American investment banker Ben Hartman arrives in Zurich for a ski holiday, the first time he's been back to Switzerland since his twin brother died there in a tragic accident four years earlier. But his arrival in Zurich triggers something far more sinister than his brother's fate. When Ben chances upon Jimmy Cavanaugh, an old college friend, Cavanaugh promptly pulls out a gun and tries to kill him. In a matter of minutes, several innocent bystanders are dead - as well as Cavanaugh - and Ben has barely managed to survive. Plunged into an unspeakable nightmare, Hartman suddenly finds himself on the run.
Department of Justice field agent Anna Navarro is being stalked around the world by a relentless killer, managing to survive the killer's attacks only by a combination of luck, skill and her own quick wits. These attacks are somehow related to her current assignment: investigating the sudden - and seemingly unrelated - deaths of a number of very old men throughout the world. The only thing that connects them is a file in the CIA archives, over a half-century old, marked with the same puzzling code word: SIGMA. But someone or something is always seemingly one step ahead of her, the survivors are rapidly dwindling, and her own life is in ever increasing danger.
Brought together by accident, Ben and Anna soon realize that their only hope of survival lies with each other. Together they race to uncover the diabolical secrets long hidden behind the code word, Sigma. Secrets that threaten everything they think they know about themselves, everything they believed true about their friends and families, and everything they were ever taught about history itself. For behind Sigma lies a vast deception that is finally coming to fruition and the fate and future of the world is in their hands.
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"I love reading Robert Ludlum because he takes me around the world time and time again. I specifically liked this book and when I first started reading I thought to myself,"this guy must have gone, and seen everywhere and everything." Low and behold he happened to mention in the first couple chapters a little bitty town about 10 miles from me White Sulpher Springs, NY and I'm telling you if you sneeze you would miss this town. So Robert Ludlum had truly been everywhere. Now about the book...OMG it starts off completely action packed, our good guy steps out of his hotel and sees an old college chum he hadn't seen in years and instead of a pat on the back and a good catching up this guy is trying to kill him and he has no idea why. What a great read...Mr Ludlum has yet to let me down."
— Tialisa (4 out of 5 stars)
“Ludlum displays once again his dazzling prose and ability to juggle an amazing number of plot lines...
— Publishers WeeklyRobert Ludlum still dominates the field in adventure-drenched thrillers
— Chicago Tribune" Read October - Nov 2012 "
— Jodi-Kay, 2/16/2014" Ludlum as always writes a compelling, and timely novel that will keep you riveted. "
— Tom, 2/13/2014" One of Ludlum's better books outside of the Bourne series. This one involves an investment banker who is thrown suddenly and violently into an international banking scandal. The plot involves big businesses with big secrets that they are willing to kill to protect. Laundered Nazi money leads a trail around the world. And while those familiar with Ludlum will have the basic plot figured out long before they read it, getting there is half the fun in this fast paced adventure. "
— Jeff, 2/10/2014" two stories meet up and the action doesn't stop. Definitely a five star book "
— Sue, 2/9/2014" just as awesome as another mr. ludlum's books! "
— Sandra, 2/6/2014" Liked it. Fast-paced and very interesting. I'd like to see it made into a movie. I love the European backdrop and the plot is intriguing. The characters were mostly good, but sometimes unrealistic. "
— Rebecca, 2/4/2014" A fast-paced, enjoyable, but cookie-cutter and simplistic thriller novel by the author of the "Bourne" series. Two plotlines intertwine, that of Ben Hartman (a handsome, tall, sophisticated, rich financial manager) and Anna Navarro (a smart, beautiful, independent-minded federal agent). Intrigue piles on intrigue. Surprise piles on surprise. Sympathetic supporting characters get killed. The two main characters are very often nearly, but never actually, killed. Etc., etc., etc.... The central conspiracy surrounds a secret corporation, composed of rich, powerful people, founded after WWII to promote capitalism, which now may or may not have fallen into nefarious hands, and which is now trying to kill Ben and Anna (who, incidentally, naturally eventually fall for one another about 2/3 of the way through the book). Believe me, that's no spoiler, you'll see it coming. You'll see a lot coming. Good airplane reading though. "
— Kenyon, 2/4/2014" This was a pretty good story. Read like Ludlum's other books...international thriller. Good for a plane ride or beach day! "
— Tamara, 1/24/2014" Good fiction that doesn't get out of date with age. "
— Darryl, 1/23/2014" Fun read, but not as moving as I had hoped for. "
— Christy, 1/22/2014" quite painful really. Not a huge Ludlam Fan. "
— Arna, 1/21/2014Eric Van Lustbader is the author of more than twenty-five bestselling novels, including New York Times bestsellers The Ninja and The Testament. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages. He has also written several novels in Robert Ludlum’s highly successful Bourne series, including The Bourne Legacy, The Bourne Betrayal, The Bourne Sanction, and others. Before turning to writing full-time, he enjoyed a highly successful career in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education.
Paul Michael, winner of several Earphones Awards, has also won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has acted on stage, radio, television, and in feature films in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States. He has had leading roles in series and made-for-television movies and has guest starred in such series as VIP and Alias. He has been nominated for a Canadian Emmy and has recorded over 150 audiobooks, including the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code.