The Tristan Betrayal
[Books]
Review by MARC LOURDES
Author: Robert Ludlum
Publisher: Orion, 521 pages
Exotic destinations, beautiful women, cool gadgets and, of course, the fate of the world in the balance: seemingly all the ingredients needed for an “unputdownable” spy thriller? Think again. Despite having all the prerequisites covered, Robert Ludlum somehow misses the mark in The Tristan Betrayal, serving up some pretty mediocre fare instead.
Reading it somehow made me realise that the spy caper genre has slipped into the kind of formulaic predictability that has ceased to excite readers, like this reviewer, who crave their fix of thrills and spills.
Ludlum employs the oft-used split timeline approach to tell the story that revolves around two separate incidents that occur half a century apart. In the “present” (circa 1991), you have the retired American ambassador, Stephen Metcalfe, on a secret rendezvous with a Russian general in the middle of a Moscow that is literally crumbling beneath the threat of anarchy. Somehow, it is in the hands of these two men that the fate of Russia rests. Why? That is revealed as the story scrolls back to Europe at the height of World War II, with the Nazis poised to overrun the world. It introduces you to a Stephen Metcalfe who is in the prime of his life. Millionaire, party animal and ladies’ man, Metcalfe is actually an American spy who is part of a set up created by Roosevelt himself.
Metcalfe is assigned to Russia, his mission being to establish contact with an old flame and, through her, attempt to help a high-ranking Nazi official defect to the West. At least that is what he is told.
As he stumbles from one life threatening situation to another, Metcalfe begins to realise that nothing is at it seems and the very people who are supposed to be “good guys”, are merely using him as a pawn in a life-or-death game of intrigue.
Well, to cut a long story short, at the end of the story the good guy wins and the day is saved - as usual. And, of course, the mission in the past holds the key to the present conundrum.
The main problem with this story is that it doesn’t have that all-important ingredient that keeps you at the edge of your seat and make you want to skip Malaysian Idol just to continue reading. It is, I dare say, even boring at times.
Having said that, I have to admit that it is not a real stinker. It does have its strengths, among which is Ludlum’s masterful description of Europe in the throes of a war the likes of which has never been seen before. He has captured the atmosphere of depression, desperation and death frighteningly well.
What also grabs the attention are the passages that describe Hitler’s meeting with the crème de la crème of his military advisors. One can almost imagine being in the room and observing the conversations taking place.
The most unforgettable character is definitely the German assassin, Kleist, whose bloodthirstiness is matched only by his deadly efficiency.
Thankfully though, the twist right at the very end is one that the reader does not see coming, which goes a long way towards redeeming the story.
All in all, this book is one that I would keep aside and only bring out on a rainy day when the cable channel is down and other books have already been read. Sadly, it doesn’t compare to thrillers like David Morrell’s Brotherhood of the Rose, Leon Uris’s Topaz or even Ludlum’s own Bourne Trilogy.
Review by MARC LOURDES
Author: Robert Ludlum
Publisher: Orion, 521 pages
Exotic destinations, beautiful women, cool gadgets and, of course, the fate of the world in the balance: seemingly all the ingredients needed for an “unputdownable” spy thriller? Think again. Despite having all the prerequisites covered, Robert Ludlum somehow misses the mark in The Tristan Betrayal, serving up some pretty mediocre fare instead.
Reading it somehow made me realise that the spy caper genre has slipped into the kind of formulaic predictability that has ceased to excite readers, like this reviewer, who crave their fix of thrills and spills.
Ludlum employs the oft-used split timeline approach to tell the story that revolves around two separate incidents that occur half a century apart. In the “present” (circa 1991), you have the retired American ambassador, Stephen Metcalfe, on a secret rendezvous with a Russian general in the middle of a Moscow that is literally crumbling beneath the threat of anarchy. Somehow, it is in the hands of these two men that the fate of Russia rests. Why? That is revealed as the story scrolls back to Europe at the height of World War II, with the Nazis poised to overrun the world. It introduces you to a Stephen Metcalfe who is in the prime of his life. Millionaire, party animal and ladies’ man, Metcalfe is actually an American spy who is part of a set up created by Roosevelt himself.
Metcalfe is assigned to Russia, his mission being to establish contact with an old flame and, through her, attempt to help a high-ranking Nazi official defect to the West. At least that is what he is told.
As he stumbles from one life threatening situation to another, Metcalfe begins to realise that nothing is at it seems and the very people who are supposed to be “good guys”, are merely using him as a pawn in a life-or-death game of intrigue.
Well, to cut a long story short, at the end of the story the good guy wins and the day is saved - as usual. And, of course, the mission in the past holds the key to the present conundrum.
The main problem with this story is that it doesn’t have that all-important ingredient that keeps you at the edge of your seat and make you want to skip Malaysian Idol just to continue reading. It is, I dare say, even boring at times.
Having said that, I have to admit that it is not a real stinker. It does have its strengths, among which is Ludlum’s masterful description of Europe in the throes of a war the likes of which has never been seen before. He has captured the atmosphere of depression, desperation and death frighteningly well.
What also grabs the attention are the passages that describe Hitler’s meeting with the crème de la crème of his military advisors. One can almost imagine being in the room and observing the conversations taking place.
The most unforgettable character is definitely the German assassin, Kleist, whose bloodthirstiness is matched only by his deadly efficiency.
Thankfully though, the twist right at the very end is one that the reader does not see coming, which goes a long way towards redeeming the story.
All in all, this book is one that I would keep aside and only bring out on a rainy day when the cable channel is down and other books have already been read. Sadly, it doesn’t compare to thrillers like David Morrell’s Brotherhood of the Rose, Leon Uris’s Topaz or even Ludlum’s own Bourne Trilogy.
posted by 9T9 at
4:57 pm
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