Review of The Bourne Ultimatum, by Robert Ludlum

This is the third of Ludlum's Jason Bourne trilogy which began with The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy. In this book, several years have passed since mild-mannered David Webb has assumed the identity of Jason Bourne - one of the world's most deadly spies/assasins. Bourne's mortal enemy, Carlos the Jackal, is still alive and desparately wants a final showdown with Bourne. The story begins as Carlos finds key information that will lead him to Bourne, who has been living in peace as his true identity, David Webb, for several years. Carlos stages a bold assasination in broad daylight in an attempt to flush Bourne out of hiding. The rest of the story is a non-stop roller coaster ride through international intrigue and suspense - a ride from which either Bourne or Carlos will return alive. Carlos is fighting for his notorious reputation, and Bourne/Webb is fighting to save the lives of himself, his wife, and his two children.

Opinion
Strap yourself in before starting this book! It grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let me go until I was done with it. If you like action, adventure, and suspense, this is a book for you. On the down side, the general story line was fairly predictable. I'm willing to live with that though. Besides, after reading the first two books in the series, I HAD to read the final showdown between Bourne and the Jackal. If you haven't read the first two books yet, I would recommend starting with them first - you'll appreciate this one more.

My grade: B+