Sherlock Holmes. James Bond. Jason Bourne. What do these fictional characters have in common? Well, they are all iconic and have been penned by multiple authors, each of whom breathes life into their various incarnations.

I like to believe that the late Robert Ludlum would be beyond pleased that perhaps his greatest creation --- Jason Bourne, the super spy with a nasty case of amnesia --- is still relevant and exciting decades after he passed away. The most recent author to take up the mantle of this literary franchise is Brian Freeman. THE BOURNE TREACHERY is his second foray into Bourne’s world, following THE BOURNE EVOLUTION. It is clear that he has a firm handle on what makes a Bourne novel tick, and then some.

"The action and intricate spy games are expertly executed by Freeman... THE BOURNE TREACHERY is a non-stop thrill ride that satisfies on every level and will leave you wanting more."

The book opens three years in the past, and finds Bourne and his partner/lover, Nova, in Estonia. They work for the Treadstone organization, and their target is Kotov, a Russian operative. Once Kotov is secured, Bourne introduces himself by his given Treadstone handle, “Cain.” Those who know the Bourne backstory are aware that he used to be David Webb. Jason Bourne was the name of his first kill, and the amnesia from which he suffers caused him to take the Bourne name as his own for a period of time. Bourne and Nova are not successful in that mission, which will impact the plot going forward.

The action switches to present-day London, where once again Bourne is handling an assignment involving Russian agents who are working for longtime U.S. rival Vladimir Putin. You expect Bourne novels to feature state-of-the-art gadgets and gimmicks, and I was impressed with the individual who had a QR code embedded in a tattoo on his body. That is, until someone needed that info and had to commandeer the tattoo in a painful manner. Bourne and Treadstone are after one of Interpol’s most wanted bad guys --- the assassin known as Lennon. The name could represent either the late Beatle or the former head of the Soviet Union, but whichever way you cut it, the man is lethal. It is also ironic that Lennon works with an operative who answers to Yoko.

As the cat-and-mouse game is taking place between Bourne and Lennon, Bourne is rocked by the appearance of someone he thought had been dead for three years --- Nova. Once he has had an opportunity to accept that Nova is very much alive, they easily slide back into their prior working relationship and go after Lennon together. The control of global energy is at the heart of the chess game between the U.S. and Russia, and Bourne and Lennon are chess pieces destined to face off on the board at some point. The only difference is that Lennon seems to know Bourne in a way that no other adversary ever has. You see, Lennon has a secret about Bourne’s forgotten past; once revealed, its implications may be too much for Bourne to handle.

The action and intricate spy games are expertly executed by Freeman, and you will have trouble trying to stay ahead of the fast-moving plot. It’s better to just buckle up and let him take you on an unforgettable ride. As a recovering amnesiac, Bourne has not been troubled by memories that would only get in the way. However, once that state of mind is challenged, it may spell doom for him, and the revelation he must deal with could break his fragile psyche for good. THE BOURNE TREACHERY is a non-stop thrill ride that satisfies on every level and will leave you wanting more.