Not one of his best. Very convoluted, confusing plot and, honestly, after suffering through four years of The Orange Menace, I found the political "bad guys" quaint and tepid in their machinations. ( )

roman van een internationale bedreiging

Had I had the time, I would have read this book in one sitting. I absolutely enjoyed this Ludlum, it gave me a mixture of surprise, action and intrigue that I always like so much in these books. ( )

Not my favorite of Ludlum's. It's not the suspenseful, action packed thriller that we excpect from reading a Ludlum. Still good and worth reading, but goo in a different way. ( )

Robert Ludlum is famous for his espionage and international terrorist novels and - in more recent years - the Jason Bourne series of movies. "Trevayne" was one of Ludlum’s earlier novels, written in 1973... but it is as relevant today as the day it was first published under Ludlum’s pseudo-name, Jonathan Ryder.

In this government conspiracy thriller, Andrew Trevayne is selected by a powerful group of Washington leaders to head up a sub-committee to investigate possible fraud and corruption in the United States Department of Defense. The suspense begins immediately when the reader comes to realize most of the members of the sub-committee have no intention of cooperating in the investigation and will go to any extent to prevent exposing the truth. But Trevayne is a man of honor and integrity and, despite threats, subtle warnings, and suspicious accidents that result in the death of at least one member of the sub-committee, fearing for his own life, he preservers.

As the plot unfolds, Trevayne is exposed to horrifying secrets and astounding discoveries. Peeling away the layers of concealment, everything leads to Genessee Corporation, the largest government defense contractor in the country... think of Halliburton and Dick Cheney in terms of size, power, and controversy. Add to that, the Mafia and a “council of the elite” that involves a conspiracy to manipulate decisions made at the highest levels of the government.

Similar to all Robert Ludlum’s heros, Trevayne must figure out a way to out-maneuver and manipulate his way through a maze of intrigue, subterfuge, and numerous life threatening situations. This is not the best of Ludlum’s work. He hadn’t yet perfected his amazing technique of heart pounding drama, but never-the-less, it is an entertaining novel. ( )