In the fall of 1940, the Nazis are at the height of their power - France is occupied, Britian is enduring the Blitz and is under the threat of invasion, America is neutral, and Russia is in an uneasy alliance with Germany. Stephen Metcalfe, the younger son of a prominent American family, is a well-known man about town in occupied Paris. He's also a minor asset in the U.S.'s secret intelligence forces in Europe. Through a wild twist of fate, it falls to Metcalfe to instigate a bold plan that may be the only hope for what remains of the free world. Now he must travel to wartime Moscow to find, and possibly betray, a former love - a fiery ballerina whose own loyalties are in question - in a delicate dance that could destroy all he loves and honors.
Robert Ludlum was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series--The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum--among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March, 2001. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.
I could not put this book down. If you love espionage you will love this book! With a little love story to it also. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. Loved it!!
Entertaining as these types of books are, I suppose. I think its biggest flaw -- the fact that it was pretty repetitive and exceptionally explanatory (I am the plot twist, watch me twist! Watch me twist again! This is why I am twisting!) -- is what made me like it the most. I've only read the one, but I suspect these kinds of books are basically the man's romance novel, eh? Slightly more acceptable in more social circles, but no greater literary quality.
Anyway, the story was pretty interesting, it turns out I kind of like reading movies. The female character was INCREDIBLY one dimensional and kind of boring until about five pages before the end, so that was pretty annoying. But I'm not sorry I read it. Not even sorry I spent four dollars on it.
This book enthralled me early on. It struck me as spy/espionage at its best. The writing is detailed but not too observational. The pace is fast while still providing substance. Most importantly, the plot was intriguing.
But unfortunately, much of it fell flat half-way through the novel. Nothing changed, except that the patterns of the author became apparent. *Minor spoiler* Every time the main character tries to do something undercover, his cover is blown. That's interesting the first time, but I began to question his spy credentials after a while. He can't do anything without all the bad guys knowing who he is and what he is doing.
Consequently, he gets into many tough spots. He wriggles out of these tough spots through a variety of clever tactics. Though each situation taken individually is plausible, added together they feel miraculous. As much as I liked the plot and story, these two elements made me glad to finish this book and get on to something else. Which is sad, because I really liked the beginning.
Warning: This book has two or three objectionable scenes. I listened to it as an audiobook so it was easy to fast-forward for a minute or two. When you get to any scene where the main character is about to put the moves on some bimbo, just skip ahead two pages. I don't want to recommend something offensive without a warning.
Seriously bad book. Clunky writing, a stupid main character (a spy whose cover is blown about every 100 pages), dialogue that reads like history lessons, absolutely no suspense. The premise -- that the Americans and Brits tricked Nazi Germany into attacking Russia, and thus spread itself to thin -- is interesting. But the book is so poorly written and so illogically plotted that I could barely get through it.
Classic Robert Ludlum. Spies, espionage and the future of the world hanging in the balance. He was my favorite author when I was in college and it was a pleasure to read his work again.
Un gros livre d'espionnage et un bon roman historique assez plaisant à lire . En 1940 la France est occupée par les nazis, la grande Bretagne menacée .la Russie a conclu une alliance avec l'Allemagne.Stephen metcalfe est un ancien agent secret américain , nous raconte en détails sa mission impossible en Russie. Un coup du sort le propulse à la tête d'un plan audacieux qui se révèle être l'unique espoir du monde libre.
A book made for summer vacation reading. It keeps you hooked, almost like binge-watching a series like 24. At times, though, it gets overblown with descriptions that add little to the plot. Toward the end, it suddenly throws in a new character without any prior hints or buildup. The main character—while this is fiction—feels unrealistically invincible, operating solo like a lone wolf in both Nazi and Soviet territory.
What a surprise at the end. Unbelievable. As soon as Stephan met Lana and they discussed, I guessed there would be a child; but this?
At all, it was great. When you are reading Ludlum, you never get bored and thrill has no limit. You always have to expect an incident, a turn, a treason, a surprise, even at the very last page.
The first Ludlum novel not actually written by Ludlum, a fact I didn't realize when I picked this up at a thrift store for 99¢. All plot and action. The characters are ridiculous and the story exceeded my ability to suspend disbelief as it raced to its conclusion. Not in the same league with the Ludlum novels I've previously read many years ago.
The Tristan Betrayal is a departure from what I have come to expect from Robert Ludlum, which is probably why I enjoyed this novel so much. It is primarily an historical thriller taking place in Europe during World War II, with only loose tales to the modern day (1991) event that is occurring. In present time, with the Soviet Union is under siege by the hardliners who want to take control of the country, American Ambassador Stephen Metcalf is called upon to convince the one person who can prevent this from happening to stop it. Metcalf does this by relaying the tale of his youth when he was a spy for the United States prior to them joining the war effort in Europe. He has been given the assignment to have a former Russian lover of his to pass off falsified documents to her Gestapo boyfriend that suggests that the Soviets would be weak and be easy prey for the Germans to invade. The end result being Germany involved in a war on two fronts that they couldn’t win.
What generally turns me off from Ludlum is the utterly outlandish plot lines and the ridiculous conspiracies that his novels often devolve into. This novel had none of those things. The story line was plausible and intriguing. The plot unfolded in a logical manner. There was enough action to keep the story moving, even though it wasn’t central to the story. The characters were well-defined. Even though the twist at the end wasn’t much of a twist, and I had figured it out about half way through the novel, the ending was still satisfying. This is the best Ludlum novel I have read and I would recommend it to readers of thrillers and historical fiction.
The Tristan Betrayal is shockingly a very interesting book to read. Kinda has the old Ludlum flair of the Bourne and Matarese mixed in. Although sadly Ludlum never finished the story, the story at the beginning is pure Ludlum, with the end showing the loopholes of a less creative mind. The story starts with Stephen Metcalfe receiving word from a woman he thought had forgotten him. The love of his life at a time when the Cold War was at its peak. Stephen is the youngest son of a prominent American family who is invited to all diplomatic functions. Seeing his well placed connections, his charms and his smartness, the CIA hires him as their spy. In the course of his mission he falls in love with the Russian contact who later allegedly betrays him. The intricacy of the story leaves behind the spy world in this book. The attraction, the love, the very essence of loyalty is questioned on both ends. A compelling read for those who loved the olden ways...
eponymous sentences: p262: "Tristan is really working for his uncle the king. He betrays him, Stiva...."
le mot juste: p89: His right hand squeezed at the trigger of his gun, which was pointed upward, at the high cement ceiling, a stray last round.
p290: The cement courtyard was small and desolate, much like the run-down building that surrounded it, located in a seedy area in the southwest of Moscow.
p320: They raced through a long brick tunnel that smelled strongly of animal excrement, the cement floor covered with straw.
plot: p305: Once the guy had left, he would take out the Smith & Wesson revolver and screw the sound suppressor into its specially modified threaded barrel.
ocr: p351: The Tristan Betrayal 453 The door opened; a housekeeper let him in.
Tragic. It sounds like this was done or at least finished by a ghostwriter but I don't see any one else who shares my sentiment.
I might have already read this book during my school/college days, I'm not sure! Some parts were familiar, some were new. But what I realized during this read was how I've outgrown the Ludlum-style espionage thrillers. No offense to Ludllum, he's still one of the best I've read in this genre. It's just that I've personally moved over to literature that's more subtle, nuanced and thought-provoking, rather than straight-forward, in-my-face kind of thrillers.
That said, my next book might also be a Ludlum - more so one that I know I've read already! :-( Blame it on my Kindle-less state and the fact that my brother seems to have misplaced his Robert Jordan 'Wheel of Time' book which I badly wanted to read!
(German Edition) An sich gut geschrieben und spannend, aber in weiten Teilen unglaubhaft: Der Held findet sich praktisch andauernd in gefährlichsten Situationen. Und er versteht es selbstverständlich immer, sich zu befreien, wie z.B. durch Flucht über vereiste Dächer, obwohl schwer verletzt. Er hat alles, stammt aus reichster Unternehmerfamilie, sieht blendend aus, erobert Frauenherzen auf der ganzen Welt, seine grosse Liebe ist nicht irgendwer, sondern die Prima Ballerina des Bolschoi-Theaters. Von ihm als Meisterspion hängt nicht weniger als der Ausgang des 2. Weltkriegs ab und ihm ist es später zu verdanken, dass der Putsch gegen Gorbatschow scheitert. Denn aus unsäglichem Grund, den wir am Schluss des Buches erfahren, hat er auch Einfluss auf den mächtigsten Mann Russlands.
Seriously bad book. Clunky writing, a stupid main character (a spy whose cover is blown about every 100 pages), dialogue that reads like history lessons, absolutely no suspense. The premise -- that the Americans and Brits tricked Nazi Germany into attacking Russia, and thus spread itself to thin -- is interesting. But the book is so poorly written and so illogically plotted that I could barely get through it.
Vintage Ludlum? No quite. Ludlum at his best would mean an intricate plot with lots of action. This book does have action but each incident is stretched endlessly with little or no value addition - in thrills or in terms of adding to the plot. The premise of the book is in itself, quite interesting (no, I won't add a spoiler here). But that's about it. The protagonist must be one of the weakest I have come across in a Ludlum novel. And there is little else. All in all, a below average book.
Unbelievable book...for all the wrong reasons. It is evident that a ghost writer wrote this after RL death...there are only about 100 pages written in RL style. The 'spy' is totally unbelievable.....lost count of how many times he was betrayed, cornered with a gun to his head/chest and then he managed to escape. Worst book I have read in some time - and nothing like the book notes about coup in Russia (1991)....it's all about WW2 deceit.
A boring book with an uninteresting ending. It was really frustrating to see the main character's cover be blown every 100 pages. Seriously dude, you call yourself a spy?!?!
Long story short I only read the book because a friend asked me to.....I am never gonna trust her opinion again!!!
Not one of his best books. The story will take time to get on you and plus the climax could have been a better. It was quite confusing in the end. 4 stars for 1st half of the book, climax gave up the build up!!
Almost entirely written from imagination and poorly researched. Great many implausible situations i.e. there were no fixed radio transmission stations because of the Nazi detectors. Active life of a mobile radio operator was about 6 weeks.
Never finished. This is an inferior franchise novel that was ghost written after Robert Ludlum's death. Wish Ludlum was still alive and writing. He NEVER disappointed.
Requiring the usual suspension of disbelief from the reader, Ludlum cookes his well known recipe. Also, has nazis, long lost realatives, only Pinoccio and Rapunzel are missing.
This was an interesting and gripping novel. The ghost writer who took over this Ludlum thriller did not have the same style or mastery as Ludlum himself however.
There were some truly masterful and clever additions. Some of the historical anecdotes were interesting, sayings from Lenin, interspersed with historical facts which lent credence to the tale. The hints of collaboration by Coco Channel (odious anti-Semite), Maurice Chevalier and Edith Piaf. The Collusion of U.S. industry such as Ford corporation, with the Nazi regime and other interesting facts from this dark period.
While I liked the overall development of the narrative, there were a number of shortcomings imho.
While heroes are usually over the top unbelievable, the hero of this work, Stephen Metcalf, is far from the top overemotional (as spy's go)an affable dilettante without the tough and tumble façade we've come to expect in our fictional spy heroes. He probably would not have actually lasted in the field for more than a day with any luck were this reality. P. 433 he is so maudlin and obsessed with carnal and emotional delusions that he becomes unbelievable as a field agent. P. 376 the Allegorical tale of Tristan and Isolde is also far too far over the top. It could have, and should have been toned down to render it more realistic.
At times I found myself wondering if this was actually a course in learning basic Russian instead of a work of fiction. The extensive use of Russian (sometimes not explained) was annoying, this was even more so when I found that the transliteration into English was suspect from the actual pronunciation. When used sparingly this technique (employing foreign terms and expressions) can add a sense of reality to a work of fiction...but too much, alas is too much.
On page 75 we read: "...he thumbed the safety, cocked the hammer by pulling back on the slide, and prepared to fore. (Ostensibly he is using a colt M1911 .45 caliber pistol here). Later on Page 75 we read that his baggy trousers: ",,,concealed the revolver, whose holster he strapped to his ankle. This appears to be a an error of omission.
P.390, While the German agent Kleist has a superior sense of smell I was feeling shades of Patrick Suskinds "Perfume" here. This was not merely annoying, but totally implausible and detracted radically from the veracity of the tale. We get the impression that the man is more animal (bloodhound) than human. P.497 for instance the story plunges quite frankly into the absurd; the ludicrous.
P. 504 while searching the deductions drawn by Metcalf, during his search for Lana, are simply too far fetched to be taken seriously
All in all it was an enjoyable read, but it was not the Master Ludlum. While Jason Bourne aka David Webb is believable Metcalf less so. I would still recommend the tale since it is a gripping page turner, especially in the cold winter nights which have recently best us here.
I think you will enjoy it albeit bearing in mind the few reservations I have noted.
This book didn’t let me sleep for past two days! was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN YES ☠️
A spy thriller based on true events of second world war. For a history lover like me, it was a delicious 5 course meal.
After having his network compromised in Paris, Stephen Metcalfe, A charming spy of US intelligence, was assigned for a far more important task in Moscow. For which, he needed to contact a former lover. The only women the casanova has ever loved. The fate of the world depends on this mission. Just after he steps foot in war ridden Moscow, troubles arise from all sides. Will his mission be successful? Whom can he trust? Who is the traitor? Was he being used? Everything is questioned.
Even though it was ridiculously annoying that, nothing was secret about A SECRET INTELLIGENCE SPY (His cover got blown atleast hundred of times) i couldn’t put this book down.
This book was very interesting and gripping from the beginning. But the repetition of Stephens failed attemps was too dragged.
From the very first page to the last page this book kept me on edge. Even though it used french-german-russian words in almost every pages, It was not hard to decipher those. Every page is full with thrill, shock and anxiety ☠️ I literary felt like I was seeing a war ridden time period with my own eyes, up close. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
PRETEXT: 1940: The Nazis are at the height of their power. Stephen Metcalfe is one of the US's secret intelligence agents in Paris- until his network is betrayed to the Gestapo. Now Stephen is sent to Moscow, where he must find, and possibly betray, a former lover...
1991: the Communist empire is on the verge of oblivion, and a coup is being planned by a powerful new cabal. Stephen Metcalfe, now a retired ambassador, must return to Moscow and finally reveal a secret that has haunted him since the fall of Berlin... A secret that might just avert a global cataclysm.