Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal
by Eric Van Lustbader
Published by Hachette Audio
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Reviewed by Al Olsen
Fasten your seatbelts as the story of Jason Bourne takes off a few seconds into this audio suspense/thriller and continues all the way through. It is an excellently executed and wonderfully recorded book. The reader, Jeremy Davidson, has done a superb job in adapting his voice from one character to the next. This was no small task with the variety of characters, from Afro-American to British to Middle Eastern. An added bonus was appropriate sound affects. This all created an environment that was very engaging and entertaining.
Eric Van Lustbader has captured the art that Robert Ludlum had of being able weave two or three stories together and leave you at the edge of your seat on two out of three, so that you anxiously awaited the resumption of the side stories. Ludlum passed away in 2001, leaving behind a number of stories started but not completed, but this story is no longer one of them. I have long enjoyed reading Robert Ludlum’s stories. His protagonists are always people of integrity and have taken the moral higher ground. This story has followed more or less in that mold.
There are three areas where Van Lustbader has deviated from Ludlum in his writing. The first is in incorporating numerous expletives in the story. At times the use of profanities was appropriate, but other times I felt it was over the top—such as in hearing a young Middle Eastern boy swear in very American-sounding English. Overall, though this is a side issue and does not distract from the quality of the story, it was a hindrance to the enjoyment of the story.
Another distraction was the amount and description of the violence. At times the author seemed to enjoy describing the deaths of the expendable characters. Lastly, there was one incident describing one intimate liaison. All these were departures from typical Ludlum stories that I have been accustomed to reading. This story was written for an adult audience.
In all, the story and the telling of it, was very engaging.
Armchair Interviews says: This audio would make anyone’s commute fly by, and I’m sure, at times, wish that it was longer.
Author’s Web site: http://www.Ericvanlustbader.com