The Bourne Betrayal
A New Jason Bourne Novel
By Eric Van Lustbader
Read by Jeremy Davidson Hachette Audio, (2007)
An Abridged Recording on 5 CDs
ISBN 10: 1-59483-916-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-59483-916-0
Genre: Thriller
Reviewed by Herbert White - June 18, 2007
The Bourne Betrayal is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Eric Van Lustbader. The first book was The Bourne Legacy. His books continue the Bourne series that was originated by Robert Ludlum, and they match, fairly well, with Ludlum's writing style and action-packed plots. This audio edition of The Bourne Betrayal is read by Jeremy Davidson an actor who has appeared on both stage and screen and who is a seasoned audiobook narrator. His reading of this novel is energetic and engaging, and he brings this non-stop thriller to life through his reading.
In this installment in the Bourne series, we find that Bourne is depressed and off his game, and seeing a shrink. This is in part due to the recent loss of his only remaining friend - Martin Lindros, and in an attempt to regain his lost memories.
Lindros works for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and he has gone missing while on a mission in Ethiopia hunting down a shipment of components that could be used to make a nuclear weapon. Bourne is recruited to go to Africa to discover the truth about Lindros' fate, which he quickly does. He also quickly discovers that things are not what they seem, and that his memories may have been tampered with. Before he can figure out what is going on, Bourne finds himself embroiled in a fight to dismantle an Islamic terrorist network bent upon using a nuclear weapon in a terrorist attack against America.
In pure Ludlum fashion, Bourne teams up with a beautiful woman, and they soon find themselves both the hunted and the hunters in a mad chase around the world to stop the terrorist before they stop them. Full of unexpected twists, lots of action, spies, terrorist, and the threat of imminent destruction, The Bourne Betrayal will find a ready-made audience in the form of Ludlum's readers, and in the form of Van Lustbader's large fan base. While The Bourne Betrayal can be read as a stand alone book, I highly recommend that you read or listen to The Bourne Legacy first, if only to discover how Bourne's back story differs slightly in the Van Lustbader novels than in the Ludlum stories.
Related Reviews:
The Ambler Warning, by Robert Ludlum.
Hal Ambler has a problem. The former spy has been put into deep storage in the Parrish Island Psychiatric Facility, a warehouse for unbalanced intelligence agents deemed to be a security risk. Being sane, Hal uses his skills to escape from the institute and sets out to discover just who sent him there - and why.
The Sigma Protocol, by Robert Ludlum.
Ben Hartman isn't having a good day. An old school buddy just tried to kill him, and now the forces of a mysterious cartel are out to finish the job. To save his own life, Ben must join forces with the beautiful Anna Navarro, who has also run afoul of this devious organization. In this nonstop action thriller, the two face death at every turn as they struggle to uncover the truth about the Sigma.
