ROBERT LUDLAM'S THE BOURNE SACRIFICE

5 stars out of 5

Over the years, I've read less than a handful of the books in this series, but I've seen all, I think, of the motion pictures. Starting to read this book immediately underscored why I'm reluctant to see any movie made from a book: All the way through, all I could do was envision Matt Damon on a big screen instead of letting my imagination conjure up what the characters look like as is my preference (not that I'm not a Damon fan, mind you). Oh well, safe to say this one would make a great movie too, should that be where it's headed. And at this point, the damage is done - so yes, if it does, I'll go see it (or more likely watch it on TV). Meanwhile, I'll pass on some notes on what is a really, really good book.

If you're wondering, I had no problem "catching up" with what's going on; some things, in fact, don't appear to have changed much - Jason is still searching for the memory he lost and in a hold-hands-to keep-from-fighting relationship with former employer Treadstone and his handler, Nash Rollins (the latter Jason suspects knows far more than he's willing to disclose). At the moment, Jason is trying to locate and capture a killer-for-hire named Lennon - a man he believes can fill in most of those memory blanks.

Early on, they find each other and get into a tussle that leaves no one unscathed and Jason with hints that Lennon knows even more than he'd surmised. But the man gets away and Jason's chase is on again. Into the mix comes Abbey Laurent, an investigative reporter who, as loyal readers may recall, had a one-time fling with Jason that left both wanting more. Knowing closeness to him would put her life in danger, Jason reluctantly left her in the dust a couple of years earlier and, for the most part, never looked back. As luck (and the story) would have it, she starts digging into what she believes is a covered-up murder that, ultimately, ties into Jason's search for Lennon.

Needless to say, working out the details of that connection proves difficult and life-threatening for both Jason and Abbey, who seem to have found common ground both in the investigation and their relationship. Everything points to a seemingly up-and-up corporation run by a billionaire with a questionable reputation , but Jason and Abbey suspect there's a far more sinister purpose lurking behind the balance sheet that relates to a real-life timely topic. Problem is, security being at the highest level that can be bought, how do they gather evidence of what's really going on without getting themselves killed in the process?

The devil, of course, is in the details - none of which I'll reveal except that it's an action-packed adventure that ends with the mother of all cliffhangers: A revelation that reveals nothing (well, except the need to read the next book). Until then, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Robert Ludlam's The Bourne Sacrifice by Brian Freeman (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2022); 381 pp.