufactured and spread by evil leader of pharmaceutical company so that he can become even more wealthy by "miraculously" (and very conveniently) having millions of doses of the cure av...more
I think I must be a Ludlum fan. I like the way that Trevanian slyly pokes fun at this genre and the average man in Shibumi but there is only one Shibumi (well, two if you count Don Winslow's Satori, which I wouldn't count) but Robert Ludlum published 23 books in this genere before he passed away in 2001.
I first came across Ludlum when I read The Altman Code, which I found when searching for books about Shanghai. Personally, I found The Altman Code much more fun and interesting than Typhoon which...more
I first came across Ludlum when I read The Altman Code, which I found when searching for books about Shanghai. Personally, I found The Altman Code much more fun and interesting than Typhoon which...more
This is the first book in a series by Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds about a secret organization. This books is really a prequel, so you don't learn about Covert-One until the end. This book is about a young virus hunter and his wife, also a virus hunter, working side by side at USAMRIID. 3 cases, wide spread across the US, are brought to her attention while her husband is off at a conference in Europe, and also meeting with an old friend. She studies the virus, but it is new, similar to a hantav...more
First, I should explain that I have read the book twice and seen the movie twice. Second, I am a big fan of Robert Ludlum's work. This is one of Ludlum's best efforts and I highly recommend either/both the book and the movie.
The story opens with the start of a plague. First a couple of soldiers die, then other people. Clearly easy to spread this disease and clearly it is deadly. No cure. Early the story takes on a mid-east terrorist theme and we begin to learn the disease is being spread by the...more
The story opens with the start of a plague. First a couple of soldiers die, then other people. Clearly easy to spread this disease and clearly it is deadly. No cure. Early the story takes on a mid-east terrorist theme and we begin to learn the disease is being spread by the...more
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I had been a fan of Ludlum for certain things - a very thought out mystery, edge-of-the-seat thriller, pretty informative bits about contemporary history and political settings, and fast paced narrative.
This novel had very few of them or rather, very little parts of some of them.
The plot is good and unique - quite the Ludlum. But, I guess the ghost writer lost it at that.
A smart doctor and military man, a computer nerd, a no-nonsense ex-British Intelligence officer expert at using any kind of we...more
This novel had very few of them or rather, very little parts of some of them.
The plot is good and unique - quite the Ludlum. But, I guess the ghost writer lost it at that.
A smart doctor and military man, a computer nerd, a no-nonsense ex-British Intelligence officer expert at using any kind of we...more
The Hades factor is a fast paced book with many different stories from all sides of the book. Once you get into it you can't stop reading. When you think it's over, an entirely new variable comes in. You also can never really over think it. In fact, it helps a ton if you do. Overall, I think this book is amazingly well written and couldn't be better.
Initially, the Hades Factor starts with the mysterious deaths of three people from a disease. Jon Smith and Sophia Russel are on the case. They ar...more
Initially, the Hades Factor starts with the mysterious deaths of three people from a disease. Jon Smith and Sophia Russel are on the case. They ar...more
Typical Ludlum book and it's really good to read when compared to the Ludlum wannabes in the market today. No one comes close to the consistent quality of writing and storytelling that a class Ludlum contains.
The Hades Factor is introducing Jon Smith to us. Get past his name and you might like him. He's not as endearing as a Jason Bourne (problem... Bourne is the benchmark for evaluating Ludlum's books) because he works within the law and he works with a conscience. After the first book, I'm sti...more
The Hades Factor is introducing Jon Smith to us. Get past his name and you might like him. He's not as endearing as a Jason Bourne (problem... Bourne is the benchmark for evaluating Ludlum's books) because he works within the law and he works with a conscience. After the first book, I'm sti...more
As if I am not in the middle of enough series I thought I would start another one. My initial reaction was going towards four stars and then it went down a slippery slope to somewhere around 3 and a quarter. This is a very good book and very well written so why did I smack it down a bit? Well lets say this was a little on the PG, slipping towards the G rating. It seems like some of the situations where a good dose of violence should be doled out it was more like the bad guys just got a spanking...more
I love Robert Ludlum. This book has the oddest set of characters ever in a Robert Ludlum book of international intrigue. This is a better spy novel than most spy novels.
Dr. Smith, morning the loss of his fiance' joins the hunt for her killer and finds out it was no lab accident. He has to call in every marker and favor from his past in counter espionage, a world he had thought he had left behind, to keep himself out of jail and alive long enough to save...the planet? From a deadly viral killer....more
Dr. Smith, morning the loss of his fiance' joins the hunt for her killer and finds out it was no lab accident. He has to call in every marker and favor from his past in counter espionage, a world he had thought he had left behind, to keep himself out of jail and alive long enough to save...the planet? From a deadly viral killer....more
Book Synopsis:
Read the book Summary from it's GoodReads Library entry.
I had previously read another book in this series; so was looking forward to seeing how the story/series began. I was disappointed.
The story itself was OK, but the whole "Covert-One" aspect was literally first touched in the Epilogue. It felt like a marketing gimmick added to an existing novel.
Plus I felt that this author had a very poor sense of time (small scale gun battles taking 5+ minutes, running a hundred yards measure...more
A twisted leader of a pharmaceutical company discovers a deadly monkey virus that they unleash on the entire world. Crazy you say? Not at all since his company is the only one that has the cure - that is until Lt. Col. Jonathan Smith steps in and ruins the whole operation. Man, why can't people just leave capitalistic companies alone!
This book was pretty decent, but it was also very predictable. I know that it is unfair to do so, but I kept comparing the lead character to Mitch Rapp - to which...more
This book was pretty decent, but it was also very predictable. I know that it is unfair to do so, but I kept comparing the lead character to Mitch Rapp - to which...more
Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Smith, MD loses his beautiful fiancé to a strange new infectious disease, unknown to modern medicine and finds that when he attempts to find its source he becomes the target of a mysterious group of killers. As the story continues we find that the criminals were sent by the rogue executive of a pharmaceutical company which is responsible for the virus. There’s lots of action adventure but since this was written before 9/11 the communication technology and middle-east intri...more
I'm a fan of conspiracy theory and this book has proved to be one of the best! I love Jon, Marty, the brit, and Randi. Hopefully I'll be able to find the second book of Covert One series.
Too bad the copy I read has tiny fonts, it's tiring to read for even half an hour. But the story itself kept me reading on and on and I need a new glasses now :).
Oh, there's one question that hasn't been answered 'properly' in the book. It's about the desert storm and how Al-Hassan joined the enemy.
Too bad the copy I read has tiny fonts, it's tiring to read for even half an hour. But the story itself kept me reading on and on and I need a new glasses now :).
Oh, there's one question that hasn't been answered 'properly' in the book. It's about the desert storm and how Al-Hassan joined the enemy.
Feb 09, 2010
Jeff Yoak
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-collection,
read-in-2010
I had read a couple of the Covert-One novels over the years, but am now starting the series at the beginning and following the overall story arch. It was a remarkably fun novel. Ludlum does an amazing job at writing action. The pace is always perfect -- never feeling either rushed or sluggish. I was surprised that all of the recurring characters in the series are not only introduced but well-developed right in the beginning.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes good action stories in genera...more
I would recommend this to anyone who likes good action stories in genera...more
I have never read a Ludlum book...and this was great! What a great introduction to his writing style and his idea of mysteries. The story was a bit Dan Brown-ish...it involved a mysterious virus and a wonder cure...the mystery takes Jon Smith (the main character) from Washington to Iraq and "around the globe" working to protect the world's population against these villains. This was a great summer read...fun and engagin!
Some parts were so sad. I cried when Sophia died. I felt sorry for Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Smith, Bill Griffin, Martin Zellerbach, Peter Howell, Randi Russell, and especially Sophia Russell. At the end though Marty or Martin Zellerbach gets a new friend,Samson, Bill Griffin's fateful Doberman. I don't see how Jon or Jonathan can get over Sophia when her sister, Randi, who looks so much like her, is close to him.
I absolutely LOVED this book. Full of suspense! Lots of action to get your heart pumping. When I picked it up for the first time, I think I was about 14 years old. I couldn't put it down, even then! I've read it at least 5 times since then, and I'm not the kind of person who can read a book over and over. If you enjoy espionage, you'll really enjoy this one.
Well written. The characters in this series really coelesce. What is missing, to the hard-core reader of terror/thriller is the techno-babble that seems to come with special forces fiction. From that perspective, the book is a lightweight. However, the plot is moderately well conceived and is the platform from which a very successful chacracter series has been launched.
I thought this book was going to read like the movie "Outbreak" or "Contagion"; something of that nature. I was happily surprised to find it really was more of a thriller/page turner type of novel. And I felt the end of the book was very satisfying and twisted. A really dark premise. Good read, and i plan to read the next one
Another fun read in the Covert One series by Robert Ludlum. An evil pharmaceutical CEO unleashes a fatal virus. He has the anti-virus and stands to make billions as the virus spreads worldwide into a major pandemic. Fortunately, there are some very smart people who stop him and the story is fascinating.
Only read this because they were selling the first three Covert One novels in Asda for £1 each - don't regret buying these as I love this series. They are not particularly well written and the plots are most certainly not particularly believable or in fact all that original but they are neverheless a quick enjoyable read.
I first read this book many years ago and I found the plot to be very reasonable. The action parts are reasonable and believable. The information given about the virus was very plausible to me. As a lamen, I was able to understand the details well and was also able to enjoy the book and the adventure.
Jan 01, 2013
Shankar
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ludlum,
mystery-suspense-thriller
I think the author does Ludlum some good. The pace is good and picks up rather well towards the end of the book. However, I think the constant reference to his fiancee gets to be a little too soppy. Apart from that it is a good read. I've read all the original Ludlums and he has to a great extent moulded my reading habits and choice of genre.
This was a fast paced, exciting adventure about a virus that takes over the world and kills millions of people. It is also about a power hungry man who has developed a vaccine for this virus and roadblocks it along with assistance from some Government people. A bit scary at times, but a good story.
An unknown doomsday virus quickly claims the lives of four people across the country --- including Dr. Sophia Russell, a researcher leading the team trying to crack the disease. Devastated and enraged, her fiance, Lt. Colonel Jonathan Smith, uncovers evidence that his lover's death was no accident --- that someone out there has the virus, and the pandemic that threatens countless millions of lives was planned.
Not knowing where to turn or whom to trust, Smith assembles a private team to aid his f...more
Not knowing where to turn or whom to trust, Smith assembles a private team to aid his f...more
The 1st of the series of "Covert One"...I've enjoyed some of the later ones so I want to see the set-up...this too was an enjoyable page-turner...the characters of the series are introduced and coalesce into a good group to care for and root on...they stop a pandemic caused by a greedy cabal that hopes to push their cure for a viral pandemic
This is a fast-paced read that makes it hard to read or put down as you want to see what happens in the next couple of pages. Ended up staying up one night just to see what was next. The story line was straight forward for a medical crime novel with the usual twist and turns.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall a good book | 2 | 6 | Sep 22, 2012 03:55pm |
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 25 thriller novels. There are more than 290 million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch,...more
More about Robert Ludlum...
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch,...more
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Feb 04, 2012 06:02pm
Mar 13, 2013 04:55am