Robert Ludlum's The Altman Code

On the dark waterside docks of Shanghai, a photographer records cargo being secretly loaded. He's brutally killed and his camera destroyed. Two weeks later on the dangerous high seas, the U.S.

Navy covertly tracks a Chinese ship rumoured to carry tons of chemicals to create biological weapons of mass-destruction. The President cannot let the ship reach its destination - a rogue Middle East nation. But he doesn't want the navy to attack and board it either, because decades of negotiations with China have at long last yielded a landmark human rights agreement that China is willing to sign.

Covert-One operative Jon Smith is brought in to find solid proof of what the Chinese ship is ferrying. Then an agent is murdered and vital evidence destroyed. Smith must find the truth about the ship, a truth that probes the deepest secrets of the Chinese ruling party...

About The Authors

Robert Ludlum is one of the world's bestselling authors and there are more than 300 million copies of his books in print. He is published in 32 languages and 50 countries. As well as blending sophisticated plotting and extreme pace, Robert Ludlum's novels are meticulously researched. In addition to the popular titles in the Covert-One series, Robert Ludlum's best-known books include The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript and the Jason Bourne series.

Gayle Lynds is the co-author of three Covert-One novels and is the author of several bestselling thrillers.