ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE ESCAPE

4 stars out of 5

It's kind of like Yogi Berra's deja vu all over again: Memory lost and found, falling in and out of love (and beds) and, of course, danger lurking in the doorways of every restaurant, hotel and "safe" house. If I'm honest, it's getting a teeny bit ho-hum after all this time (this is the 21st book in the series) - but on the other hand, I certainly can't say I wasn't on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

One thing I do like is that this installment brings together several of the characters from his past, some to haunt on-the-run former paid assassin Jason Bourne, others to love him, others to deceive him and still others to kill him outright (including no less than Russian President Vladimir Putin). After a period of relative calm with lover Johanna in which he regains some of the memories he's lost over a ton of previous books, his situation takes a dark turn when the boat they are on suddenly goes boom - taking Jason, Johanna with it. 

When he's somehow rescued, he finds that the blast took his memories with it as well - so he's pretty much starting from scratch once again. Johanna, he believes, is dead. One memory that remains intact, sort of, is his former relationship with Treadstone and its founder, David Abbott - who's been dead for awhile. But turns out that's not true; when he reunites with Shadow, a beautiful woman who now heads up Treadstone, he learns the truth. His old mentor and employer - the man who made him the efficient assassin he is - is alive and missing, and his enemies will leave no stone unturned until they find him. If they find Jason in the process, so much the better.

Or, maybe it's Jason they really want. Shadow has betrayed Jason before; is she doing it again? One of Treadstone's rules was to "trust no one" - a rule that has so far kept Jason alive. But Shadow is relentless - and irresistible. When she reveals her secret reason for finding and rescuing Abbott, it makes sense - but is she telling the truth? And what, if anything, does her quest to find him have to do with a very powerful government leader?

It's all part of an intricate and deadly game - a common theme for the books in this series. This is another good one, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Escape by Brian Freeman (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2025); 400 pp.