Robert Ludlum's The Geneva Strategy

By: Jamie Freveletti

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Robert Ludlum's best-selling Covert-One series continues with an exciting, ripped-from-the-headlines new novel by best-selling, award-winning thriller author Jamie Freveletti.

On one evening in Washington, DC, several high-ranking members of government disappear in a mass kidnapping. Among the kidnapped is Nick Rendel, a computer software coding expert in charge of drone programming and strategy. He is the victim with the most dangerous knowledge, including confidential passwords and codes that are used to program the drones. If revealed, his kidnappers could reprogram the drones to strike targets within the United States.

Jon Smith and the Covert One team begin a worldwide search to recover the officials, but as the first kidnapping victims are rescued, they show disturbing signs of brainwashing or mind-altering drugs. Smith's investigation leads him to Fort Detrick, where a researcher, Dr. Laura Taylor, had been attempting to create a drug to wipe memory from soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. But Dr. Taylor's research was suspended almost a year ago, when she was placed in a mental institution. Now, if Smith doesn't figure out the brainwashing drug, and track down the kidnapped Nick Rendel, the kidnappers will soon have the power to carry out drone strikes anywhere in the world...

©2015 Jamie Freveletti (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Well read

Jeff Woodman, the reader, has great command of voices. great story with hints of other plot lines.

Action Overload!

Any additional comments?

This is an action packed thrill ride! Now I'm desperate to find out what in the world happened in South Korea?!?!?! Fantastic entertainment.

Jeff Woodman never disappoints

While, I thoroughly enjoy just reading the Covert One series, it is Jeff Woodman's narration that really breathe life into Characters like Fred Klein & Randy Russell.

Good Listen but .....

This was a good listen but it's not the best from the series. Also, why does everyone in this book continually rock their hands back and forth?

Story Is Good But Predictable

If you are a covert 1 fan, this installment should make you happy. The only thing I did not like about it was how the bad guys died. I thought the author could use a little more imagination there. Other than that, a typical Jon Smith adventure.

Riveting

I loved this book. Once I started listening to it I continued listening until I finished it!

Great listen!

While the book was fast-moving and action-packed, I found myself looking for more explanation at the end. So it felt slightly unresolved. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Dialogue Was Trite

The book starts out strong with action. I thought it would be a solid 4 stars. Parts of the story were worthy of 4 stars, but the dialogue was often trite and juvenile. I liked the overall concept of drones, biological weapons, and mind erasing drugs. However, the plot became too convoluted with all the different factions involved.

Reading this in 2022, I had to appreciate the line Smith said to Arden about her making microbiology seem irrelevant noting that one day another pandemic may sweep the earth and you'll be thankful for microbiologists. I found Arden to be overly idealistic and frequently annoying. Darkanin, a megalomaniac drug company CEO, is in it for the money not seeming to care who he works with. Then later in the story he is shocked/enraged that his agenda and his co-conspirators' agenda do not align. There was one little twist that was revealed about halfway through the book. It was foreshadowed earlier in the book with the kidnapped people.

The narrator's voice was okay, but he wasn't consistent in accents. Sometimes the voice of a German sounded Asian. The main characters' voices were not always distinguishable. His voice was fine to listen to in general, but there were places where I wish his narration had been stronger/heavier.

Good story as you would expect… but

The Ludlum story measures up but this is probably the worst narration that I’ve listen to!! I hope that the narrator listens to his own work and learns from the experience. Painful at points… only a little better in later chapters

Love the continued character development.

I really like the way John's relationship with Russell develops. Both loners but linked.