Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Betrayal (Jason Bourne) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Eric Van Lustbader (Author), Jeremy Davidson (Reader)

Book Description

Series: Jason Bourne | Publication Date: June 5, 2007

Two months after Jason Bourne's second wife has dies, he learns that Martin Lindros, his only friend in the CIA, went missing in Africa where he was tracking shipments of yellowcake uranium. After Bourne finds him, Martin returns to the U.S., but only after he persuades Bourne to go to Odessa to penetrate the clandestine world of terrorist money men there.

In Odessa, Bourne is hampered by confusing flashes of memories. He becomes convinced that they're false, but who planted them and why? And how can he function if he can't rely on his own memories? Eventually, Bourne figures out that the man he saved in Africa isn't his friend but a double, a terrorist intent on sending Bourne off on a wild goose chase while he himself steals U.S. intelligence and uses the information to coordinate an attack against a major U.S. city using nuclear devices.

The double, continuing to pose as Martin Lindros, orders a world-wide sanction against Bourne. Now, Bourne must fight off attempts on his life, track down uranium, and stop terrorists from launching an even more devastating attack against the U.S.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Lustbader's workmanlike second novel to continue the saga of Robert Ludlum's amnesiac assassin and spy (after 2004's The Bourne Legacy), Jason Bourne joins the war on terror. Troubled by visions of a woman dying in his arms, Bourne seeks psychiatric help, unaware that the doctor is an imposter who has tampered with the rogue agent's already messy and incomplete memories. That mental sabotage is part of a diabolical plan by Islamic terrorists to strike at Washington, D.C., led by Karim, a human chameleon who has fooled the CIA—and Bourne—into believing that he's actually deputy CIA director Martin Lindros. Aided by an attractive fellow agent who manages to overcome her distrust of Bourne, he races the clock to uncover the traitor within the intelligence community. Lustbader is less successful than Ludlum in dramatizing Bourne's inner torment—a feature that distinguished the character from many similar thriller heroes. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ROBERT LUDLUM was the author of twenty-one novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series--The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum--among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March, 2001.


ERIC VAN LUSTBADER is most widely known as the author of twenty international bestselling thrillers including The Ninja and Black Heart. He is also the author of two successful and highly regarded series of fantasy novels, The Sunset Warrior Cycle and The Pearl Saga. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages. Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He and his wife, Victoria, have been residents of the South Fork of Long Island for more than fifteen years.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hachette Audio; Abridged edition (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594839166
• ISBN-13: 978-1594839160
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,951,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Van Lustbader is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, a New York Times bestseller for 24 weeks, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fictions most beloved and enduring heroes. His New York Times bestselling novel, "The Testament," was published in September, 2006 and in paperback in August, 2007.
His novels have been translated into over twenty languages; his books are best-sellers worldwide and are so popular whole sections of bookstores from Bangkok to Dublin are devoted to them. The Ninja was sold to 20th Century-Fox. It is now in pre-production.
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business. He is a second-level Reiki master.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh Dear, oh dear., August 16, 2007

By 

M. K. Lock (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal (Hardcover)

I'm a big Bourne fan and have read all the books. This one, I am sorry to report, is dreadful.
You expect to have to suspend reality a bit when reading books in this genre, but I felt my intelligence was really being insulted this time. Things occur all through the book that go beyond stretching reality to ignoring it altogether. Furthermore, I feel a book has really failed when it's long on description and short on atmosphere. This one dives into long detailed descriptions almost seeming like 'padding' but fails to involve the reader emotionally at all. It feels like it was a writing assignment rather than an inspired book. What a shame to end the Bourne series on a low note.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Drivel, August 6, 2007

By 

Old Diver - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal (Hardcover)

Just as I was beginning to think a book with Ludlum's name on it would be a winner, along comes this piece of mindless, technically inept drivel. Ludlum's "estate" had better take a closer look at what is being written in his name. Indeed, Robert must be spinning in his grave over the trite plot(?), ridiculous situations, and technical errors. Most disappointing!

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bourne Frees a Memory But Freezes When Action Is Needed: A Step Down from The Bourne Legacy, July 9, 2007

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal (Hardcover)

The Bourne Betrayal is a bloated book with one significant plot development surprise in it. Be careful you don't find a spoiler with that surprise described in it or you will find this book to be very boring from beginning to end as the results you expect occur.

Under Deputy Director Martin Lindros, Central Intelligence has been reforming itself to become more effective in combating terrorists. But not everyone is happy about that progress, including the terrorists. Based on a lead that suggests a risk of nuclear terror, Lindros returns to the field. Meanwhile everyone else wants to play politics to advance their own self interests. Jason Bourne is naturally concerned because Lindros is his only friendly ally.

Meanwhile, Bourne is struggling with recurring images of a young woman dying in his arms that he associates with the death of his wife. What's worse than amnesia?: being tortured by the thought that he may bear enormous guilt for the deaths of others. How can he clear his mind? The methods he tries have unexpected consequences.

Soon, Bourne is brought into the search for the terrorist threat . . . but he's curiously ineffective at what he does. He stumbles as he travels a road into lots of hostile territory to stop the threat. Naturally, each stop on the road is filled with violent confrontations that often wound Bourne.

If you are a Lustbader fan, you'll find this book hews closer to the Lustbader type of action thriller than to the Ludlum style. I suspect that after The Bourne Betrayal there will be so little of the Ludlum story line left that it will be like starting up a new thriller series.

The book's biggest weaknesses come in two areas: The technology employed is science fiction rather than being plausible and the characters are merely names that have an emotion or two attached to them.

The book's biggest strength comes in its realistic portrayal of how underground facilities might be stormed and subdued by small hostile forces. Whenever the book moves underground, the story brightens a bit.

For my taste the book could have been 200 pages shorter and it would have been more appealing. The extra length didn't do much to add either suspense or excitement to the story.

Unless you feel compelled to know everything possible about Jason Bourne, you could skip this book. Its impact on the character can be captured in a few short sentences in the next book in the series.

If you haven't read The Bourne Legacy, you'll probably like this book even less than I did.

If you decide to read this book, consider how appearances can be deceiving and how you can look past such false appearances to get at the inner truth.