Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Betrayal (Jason Bourne Series, 5)

I have read all of Ludlums' books and though he has died, the authors taking over his "style" have done a very good job. So far, I have not gotten to this book to read but expect it to be as exciting as the others.

It could be partly due to the excellent audio narration of this book, the sound effects, background music, etc. that set the tone for the book but my imagination really went wild with this book and the scenes really came to life with the vivid descriptions given in the book. I found this book tense, yet relaxing, exotic, exciting, and jam-packed with good story-telling and action all 'round. I would listen to this book in 1-hour segments going to and from work each day and the sheer number of settings (all around the world) and characters made it all very exciting and colorful. I enjoyed the settings in Ethiopia, Odessa, Turkey, and Afghanistan the most. The sequence with Bourne and some guy (don't remember his name) running through the woods and eventually plunging into freezing water beneath the ice was vividly written and I could completely picture myself there in the snow covered woods. I also found some of the cultural references to the tribal chieftains in Ethiopia being called "Negus" enlightening & intellectual-candy since I had recently been studying the ancient Nubian people and had learned that their kings were customarily entitled "Negus," and that title was used up until the early 1900s but then dropped out of use (or so I thought) in referring to kings. If the book's details are accurate the title has now transferred to various local tribal cheiftains. That's not a detail you can find easily in an encyclopedia and so I applaud Lustbader for that extra detail, and perhaps reveals some first-hand knowledge of the region & culture. The part of the book with Bourne in Odessa on the beach at night was also heart-poundingly engaging and the fight sequence next to the sea was expertly written. It was one of the most exciting points in the book to me. Another part I found amusing was when Bourne posed as the pilot of the plane that carried one of the main villians in the story, and the scene was taut with suspense since Bourne's presence was not a secret - and whether Bourne was aware of that at the time or not was left tensely ambiguous. The motorcycle sequence with Bourne in the "ghetto" was also very entertaining and quite interesting with a sexy and hostile female on board. Some parts of the story could have been better written such as the memory erasure part and the escape from Odessa (or maybe I was just sympathizing with the pain of Bourne a little too much for comfort), but overall I enjoyed the book very much. And I DO recommend listening to the audio version if you can get your hands on it. The music and sound effects only add to the quality of the story. Aside from from one of Ian Flemming's James Bond novels, this is the only other audio book I have ever listened to and I enjoyed it immensely, and I'm normally the reading type. But overall I thought it was a great novel I remember thinking to myself "I haven't 'read' [experienced?] such a great novel in a long time." Five stars.

Overall, this is a good spy and action thriller. If you enjoy the pace and action of old James Bond movies or recent Borne films, you will like this The Borne Betrayal. It is one in a series. If you know anything about the series, you already know that Jason Borne is an assassin and rouge agent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. They started him in the assassin's job and lost control of him, assuming they ever had control. In an earlier book, he could not remember who he was. The amnesia added complexity to the mystery and action. In this book, Borne has some memory but not everything, recapturing the feel of the earlier stories. In the beginning of the book, he is in a doctor's office for memory restoration. The doctor is Dr. Sutherland, but that is not his real name or identify. He is another spy! He is really named Costin Veintrop. An Arab usually named Fadi has hired Veintrop. Fadi is one of the leaders of Dujja. Fadi's real name is Abu Ghazi Hadir al-Jamuh ibn Hamid ibn Ashef al-Wahhib. His brother, Karim al-Jamil are the leaders of Dujja, a terrorist organization working on a nuclear weapon. Veintrop plants false memories in Borne's mind, which was his mission. Two things happen as Borne leaves the office. Veintrop calls Fadi to confirm that Borne has been misled. Second, Borne gets a telephone call to say his friend Martin has gone missing. There story continues from there, and I am not going to ruin the plot. There is a great deal of action, explosions, and deaths. It is a great battle between good and evil. One of the good guys dies. No, it is not Bourne; he has to live for another book and another movie! Not everything really resolves. Borne has his victories but must live to fight another day. My favorite things about this book were the action and the suspense. It did not bother me, but some readers might have trouble keeping all the characters straight. There are many of them. Borne provides continuity so you do not get lost. Overall, I recommend this book and give it five starts out of five. (Review by Clayton)

Unlike Clancy, Ludlum has not lost his flair for quality and he never will. As is typical of books that Ludlum either writes or sponsors, this book is fast-paced, full of action, twists and surprises. But what intrigued me most about this work is its relevance to the present. It once again demonstrates the inevitibility of a nuclear attack on our soil by Islamic terrorists. The book should be a wakeup call to Americans and, more generally, to people of the civilized world. Our governments need to acquire the strength of Churchill as opposed to the current Chamberlainish dose of continued inaction, vacillation, lack of resolve and futility of irrelevant, corrupt adventurism displayed by politicians of all colors - right and left. Unless this changes soon, the events described in this book are likely to happen in the near future. Clancy showed vision with the Japanese pilot ramming his plane into the Capitol in "Debt of Honor", some ten years before 9/11. This book shows a similar insight; it is a prophecy of what is to come.

I can't wait to seen if there will be another sequel! I enjoyed this book VERY much1