Latest Books The Bourne Vendetta by Brian Freeman

The hunt for a trove of secret information forces Bourne to decide who lives – and who dies – in this latest installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

A hacked database known as the Files has upended the intelligence community. Careers are being destroyed. Dirty deals are showing up on the front page.  Assassinations are spreading from Europe to the U.S.

The new head of Treadstone sends Jason Bourne on a mission to find out who has the Files and get them back – or destroy them.  But Bourne isn’t alone in this race.  The Chinese want the Files.  So do the Russians.  And the only woman who may be able to help him is a treacherous spy known as Johanna – Bourne’s former lover – who sees the Files as the key to her own vendetta against Treadstone.

Bourne has a rule for friends and enemies alike: Trust no one.  That rule may be the only thing keeping him alive, because the hunt for the Files soon takes Bourne inside a twisted labyrinth of murder and betrayal, where everyone has a hidden agenda.

Including Bourne himself.

Here, author Brian Freeman talks about his latest thriller, the 2oth installment in the Jason Bourne series, The Bourne Vendetta:

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

Well, given that this is a Jason Bourne novel, it helps that Robert Ludlum influenced me as a writer and reader when I was growing up! He taught me a lot about the propulsive nature of thrillers and how your prose and plot can keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens next. At the same time, I learned a lot from dramatic writers like Leon Uris, Irving Wallace, and James Michener. That’s why my books typically combine more emotional elements than you might find from other thriller writers. I don’t think you have to sacrifice pace to really get inside the heads of the characters and engage the hearts of the readers – even in an action thriller.

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

When I’m working on a series book – whether it’s Jonathan Stride or Jason Bourne – I always start with the characters. I look at where the characters are in their lives and what psychological or emotional challenges await them. Then I develop a plot that forces them to confront those parts of their lives. That’s how the series characters continue to grow from book to book. Of course, some authors take the opposite stance, which is perfectly fair. They want their heroes to remain unchanged, so that readers always find exactly the same character in each novel. But for me, I want three-dimensional heroes who evolve and grow based on the events of each story.

What’s the weirdest or most intriguing question you’ve been asked recently?

I got a great question from a reader at an event: If you met your hero on the street, would you recognize him? 

My answer was: I don’t think I would, but I bet you would! Because I deliberately paint my characters in watercolors, providing enough detail to seed the reader’s imagination and letting them fill in the rest of the “photograph” of the characters in their heads. That gives them a stronger connection to the character, because they’ve played a role in shaping who that person is in their minds. And hey, if you want to see Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, that’s fine, too!