As I was reading the latest Jason Bourne adventure, I thought about how proud Robert Ludlum would have been to know that his most famous fictional creation is still going strong and in fine shape decades after he introduced him. THE BOURNE ESCAPE is the 21st novel to feature Bourne and the seventh written by Brian Freeman. It continues to amaze me that Ludlum penned just three books in this still highly relevant series.

The action begins right away and never seems to slow down. Bourne and his lover and fellow Treadstone spy, Johanna, are on a boat somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean where they have been hiding out from their enemies. Bourne’s recent actions, particularly the killing of a Russian spy and Treadstone infiltrator, has made him public enemy #1 in the eyes of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and a hefty bounty is placed on his head. Of course, they are eventually found, and things do not end well.

"[THE BOURNE ESCAPE] is incredibly suspenseful, and [Freeman] takes readers all the way to the edge only to pull them back at the last minute with yet another twist or secret."

For the second time in his career as a spy, Bourne has lost his memory. He is fished out of the water by a passing boat and is taken to Ile de Port Noir, which seems familiar to him. Johanna is gone and feared dead, although this unfortunate news still eludes the memory-challenged Bourne. It is quite nostalgic to see Bourne in this state once again, taking us back to the original Ludlum stories. We also get to see him go through the same motions and returning to people and places that existed in his lapsed mind as if they are muscle memory.

Bourne never left the radar of Treadstone or its new leader, the woman known as Shadow, and she has sent various agents in search of him. He has known her by different names over the years, and they were briefly lovers. The one bond that they share the deepest is with David Abbott, the founder of Treadstone and Bourne’s mentor when Bourne was known as David Webb. So imagine Bourne’s shock when he learns that the man he thought to be long dead is not only very much alive but is being sought by Russia.

The Russians are not the only enemy on Bourne’s radar as he finds out that China has created their very own “Manchurian Candidate” in the form of current U.S. Vice President Adam Hill. Eluding the Russians AND preventing Hill from ever reaching the presidency seems like a tall order for Bourne. This is made even more difficult when Shadow and Treadstone turn on him and swap him for the recently apprehended David Abbott with the Russian government. In a great bit of meta, we get to see Bourne face off against Putin, and it is quite unforgettable --- especially when Putin informs him that he has become the first casualty of World War III.

Meanwhile, the very much alive Johanna learns of Bourne’s memory loss and apprehension by the Russians and begins her own mission to rescue him. Shadow does what she can to make things difficult for Johanna so that a Bourne escape does not happen. Of course, there is no enemy or prison cell that can ever hold Bourne, and the retribution he will exact before the novel ends will be satisfying to behold but also come at a high price.

THE BOURNE ESCAPE is a relentless read from start to finish as Brian Freeman seems to up the ante with each new novel in this series. This one is incredibly suspenseful, and he takes readers all the way to the edge only to pull them back at the last minute with yet another twist or secret. There is always just a little bit left over to keep the door open for future adventures. And to that I say, “Long live Jason Bourne/David Webb/Cain!”