This latest Jason Bourne novel was so gripping that I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. A real page turner and great plot and characters. Five stars for this one.
Highly recommended.

Having read the previous novel in the series, The Bourne Escape, earlier this year this one literally just picked up immediately following the events of that.
There is plenty of action, subterfuge, plot development and twists to keep you going.
A fast paced, gripping espionage thriller which takes a lot from our current global situation with AI, Chinese intelligence and an egomaniacal entrepreneur/investor..

And he's back! While the previous installment disappointed somewhat, this latest epic lived up to its billing. Jason/David continues to chase his memories but now his adversaries are using his search for their own gains, manipulating him from very direction. This was a great story of back and forth, who to believe and who to trust. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

The latest installment in the Jason Bourne series is a rollercoaster of a ride. It is action packed from start to finish and full of twists as Bourne seeks the truth about his past. I never figured out the ending and I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent addition to the series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I recently had the opportunity to read an ARC of The Bourne Revenge, Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Revenge, written by Brian Freeman, is published by Penguin Publishing Group (including imprints like G.P. Putnam's Sons in the US and Penguin Random House Canada) and Bloomsbury Publishing (Head of Zeus imprint in the UK/Australia) for different markets, with a general release around January 2026. I had received the ARC copy of the novel from the fine folks at NetGalley.com, and for that, I am grateful.

I had been fortunate enough to have been able to read the previous two entries in the Bourne Universe (The Bourne Vendetta and The Bourne Escape), which had been released earlier this year (January 2025), written by Brian Freeman. Imagine my surprise when I open my email and the publisher has reached out and asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing the latest entry, The Bourne Revenge, in the Bourne-Universe. This book is scheduled to be released on 22 January 2026.

"Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Revenge," the 22nd book in the Jason Bourne series written by Brian Freeman, continues the fast-paced, action-packed narrative fans expect.
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I had been introduced in the latter half of the 1980s when I saw the cover for Robert Ludlum’s “The Bourne Identity”, which was a spy thriller, originally written in 1980, that centered on an amnesiac man who must uncover his true identity while evading a global conspiracy and the world's most dangerous assassin, Carlos the Jackal.

In the original Robert Ludlum books, Jason Bourne's real name is David Webb, a career Foreign Service Officer and a specialist in Far Eastern affairs. The "Jason Bourne" identity was an alias created as a cover for a covert operation. 

His past as David Webb includes a personal tragedy: his wife and children were killed in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. This led him to join an elite Special Forces unit known as "Medusa," where he was called "Delta One". 

Years later, a black ops CIA program called Treadstone Seventy-One created the "Jason Bourne" identity as a fictional assassin named "Cain" to draw out the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal. David Webb was chosen to embody this alias for the mission. The first novel begins when Webb, operating as Bourne, is found with amnesia, unaware of his true identity and mission.

Bourne is a series of spy novels originally written by American author Robert Ludlum, featuring the fictional spy Jason Bourne. Ludlum wrote the first three novels: The Bourne Identity (1980), The Bourne Supremacy (1986), and The Bourne Ultimatum (1990).

Regretfully, I had thought that the Bourne series was finished with the death of Robert Ludlum (and I had missed a large chunk of the series, only picking it back up recently in 2025)

After Ludlum's death on 12 March 2001, the series was continued by author Eric Van Lustbader, who wrote several additional novels expanding the character’s story. Van Lustbader departed the series in 2019 while working on a planned novel titled The Bourne Nemesis, which was ultimately abandoned.

Following Van Lustbader’s departure, the Robert Ludlum literary estate selected author Brian Freeman to continue the series. Brian Freeman’s venture into the Bourne-verse began with The Bourne Evolution in 2020, and has continued through his latest, the eighth novel, “The Bourne Revenge”.
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In Brian Freeman's eighth novel, Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Revenge, Jason Bourne's quest for vengeance after the murder of his lover, Johanna, entwines with a high-stakes search for a powerful Chinese spy as the plot forces Bourne to confront secrets buried in his own fragmented past.
Synopsis

The story begins as Jason Bourne is on a boat with his lover, Johanna, seemingly at peace, when an explosion rips through their location, killing Johanna. Overwhelmed by grief and a familiar darkness of memory loss, Bourne vows revenge and is drawn back into the world of espionage.

Concurrently, Shadow, the current head of Treadstone (the agency that trained/created Bourne), has discovered evidence of a massive Chinese espionage ring operating in the United States, led by a mysterious American spy code-named Bai Ze. The spy running the operations is a shadowy American known only by the codename Bai Ze.

No one knows who he is, but when Shadow consults the Files - a Chinese AI software engine that collects trillions of data points on just about everything and will convey unlimited power to its possessor – that had been stolen from the Chinese (strangely, there is only one irreplaceable copy—what, no backups?) in a previous edition in Freeman’s version of the Bourne-verse (and now the Chinese will do anything to get it back, and Bai Ze intends to get it) – and discovers that Jason Bourne encountered Bai Ze during an operation eight years earlier. We learn that Bai Ze is an agent for the Chinese espionage group Volt Typhoon, which spies in the U.S.

The trouble is, Bourne doesn't remember him.

Shadow dispatches Bourne to hunt down Bai Ze and retrieve or destroy the Files. As Bourne follows the trail, he meets Laney Reese, a journalist who, coincidentally, also lost her memories in the same town eight years ago. Convinced their shared amnesia is at the heart of the conspiracy, Bourne and Laney team up to uncover the truth.

Soon, Bourne is back in the Midwest (as the bulk of the story occurs in Fish Creek, WI), trailing his quarry and trying to stay alive as he puzzles out the mystery of his amnesia. Aiding him in his search is Wisconsin journalist Laney Reese, who’s guarding a game-changing secret of her own.

Their investigation leads them to a reclusive billionaire and his ex-wife, both potential links to Bai Ze. As Bourne gets closer to his target, he realizes he is walking into a trap with the promise of recovering his lost memories as bait. The narrative escalates into a high-stakes chase where Bourne must utilize his skills to expose the web of lies and murder, all while deciding who to trust in a world where everyone has a hidden agenda, including his own handler, Shadow.

On my self-determined five-star scale, I would rate Brian Freeman’s latest offering, The Bourne Revenge, worthy of the vaunted five star rating.

The Bourne Revenge by Brian Freeman (part of the Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series) is best enjoyed by readers who are fans of action-packed espionage thrillers, spy fiction, and psychological suspense, as ultimately, the book explores the themes of memory, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to for the truth and revenge.

Specifically, this novel appeals to:

Fans of Robert Ludlum's original Bourne novels: The book is written in a style that aims to match the authenticity and tone of Ludlum's work, building on the established lore and characters.

Readers who enjoy non-stop action and high stakes: The narrative is known for its relentless pacing, vivid action sequences (car chases, shootouts), and intricate plots that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Espionage enthusiasts: The story immerses readers in a world of international intrigue, covert operations, CIA plots, double agents, and political conspiracies.

Those interested in psychological thrillers: A core theme in the Bourne series is the protagonist's struggle with identity, memory loss, and betrayal, adding a personal and psychological depth to the action.

Newcomers to the series: While it is part of a larger series, the book is written to stand alone, providing enough character details and backstory for new readers to jump right in without feeling lost.

Fans of similar authors: Readers who enjoy the works of Vince Flynn (Mitch Rapp series), Brad Thor (Scot Harvath series), Mark Greaney (The Gray Man), and Daniel Silva (Gabriel Allon series) will quickly appreciate the fast-paced, high-stakes style of Brian Freeman's Bourne books.

As with all my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents’ worth.

Thank you Aria & Aries | Aries for the ARC!

I just love this world so much! This was another great installment into the Bourne series and I ate it up. The mental gymnastics these people go through or put others through is just insane! I liked that in this story you’re getting manipulated right along with our characters and you’re kept on the edge of your seat to find out how things will pan out. Such a fun read!

4* My 2nd read by this author featuring Jason Bourne, giving me more of an insight into the character and his personal mission.

This is a fast-paced read picking up where the previous left off, but, I think, some 6 months later. There's still the major 2-way 'I don't trust you' with Shadow/Marlen and JB, totally understandably given their past and his memory removal.

The identity of the Bae-Wotzisname character, when it was mentioned that he was American and had a huge knowledge database at his fingertips, and was using Chinese memory-removal practices, pretty much became apparent. It took JB a long while to figure it out, and sadly, it was a huge betrayal.

The other betrayer I hadn't at all seen coming. But, the storyline felt believable. I was glad that both got what they deserved.

There's a touch of sadness that JB-Marlen is over, but they really can't be anything else with the distrust and handler-agent relationship. Plus her Shadow-side's ruthlessness and power quest.

The billionaire billionaire tech guy? A barely disguised Muskrat. Down to the last detail, other than the guy's physical fitness compared to the dough-boy Muskrat. Brave of the author, and probably freakily close to the truth. World, beware of egomaniac, megalomaniac, entitled white saddos.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Head of Zeus/Bloomsbury for my reading pleasure.

The latest book in the Jason Bourne franchise created by Robert Ludlum. This is the 22nd book in the Jason Bourne series and the 8th by Brian Freeman. 8 years earlier Bourne, aka David Webb, went through an event of which he has absolutely no memory. A black ops CIA program called Treadstone Seventy-One ‘created’ and trained Jason Bourne. This book picks up where the previous book ended.

Briefly, Bourne is recovering after his last operation in Switzerland and the death of his lover, Johanna. He is undergoing more therapy with the Treadstone specialist Mo Panov and has recovered some memory. When Shadow, the current head of Treadstone, asks him to look into Chinese spying activities in the US it also allows him the chance to find out what happened all those years before.

In the usual high octane adventure Bourne works his way through quite a few bodies, male and female, some dead and some very much alive, until he is faced with an enormous dilemma. It offers him recovery of his memory but a sell out to his country. A fast paced and thrilling read dealing with timely issues around Chinese intelligence and the use of AI. An excellent thriller.

The identity of a deadly Chinese spy lies hidden in Jason Bourne’s lost memory in this latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Shadow – the head of Treadstone – has found evidence of massive Chinese espionage activity in the U.S. The spy running the operations is a shadowy American known only by the codename Bai Ze. No one knows who he is, but when Shadow consults the Files – the hacked AI database she stole from the Chinese – she discovers that Jason Bourne encountered Bai Ze during an operation eight years earlier.

The trouble is, Bourne doesn’t remember him.

As Bourne hunts for the elusive spy, he meets a reporter named Laney Reese who shares his strange affliction: eight years ago, Laney lost her entire memory, too. For Bourne, that can’t be a coincidence. He’s convinced that whatever happened to both of them is at the heart of the Chinese espionage operation.

With Laney at his side, Bourne follows a zigzagging trail of clues to a quirky billionaire and his ex-wife, both of whom may have ties to Bai Ze. As he gets closer to his shadowy adversary, Bourne begins to suspect that he’s walking into a trap. But it’s a trap with an almost irresistible bait – the chance to recover his forgotten memories.

Now Bourne must decide how far he’ll go to get his life back.

A taut, fast‑moving thriller packed with intrigue and tension. Bourne is sent to track down the elusive spy Bai Ze, a mission complicated by a mysterious encounter eight years earlier—one he can’t remember. In a world where allies turn out to be enemies and trust is a dangerous luxury, Bourne follows a twisting trail of clues all the way to a brutal, explosive finale, capped by a revelation that hits with real force.
The story is sharply written, populated by a vivid cast, with Shadow—Bourne’s superior and occasional lover—stealing more than a few scenes. Freeman delivers a tightly crafted narrative that never drags, maintaining a smooth, engaging pace from start to finish.
Thanks to Net Galley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this great read.

I thank Aria & Aries and NetGalley for this ARC. I am an old Bourne fan and this new arc has been interesting.

Brian Freeman knows the machinery of spy fiction and he moves Bourne through smart set pieces and knotty conspiracies. The book opens with loss and a search for answers and Freeman uses Bourne memory gaps to layer mystery and motive. Action sequences are vivid and kinetic and there are scenes that return to the adrenaline that made the character famous.

At times the plotting feels overstuffed with modern tech and competing agencies and certain revelations strain credulity. The pacing can wobble in the middle where explanation overtakes momentum. Still Freeman excels at voice and atmosphere and he writes credible emotional stakes when Bourne confronts grief and identity. Supporting characters are useful though some are sketchy and needed more room to breathe.

This entry will satisfy many series fans while not fully converting skeptics. It updates Bourne for a contemporary arena with intelligence trade craft social surveillance and an international cast of adversaries. I am giving it 3.5 stars for strong set pieces memorable moments and an earnest attempt to deepen a beloved figure overall even if the plotting occasionally trips itself up.