cover image Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion

Eric Van Lustbader. Grand Central, $27.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-446-56444-1

Lustbader's complicated, action-packed sixth contribution (after The Bourne Objective) to Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne franchise pits the legendary, amnesiac superagent against longtime pal Boris Karpov, now head of Russia's secret police unit, FSB-2. Jason and Boris have helped each other in the past, but this time Boris's superior, Viktor Cherkesov, has persuaded him that he must kill Bourne to prove his worth and loyalty. Both Jason and Boris are battling a secret organization, Severus Domna, out to destroy America by capturing the only supplies of rare earths%E2%80%94minerals that are vital to all modern weaponry%E2%80%94that aren't in the hands of the Chinese. A host of other dangerous characters are involved, and it's a testament to Lustbader's skills that he can keep everyone in place and blazing away without losing track of the ongoing plot. While one needn't have read the earlier volumes, knowledge of the last two or three would help keep things straight. (July)