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Jason Bourne’s closest friend, Martin Lindros, discovers that terrorists have in their possession the instrument to plunge the globe into a nightmare. On a mission to track down suspicious shipments of yellowcake uranium and atomic bomb weaponry, Lindros is taken prisoner by Fadi, an Islamic Supremacist who plans to use Lindros to destroy Central Intelligence from the inside out.
Bourne, stricken with grief and a past he can’t remember, sets out to rescue Martin, his last friend in the world. His mission entangles him in a hornet’s nest of terrorist cells and a plot to destroy the United States. Fadi’s extreme hatred for him is Bourne’s most valuable weapon—because, in Fadi’s misguided lust for revenge against Jason for killing his sister, Sarah, his plots to attack the US are weakened.
As Jason struggles with his memory loss, flashbacks to a bloody woman in his arms relentlessly haunt him. Bourne depends on Senior Case Officer Soraya Moore to help him dismantle a terrorist network with ties to Africa, throughout the Middle East, and into Russia. They must not only fight terrorists, but they must also be on the lookout for deadly betrayal from within Central Intelligence.
After reading The Bourne Betrayal, I now know why Jason Bourne is so popular. He’s one of the great modern-day characters. How can one not love this haunted man, who fights for the good of others, and who keeps going, even when his damaged body screams for him to stop? This is the type of man who keeps America safe.
The Bourne Betrayal is a cleverly plotted, incisive thriller with a hero I’m glad is on the good guys’ side. In an amazing work of fiction, Mr. Van Lustbader takes us into the minds of terrorists. He shows us the horrifying hate they have for the infidel, their whacked-out reasoning, and their sheer determination to wipe us off the face of the world. And what’s most horrifying is that they truly believe they’re fighting in God’s army. You cannot reason with these people.
I haven’t read any of the earlier Jason Bourne novels, written by Robert Ludlum (see Tony’s review of The Bourne Identity), but you don’t need to have read them in order to understand the character and the story that unfolds around him. The Bourne Betrayal will make you want to run out and hunt for earlier works involving Jason Bourne. I know I will.
