The Tristan Betrayal

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fall of 1940, the Nazis are at the height of their power. France is occupied, Britain is enduring the Blitz and is under 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 lover, a fiery ballerina whose own loyalties are in question, in a delicate dance that could destroy all he loves and honors.

©2003 Myn Pyn, LLC. (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, A Division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"The fast-paced plot reflects Ludlum's genuine knack for constructing good stories�" (Booklist)

posthumous Ludlum

If you like comic book characters, telegraphic moronic dialog, verbal filler, and an all too familiar plot, then this is your book. The only redeeming feature is the game attempt by the narrator to breath life into this turkey.

boring

If you want a predictable, boring, wordy, long audible book then this one is for you.

Ludlum wrote better books while he was alive

What would have made The Tristan Betrayal better?

Much smarter plotting; this book telegraphs its twists well in advance. The history in it is also really sloppy.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert Ludlum again?

Only if it was written by the great man *before* his death in 2001.

What character would you cut from The Tristan Betrayal?

The Nazi assassin with the killer nose. He was like a fringe character from X-Men.

Not his best

I've read 95% of Ludlum's books. I am usually enthralled by his stories, but this is not one of his best. I agree with the reviewer who said the main character is not the brightest bulb - I found myself saying, "Well, duhhh" after it took Metcalf forever to figure something out. The plot is predictable. I found myself looking forward to it being over.

Not this time

I have been reading Ludlam for years. He must be rolling in his grave. The plot was thin, the characters unbelievable and the last-second-pull-through-against-all-odds just not believable. There were so many holes, even I could have escaped through one of them. It kept my mind busy whilst I was gardening, but only just.

Dull Witted Espionage

I don't think I've ever run across a novel in this genre as weak as this one. The protagonist is rather, I hesitate to write this... but - stupid. The writing is repetitive - it seems that everything needs to be spelled out to the reader two or three times so they can understand the story. Like the reader is as slow as the spy. In the last four hours, I just started listening to the first few lines of each chapter and was able to piece together the string of events without suffering through mundane explanations and the protagonist's slow-witted thought processes. Unfortunately, from my point of view, I cannot recommend this title.