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Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal

Review

Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal

It
is a wonder that THE BOURNE BETRAYAL doesn't just explode on the
bookshelves; I would submit that it is theoretically impossible for
your standard bookbinding to keep the story presented therein
contained. The second of Eric Van Lustbader’s interpretations
of Jason Bourne, Robert Ludlum’s classic creation, has enough
twists, turns, explosions, fights, deaths, and double and triple
crosses to fill four or five books.

THE BOURNE BETRAYAL begins where Lustbader’s THE BOURNE
LEGACY ends, and it would behoove readers to have at least a
passing familiarity with the previous novel before attempting to
dive into this new work. Bourne, still reeling from personal
losses, attempts a radical new course of therapy to regain his
memory and excise the mysterious flashbacks he is experiencing.
While he is undergoing treatment, Martin Lindros, Bourne’s
Central Intelligence handler and his only friend, goes missing
while on a mission in which the fate of the country hangs in the
balance. CI reluctantly recruits Bourne to find Lindros, a task he
jumps into even while insisting that it be done his way.

Bourne locates Lindros quickly enough, though little does he know
that he has begun to set in motion a plot that will culminate in
revenge against himself, CI and the United States. He has no idea
how high or how deep the possibility of betrayal goes, even as he
struggles with his own demons from the past and doggedly continues
on a pursuit that will carry him to the outer reaches of his
limits. Never before has Bourne encountered so much danger or
sustained so many physical and mental injuries as he does in THE
BOURNE BETRAYAL.

Lustbader is an excellent storyteller and is not afraid to keep the
twists and turns coming in this sequel. He is also quite ready and
able to tinker with the Bourne mythos, and it is safe to say that
future Bourne novels (if we are fortunate enough to see them) will
be somewhat different in several particulars from what has gone
before. This is an explosive addition to a series with an unrivaled
heritage and storied pedigree.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub on January 7, 2011

Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal
by Eric Van Lustbader

  • Publication Date: May 1, 2008
  • Genres: Fiction, Thriller
  • Mass Market Paperback: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Vision
  • ISBN-10: 0446618802
  • ISBN-13: 9780446618809