BOOK REVIEW: THE AMBLER WARNING (ROBERT LUDLUM)
April 6th, 2007 Posted in BooksRobert Ludlum is the man who wrote the Jason Bourne trilogy. You know the ones - The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Legacy - all of which have now been made into Hollywood movies, starring Matt Damon, if my memory serves me correctly.
The synopsis is this: there’s a man in a military psychiatric unit. He knows he’s not got any mental problems and so does his nurse but still he is kept there. They arrange his escape from this high security establishment, sparking a huge man hunt. Harrison Ambler and his nurse friend Laurel evade the authorities, but when Ambler looks at himself in the mirror for the first time, he doesn’t even recognise his own face. And the majority of his memory has gone too, and why can’t old friends remember his name? But why has this happened? He was a successful operative and now all he can remember is waking up in a psychiatric unit.
At the same time, the CIA are trying to find out who the man that escaped from the psychiatric unit is, as he was only known by his number. Then there’s all the politics between the US and China, how does that fit in to the plot?
It’s complicated, but exceptionally well written. The plot is thicker than an illiterate asbo-ridden truant and the characters are rich, descriptive and deep. Ludlum keeps you guessing at the identity of the key criminals and there is constant action throughout the book.
Loads of deaths, loads of clever spy stuff, loads of chases and loads of possible outcomes. A book for the boys, just like the Bourne films, but a book highly recommended.
Jonola rating (out of 10):
