The Doomsday Conspiracy
 First edition | |
| Author | Sidney Sheldon |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | 1991 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 412 |
| ISBN | 0-688-08489-3 |
| Preceded by | Memories of Midnight |
| Followed by | The Stars Shine Down |
The Doomsday Conspiracy is a thriller novel by American writer Sidney Sheldon published in 1991. The story concerns an American naval officer who encounters a mysterious force during an investigation in a balloon accident in the Swiss Alps.[1]
Synopsis
The protagonist of the story is Robert Bellamy, a man hired by the NSA to locate the several bus passengers in Switzerland who had accidentally seen a weather balloon with some top secret equipment (later on identified as a UFO) collapsing in the woods. As Robert locates the passengers one by one, they are mysteriously killed. Each murder has been meticulously staged to appear as an accident. Robert's marriage also dissolves, as his wife, starved for attention by Robert, marries a rich business tycoon Monte Banks.
As Commander Robert Bellamy of US Navy is in the verge of completion of his mission, he learns that he is being hunted by an unknown lethal force. Robert runs escaping from the attackers from Washington to Zurich, Rome and Paris.
As the story unfolds to reveal Bellamy's past – why the woman he loves cannot return his love, why his most beloved friends become his deadly enemies. Bellamy finally learns that the investigation ends in the place where he had started it. And how he wins over the enemies and his lady love back forms the final plot with unexpected twists and turns.
Influence
Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, named The Doomsday Conspiracy as the book that inspired him to write thriller fiction, citing its "simplicity of the prose and efficiency of the storyline".[2][3][4]
References
- ↑ "BEST SELLERS: December 15, 1991". The New York Times. December 15, 1991.
- ↑ The two sources provided here differ on how Sheldon inspired Brown. He indicates on Page 3 of his 2006 witness statement that Sheldon's book was an attention-holding page turner that reminded him how fun it was to read, but the BBC source indicates that he thought he could "do better" than Sheldon.
- ↑ Lattman, Peter (March 14, 2006). "'The Da Vinci Code' Trial: Dan Brown’s Witness Statement Is a Great Read". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ↑ "Decoding the Da Vinci Code author". BBC. August 10, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
| Preceded by Memories of Midnight |
Sidney Sheldon Novels 1991 |
Succeeded by The Stars Shine Down |