This book is one of (only a few of) Robert Ludlum's finer books. The book is absolutely spellbounding, with intricate cleverness
(and not much humor). There's a ton of action in this book, but there's a few idle scenes too.
From the first knife fight, to the last shootout, this book has endless twists and bullets. The main man is Jason Bourne, an amnesiac (I don't know how Ludlum thought this one up), who is
forced to use Mary St. Jacques as a shield. Slowly but surely they stick together, and figure out the twists and turns of Jason Bourne's past, while he is forced to flee from his own government, and from an assassin named Carlos (who both want to kill him). Bourne is forced to look through his past, and what he finds is terrifying. Only with the help of Mary St. Jacques can he prevail. Mary is attracted to Mr. Bourne, because Bourne had come back to save her life even though it had put his life in danger.
Not to knock a dead author, but most of Ludlum's books are pretty bland, while the Bourne
series, and the Bourne Identity in particular, is a stroke of genius. Ludlum is sort of like Da Vinci, except Da Vinci was a painter, (and
all his painting were masterpieces). But otherwise, I find the two very similiar. While we're on the Ludlum topic, I suggest you read the next two books in the series with low expectations (maybe read some of his other books in between reading the Bourne Identity and the Bourne Supremacy) because although the'yre not so bad they dont compare to the Bourne Identity. The fourth book in the series, which was put out after Ludlum died by Eric Van Lustbader (good pen name you gotr there!), is a slightly different styled book, a little bumpily continued from the third. All in all though, a nice series, and a great book.
A great novel!