It's just that Ludlum uses it *every time*, so it's really most typical of him.
(Or, if I wanted to quibble, I'd point out that "pelican" is more of another ordinary noun in that title, referring to the bird species in general; it's not a *name*, in the sense of being about some old "Colonel Joseph F. Pelican IV, USMC, Ret.", or anything... But I don't, so I won't. :-)
What's to be tentative about; I'm fairly sure I'd never pronounce "an homage" with an audible consonant at the beginning. (Which obviously means that anyone who would, must be pronouncing it wrong.)