Jason Bourne takes on nuclear-armed Muslim fundamentalists in this thrilling adventure.
The action starts in Africa, where Bourne’s friend, Martin Lindros, is hot on the trail of a possible nuclear bomb to be smuggled into the United States by the terrorists. The radioactive-fuel trail is, however, a setup and soon Lindros is captured by fundamentalists led by the Western-educated Fadi. Despite the ambivalence of his agency, Central Intelligence, Bourne sets off to rescue Lindros. But before he leaves Washington DC, Bourne agrees to see a memory specialist as a troubling vision of a bloody woman has been haunting him lately, along with a sense of terrible guilt, perhaps triggered by the recent death of his wife, Marie. But the “treatment” Bourne receives is actually the implantation of false memories and emotional triggers, carried out by an imposter doctor who tampered with his already messy and incomplete memories. That mental sabotage is part of a diabolical plan by Islamic terrorists to strike at Washington DC, lead by Karim, a human chameleon just like Bourne, who has fooled the CIA and Bourne into believing that he's actually deputy CIA director Martin Lindros.
Fadi, and his behind-the-scenes mastermind brother, make appealing villains. Once again, Bourne must fight his own agency as well as these resourceful would-be terrorists. With more than enough action and the kind of superb writing that makes the pages fly, readers are treated to nonstop action, as Van Lustbader upped the ante on the hero's ability to survive and work his way out of incredible situations. Lustbader is an excellent storyteller and is not afraid to keep the twists and turns coming in this sequel. He is also apt at tinkering with the Bourne mythos, and we can expect more gripping Bourne novels from him. This is an explosive addition to a series with an unrivalled heritage.