With tentacles everywhere, the Matarese was the personification of evil at its most vicious and relentless. Its goal was economic domination of the world. Ludlum fans will remember Brandon Scofield from the CIA who joined with one of the KGB's finest to defeat it.

Today, international scions meet. Called together by Jan Matareisen, the only legitimate descendant of the Baron Matarese, he informs the seven illegitimate heirs of the Baron that they are indeed cousins. Collectively, they control over one trillion dollars of the world economy, and Jan proposes that they revive the evil goal of their grandfather, the Baron Matarese. But first they have to arrange the murders of the remaining heirs who oppose their avaricious plans.

The CIA's attention is drawn to the sudden, unexpected deaths of four very wealthy, internationally-known individuals within a single 48-hour period. There are absolutely no clues as to the perpetrators of the crimes. What worries the CIA are renewed rumors that the Matarese is back; rumors that are directly tied to some of the deaths.

CIA case officer Cameron Pryce is brought in determine whether these rumors have any substance. His first priority is to contact Brandon Scofield, who is now retired and living in the Caribbean. While they are discussing the old Matarese, the US Coast Guard vessel that brought Cameron to Brandon is blown up. This act accomplishes what governments over time had been unable to do…it draws Scofield back into the game, since he now realizes his refuge has been discovered by the Matarese.

The race to stop the Matarese is on, and the hunt is vintage Ludlum. Ludlum weaves some of the most intricate plots in print, and this novel is no different. He is always technologically correct and current in terrorism, economics and the inner workings of government agencies. His characters are always well developed and the action flows from scene to scene effortlessly.

The most discordant note in this book was the patronizing attitude of Scofield toward the younger Cameron. In places the dialogue is weak, and relies too heavily on the crutch of sarcasm. Still, these are small blemishes in this fast paced thriller.

If you haven't read The Matarese Circle, you should probably do so first, although this book stands nicely alone.

--Thea Davis