The Big Thrill Recommends: THE BOURNE SHADOW by Brian Freeman

Book Cover: THE BOURNE SHADOWRecommended by Gregory Stout

According to the introductory pages (including this book, THE BOURNE SHADOW), there are 19 Jason Bourne books in the wildly successful series, including three by the series originator Robert Ludlum, 11 by Eric Van Lustbader, and now five by the current caretaker, Brian Freeman, a successful author of 26 titles in three series, plus seven standalone titles. So, full disclosure: I have never read a Jason Bourne novel or a Brian Freeman novel, although I have seen a couple of Bourne movie adaptations, so I’m approaching this as a near-complete novice. That said, for both long-time fans and newcomers like myself, this book is action a-plenty as Jason Bourne, AKA David Webb, AKA “Cain,” sets off to reconnect with a long-ago lover to thwart a far-right takeover of the French government by a political movement called Le Renouveau (The Renewal). He’s also trying to rediscover pieces of his memory lost as the result of a bullet wound to the head in an earlier installment.

The plot takes Bourne, an agent of a shadowy organization called Treadstone, from Switzerland to Germany to France to the UK, leaving bodies of Le Renouveau agents in his wake. Along the way, there is plenty of excitement, crosses and double-crosses, and a couple of plot twists that I did not see coming. Without doubt, long-time fans and those new to the series will find this a fast and engaging read and will doubtless leave them eagerly awaiting Bourne’s next adventure.

 

The Big Thrill Recommends: THE BOURNE SHADOW by Brian Freeman

Greg Stout