The Altman Code

Covert-One #4

by Robert Ludlum (Series Creator), Gayle Lynds

When word reaches the President of the United States that a Chinese cargo ship is transporting chemicals to a rogue nation intent on creating new biological weapons, the president knows he must act quick to obtain the proof he needs.

Covert-One agent Jon Smith is sent to rendezvous in Taiwan with another agent who has acquired the ship's true manifest. But before Smith can get the document, he is ambushed, the second agent is murdered, and the evidence is destroyed. Smith escapes with only his life and a verbal message-the president's biological father is still alive, held prisoner by the Chinese for fifty years. As the mysterious ship draws closer to its end port, Smith is losing time in uncovering the truth about the vessel and its cargo-a truth that probes the secrets of the Chinese ruling party, the faction in Washington working to undermine the elected government, and the international cabal who is thrusting the world to the brink of war...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Espionage, Suspense, Action, Ebooks

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 17, 2003

About the author

Robert Ludlum was a titan of the suspense genre, whose name became synonymous with the modern international spy thriller. Before amassing a staggering readership estimated between 300 and 500 million copies, Ludlum forged a career in the theater as a Marine veteran turned actor and producer. This theatrical background proved foundational to his literary success; he often credited his sense of pacing and "what-happens-next" urgency to his years on stage. Writing from his home in New Jersey, he crafted 27 novels characterized by "lone wolf" protagonists battling shadowy global conspiracies, corrupt corporations, and clandestine military organizations.
Ludlum is most famous as the creator of Jason Bourne, the amnesiac assassin who first appeared in The Bourne Identity (1980). While the blockbuster film adaptations starring Matt Damon brought the character to a new generation, Ludlum's original trilogy delved deeper into the Cold War paranoia and intricate psychological trauma of the protagonist. His work often drew inspiration from contemporary conspiracy theories, such as rumors surrounding the Trilateral Commission, and he frequently explored the idea of terrorism as a tool for authoritarian manipulation. Even after his death in 2001, his literary estate has continued to expand his universe through video games and posthumous collaborations, cementing his legacy as a master of the "ticking clock" narrative.

Reviews

[Socrate]

Pe malul de nord al râului Huangpu se vedeau reflectoare uriaşe care inundau în lumină docurile, transformând noaptea în zi. Roiuri de hamali descărcau din camioane containere mari de oţel şi le fixau de cârligele macaralelor. Acompaniate de sunetele aspre ale metalului frecat de metal, uriaşele macarale ridicau containerele până aproape de cerul înstelat şi le coborau apoi în calele vaselor venite din toate colţurile lumii. Sute de vapoare se înghesuiau în fiecare zi în acest port vital de pe coasta de est a Chinei, situat aproximativ la mijlocul distanţei dintre capitala ţării şi ultima achiziţie, Hong Kong.
În partea de sud a docurilor se vedeau strălucind luminile oraşului vechi şi al noului district Pudong, cu zgârie-norii săi, în timp ce apa maronie a râului fremăta din cauza mulţimii de vapoare, jonci, sampane de dimensiuni reduse şi a şirurilor lungi de barje din lemn vopsit care se luptau să-şi găsească un culoar liber, exact ca în traficul de pe un aglomerat bulevard parizian.
Într-o zonă aproape de limita estică a docurilor, nu departe de locul unde râul Huangpu coteşte brusc spre nord, lumina era mai puţin strălucitoare. Aici se afla un singur vas ce era încărcat cu
ajutorul unei singure macarale şi a nu mai mult de douăzeci de hamali. Numele vasului, înscris la pupă, era The Dowager Empress. Portul de origine al vasului era Hong Kong. Pe ţărm nu se zărea nici unul dintre omniprezenţii gardieni în uniformă care păzeau de obicei docurile.