At first, it felt as if I have stumbled upon a sequel without reading the first novel in a series. Usually you get a sense of the storyline in first couple of pages but nothing made sense here. Why were the cops, out on a routine patrol duty on a Sunday afternoon, making sure that particular residents of Saddle Valley noticed their continued presence? Why were the Tremaynes, Tanners and Cardones rattled by it? Why was there so much tension about the weekend visit by the Ostermans? What in the hell was Omega? And where in the world did the CIA fit into this enigma?
I was seriously considering abandoning the novel but decided to go on for few more pages. Slowly, the picture began to emerge. So there is John Tanner, a hotshot in some network channel and his wife Alice. They are all set to receive the Ostermans who are flying down for one of their weekend visits. Then there is Richard Tremayne, a lawyer and his wife Virginia. And Joseph Cardone and his wife Betty. All four couples are looking forward to the weekend - until CIA happens. Enter agent Fassett who gets hold of Tanner and informs him of an international conspiracy, Omega, in which one, two or all three of his friends might possibly be involved. He asks for Tanner's help in trapping Omega, fully acknowledging the fact that by doing so Tanner could be putting his family at serious risk. Of course, a full protection is assured, as is routine in such cases. John Tanner finds that saying 'No' is not an option whatsoever. And thus the game begins.
Ludlum has succeeded in keeping his readers off-balance by a series of dramatic events. But somehow, and I cannot put my finger on the exact reason, I didn't much like the novel. Omega isn't satisfactorily explained in the end thus leaving the reader wondering about what the whole hoopla was all about. :-(
I was seriously considering abandoning the novel but decided to go on for few more pages. Slowly, the picture began to emerge. So there is John Tanner, a hotshot in some network channel and his wife Alice. They are all set to receive the Ostermans who are flying down for one of their weekend visits. Then there is Richard Tremayne, a lawyer and his wife Virginia. And Joseph Cardone and his wife Betty. All four couples are looking forward to the weekend - until CIA happens. Enter agent Fassett who gets hold of Tanner and informs him of an international conspiracy, Omega, in which one, two or all three of his friends might possibly be involved. He asks for Tanner's help in trapping Omega, fully acknowledging the fact that by doing so Tanner could be putting his family at serious risk. Of course, a full protection is assured, as is routine in such cases. John Tanner finds that saying 'No' is not an option whatsoever. And thus the game begins.
Ludlum has succeeded in keeping his readers off-balance by a series of dramatic events. But somehow, and I cannot put my finger on the exact reason, I didn't much like the novel. Omega isn't satisfactorily explained in the end thus leaving the reader wondering about what the whole hoopla was all about. :-(
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