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Title: Disappointing Ludlum
Review: Ludlum dashed off this novel in a high dudgeon over Watergate and published it under a pseudonym. Better for his reputation if he had never admitted his authorship. As others have said, the plot is not believable. And parts of the book are about as interesting as a bank examiner's report. (I finished the book only because it was the only one I had on the beach.) Aside from his laborious pacing, Ludlum fails to show much, if any, understanding of finance and business; his descriptions of the villain-company's ledgers are filled with meaningless and unrealistic jargon, making them impenetrable. His descriptions of political relationships are nearly as nave. Ludlum should stick to the thriller parts, where his writing is truly gripping; in this book, the best part is where Bonner stalks and "disables" the Mafia heavies.
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