Posted: July 23, 2023
The Bourne Identity
The premise of the book is unique and captivating; it's a brilliant idea: A man trained to be a deadly assassin loses his memory and is effectively reborn as another man - what happens next?
The book starts with a storm at sea, a floundering boat, and violence. Violence that ends with an exploding boat and an injured man being thrown into the waters.
Next we are taken to a French town in the Mediterranean coast. The injured man has been found and is being nursed to health by a British doctor who is also an alcoholic. The man has no memories but he has certain unique abilities and, in a microfilm embedded in his hip, the number of a Swiss bank account.
The account contains millions, the man transfers most of it to Paris. During this trip he also becomes aware that his name is J. Bourne.
He soon becomes the target of assassins, and, in order to escape, he embroils the economist, Marie St Jacques, into his affairs.
The cloak and daggar actions continues and soon Bourne and St. Jacques find themselves in an unlikely romance.
St. Jacques helps Bourne withdraw the money from the Paris bank and another clue is unearthed - an unlikely connection with a Paris fashion boutique. By this time also the name of the international killer known as Carlos is floated.
In the meantime, in the United States, there is bewilderment at the loss of one, Cain, their agent in Europe. Cain is Bourne and the operation running him is known as Treadstone 71. Treadstone comes under attack by Carlos and nearly everyone is killed. Jason Bourne is isolated.
The caper with the Paris bank unearths another connection, this one to the eminent French General, Villiers. Soon Bourne finds out that Villiers is being unwittingly used by Carlos. Bourne and Villers form an alliance.
This alliance leads Jason Bourne back to the United States for a confrontation with Carlos. Carlos escapes but Jason Bourne is reconciled with the American government. In time he finds out his real name - David Webb.
To this brilliant idea Robert Ludlum adds his writing prowess and creates a very readable and engaging - if not exactly page-turning - thriller. And there are thrill-packed moments here when one finds oneself excitedly reading about what happens next.
I think part of the attraction of "The Bourne Identity" is that it is part of the trilogy. So there is that sense of reading this first book so one can appreciate the other two. Also, Robert Ludlum has become a brand post is demise, so we have Bourne books written by Lustbader and Freeman. I'm not fully decided on reading those, but I might.
I found the straightforward storytelling, exotic locales, suspense and thrills, very much worth the read. If you are in the market for an engaging and clever thriller, "The Bourne Identity" could just be what you are looking for.