Today I finished Robert Ludlum’s 2000 book, “The Prometheus Deception.” At 650 pages, it’s the longest novel I’ve read in quite a while. But it was worth it.
I read every Robert Ludlum book up through 1990’s “The Bourne Ultimatum.” Then I stopped. He continued writing books, using his signature three-word titles–The Scorpio Illusion, The Apocalypse Watch, The Materese Countdown, The Sigma Protocol, and Prometheus–plus one called The Road to Omaha, which followed The Bourne Ultimatum. But I hadn’t read any of them. Don’t know why. I guess I moved on to other stuff, even though a Ludlum book never failed to thrill.
Ludlum died in 2001. Eric Van Lustbader finished four more Ludlum novels, and then started a series about Jason Bourne under the Ludlum brand which now has four books.
A couple months ago I read a book in the Covert One series, another series under the Ludlum brand but not written by him. It reminded me of how much I liked Ludlum’s novels. I decided to go back and catch up.
“The Prometheus Deception” was standard Ludlum: a lone hero teams up with a female accomplice to battle a dasturdly conspiracy, with plot twists and betrayals galore. I’m glad I rediscovered Ludlum. I’ve got some more catching up to do. Just wish he didn’t write such doggone long books!