Robert Ludlum's The Paris option

A fiery explosion shatters a laboratory building in Paris.

Among the dead is Emile Chambord, one of the leaders in the global race to create a molecular - or DNA - computer.

Unfortunately, Professor Chambord kept the details of his work secret, and his notes were apparently destroyed in the fire.

Then suddenly US fighter jets disappear from radar screens for a full five minutes and there's no explanation; utilities cease to function; and all telecommunications abruptly stop, with devastating consequences.

This is not the work of a clever hacker - only the enormous power and speed of a DNA computer could have caused such havoc.

Covert-One agent Jon Smith flies to Paris to investigate.

Following a trail that leads him across two continents, he uncovers a web of deception that threatens to re-shape the world for ever ...