cover image Robert Ludlum’s 
The Bourne Imperative: 
A New Jason Bourne Novel

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Imperative: A New Jason Bourne Novel

Eric Van Lustbader. Grand Central, $27.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-446-56447-2

Bestseller Lustbader’s busy seventh entry in the Bourne franchise (after 2011’s The Bourne Dominion) takes superagent Jason Bourne to Sadelöga, Sweden, where Bourne rescues a man who’s lost his memory after being shot in the head, a reminder of amnesiac Bourne’s own mysterious origins. Many characters from earlier books appear, including Soraya Moore and Peter Marks, co-directors of Treadstone, a former CIA training facility, and the mysterious Mossad agent, Rebeka, last seen helicoptering a wounded Bourne out of the secret Mossad nuclear research facility, Dahr El Ahmar. A host of bad guys try to kill Bourne while hatching plots involving stealing money, nuclear secrets, and taking over the world. Newbies who want to understand the various plot lines would be advised to begin at least two or three books back. Established fans will find all the usual cliffhangers, hairbreadth escapes, and multiple betrayals they expect from this series. Agent: Henry Morrison, the Henry Morrison Agency. (June)