Review Tuesday: In Print - The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum

Years ago I read the original Bourne series and loved them. Unlike the movies, the characters were flawed and VERY human. So I decided to get back to some conspiracies that don't treat you like a moron. Back to the master, Robert Ludlum - The Matarese Circle.

Two arch-enemies from either side of the Cold War are forced to work together to stop a global conspiracy that's been brewing for over 70 years. Brandon Scofield of the CIA and Vasili Taleniekov of the KGB are the top strategists in modern espionage so they have a couple tricks up their sleeves as they race around the world trying to figure out the conspiracy while avoiding the agents of the Matarese and their own governments.

The edition I read was well over 500 pages but never for an instant seemed to drag or even slow down a bit. The characters are well developed. The good guys are pretty damned good, and the bad guys are pretty evil. Of course, the love interest is described as pretty hot sounding. Put it all together and Ludlum put together a pretty great novel.

I bought this as part of a collection someone was selling on eBay, so it's not too hard to find. If you're tired of being treated like an idiot by authors like Dan Brown, this should be up your alley!