The Matarese Countdown

Amazon.co.uk Review In the audio version of Robert Ludlum's espionage thriller, The Matarese Countdown , the confident voice of actor Stephen Lang (Broadway credits include Hamlet , Death of a Salesman , and A Few Good Men ) sets the stage. ''He jumped out of the raft and pulled it between the rocks to the sand, securing it to the trunk of a palm ... it was time for the hunt, and hopefully luck would be part of it.'' And so the chase is on. Lang leads us through a suspenseful tale of incestuous corporate corruption and free-market murder. With his customary polish, Ludlum has devised a mind-bending plot that twists and turns through a complex maze of deadly consequences, pitting his team of heroes against a vicious and all-powerful evil empire. As in the popular prequel, The Matarese Circle , Lang uses his impressive vocal talents to create characters whose accented voices, regional dialects, and identifiable speech patterns heighten the drama. Some might consider the performance over the top, but it is nonetheless skilful and helps carry the action in this far-reaching tale of international intrigue. Product Description The Matarese Circle, Robert Ludlum's multimillion-copy spellbinder, introduced a treacherous international cabal of powerbrokers and their hired assassins. More than twenty years ago, the top CIA and KGB agents joined together to ensure that, in an explosive act, the Matarese conspiracy went up in flames. But now Robert Ludlum, the unsurpassed master of suspense, returns with a stunning thriller for the twenty-first century. . . and like a phoenix from the ashes, the terror has reappeared. Secret deals are in the making, massive mysterious transactions steeped in corruption and murder. The players stand at the highest pinnacles of global finance and government. It is an unprecedented consolidation of money, power, and ruthlessness. Their ultimate aim: worldwide economic domination and all it entails. . . by whatever means necessary. The Matarese dynasty is back in all its glory and evil. And the one man with enough knowledge to stop it, CIA case officer Cameron Pryce, may not have enough time. The Matarese countdown has begun and Pryce's only chance to cut it off is to follow the trail of blood money and stone-cold killers to the heart of this deadliest conspiracy. From the Hamptons to Monte Carlo to London's Belgrave Square, Matarese assassins have already struck with brutal efficiency, eliminating all who stand in their way. But on Spain's Costa del Sol, one victim survived long enough to breathe these dying words: ''Find Beowulf Agate'' --words that reverberate all the way to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Beowulf Agate is the code name for legendary retired agent Brandon Scofield, the only man ever to penetrate the Matarese and survive. Now Cameron Pryce has to draw Scofield and his wife, Antonia, out of their Caribbean paradise hideaway and back to a place they thought they'd never have to go again--back into the Matarese circle of death. For from the oil fields of the Persian Gulf to the boardrooms of Manhattan, from the hills of Corsica to the halls of power in Washington, the circle is closing, the noose is tightening, the panic is spreading. And Pryce has made a chilling discovery: the Matarese have broken new ground. . .deep inside the CIA. The Matarese Countdown is Robert Ludlum at his best, as he delivers a terrifying and persuasive vision of worldwide financial mastery that could only happen today. The Matarese Are Back. But Has The Only Man With The Power To Stop Them Already Run Out Of Time? Twenty Years Ago, Kgb And Cia Agents Worked Together To Bring Down The Matarese, A Dynasty Of Killers Who Threatened The World. But The Terrifying Group Has Regained Its Power. Cia Officer Cameron Pryce Is Hot On The Trail Of The New Matarese Alliance. His Only Chance To Terminate Its Ruthless Activities Is To Follow The Trail Of Blood Money And Stone-cold Killers. Then He Gets A Lucky Break. One Of The Matarese Victims Lives Long Enough To Whisper Dying Words That Will Blow The Case Wide Open: The Code Name For Legendary Cia Agent Brandon Scofield - The Only Man To Infiltrate The Matarese Circle, And Survive.