The Icarus Agenda has a fine, classic structure. It is written in three clear movements, with each one developing a different aspect of the Icarus scheme.

The novel begins with the Mahdi movement. It is a complete novel by itself; even without the rest of the book it could stand alone with an exciting plot, interesting characters, and a satisfying climax. In the Mahdi movement, the archvillain is the evil businessman who calls himself the Mahdi. He was responsible for the murder of all of the employees of Kendrick and Weingrass' Middle Eastern construction firm.

When Kendrick learns of the strange hostage taking in Oman, he realizes that the secret financial backer of the terrorists must be the Mahdi, who uses terrorist groups to drive competing businesses out of the Middle East.

Ludlum drops hints that the Mahdi story has wider implications, usually by showing the computer log...