Robert Ludlum's Bourne saga continues after Ludlum's death. While this installment doesn't lack in action and suspense, there were a few elements in the story I find hard to swallow. The relationship between Bourne and his son Joshua, for instance, is really hard to believe. For two thirds of the book Joshua is trying to kill Bourne, because Bourne abandoned him as a child in Cambodia, while believing the boy was dead??? I like the idea of the son coming around and changing his mind from wanting to kill his father to learning to like him, but...couldn't he have another, stronger motif to hate enough to kill? Also, he finds Bourne way too easy every time Bourne evades him.Another implausible plot element was the villain Spalko. There's a conspiracy to kill the heads of states at a terrorism conference, for which Spako recruits Chechen radical Islamists, but there's never a reason why he wants to kill the leaders and what is he supposed to gain from it. Since he is obviously a very calculated character, and an atheist with it, there could be no religious motivation, and no alternative was given. Additionally, his own story, which he always replaces with lies, is never presented to readers.
If all you're looking for is action, fighting scenes and entertainment, you'll love this book. However, if you'd like a plausible multiple-layered plot as we come to expect from Ludlum, you will be disappointed. Lustbader is NOT Ludlum, and, sadly, it shows in this book.
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