The Janson Directive

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 20 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the world's greatest men has been kidnapped! Nobel laureate, financier, and philanthropist Peter Novak - a billionaire committed to fostering global democracy through his Liberty Foundation - has been captured by the Caliph, a near-mythical terrorist who plans to execute him in a matter of days.

Running out of time and hope, Novak's people turn to a man with a history of defeating impossible odds: Paul Janson. For decades, Janson was a legendary covert operative and assassin. Now he has retired, and nothing could lure him back - nothing except Peter Novak, who once saved Janson's life.

Backed by the considerable resources of the Liberty Foundation, Janson assembles a crack extraction team to rescue Novak from his fortress prison. But the operation goes horribly wrong and Janson is marked for death, the target of a "beyond salvage" order.

Now he is running for his life, pursued by Jessica Kincaid, an agent who, as a student of Janson's own lethal arsenal of tactics, can anticipate his every move. To survive, Janson must outrace a conspiracy that has gone beyond the control of its creators. To win, he must counter it with a conspiracy of his own. Janson's only hope is to uncover the nearly unimaginable truth behind these events - a secret that has the power to foment wars, topple governments, and change the course of history.

©2002 Myn Pyn LLC (P)2002 Audio Renaissance, a Division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"All the trademarked Ludlum gifts of plotting, pacing, and suspense are on full display in this engrossing mystery." (Amazon.com)
"Vintage Ludlum - big, brawny, and loaded with surprises." (Publishers Weekly)
"A marvel of stunning physical detail...Ludlum's best since The Bourne Identity." (Kirkus Reviews)

Terrific listen

This was one terrific listen, full of twists and turns that keep the listener guessing and on the edge of their seats. The narrator is outstanding! The only thing that detracts from the overall brilliance is the music they inserted. It’s distracting, unnecessary Nd doesn’t even come at chapter breaks! It would have been better left out. If I want music I’ll listen to the radio!

Action packed

The narration was perfect, the story was same on the lines or even better than the Bourne series.
The narration Is A+ and its almost like you watching a movie whereas you are listening.

lots of inner conflict

very good read, Paul Janson really has a lot of inner conflict he has to over come. and like they say in the book, he is a machine

good story

unexpected turns made the story enjoyable. Then again it is a Ludlum story not too surprising.

Ludlum at his best with a great Narrator

Any additional comments?

Detailed story line with compelling plot twists and a great mix of action (but not too much action). Narrator was amazing, took on many difficult accents as the story traversed across a few continents. If you were a fan of the original three Bourne novels you should like this story.

The Janson Directive

Great read , you will love it.

Foul language

Disliked unnecessary foul language/otherwise story was good/excellent performance/ predictable ending/likable protagonist/for those who are not offended by foul language, I recommend you listen.

Thrilling and action packed

Ludlum has woven a fine thriller that just made it to the top of my favorite listens. The covert operations and spy sequences in this audiobook were phenomenal, and kept me itching for more. Every time I thought that I knew what was going to happen next, I was proven wrong. As a story alone this book is great, but there's more. Paul Michael does a fantastic job of narrating this book while keeping the separate characters in check. Each voice is distinct, and it really helps ease into Ludlum's style. I like this book better than the Bourne series, and that is a compliment. Get it.

Fair warning!

The plot was VERY predictable. I felt like the author was giving details on various subjects just to show his research - this was my impression in quite a few places. The characters (even the protagonist) were rather two dimensional. On the flipside, the reader did a good job. The book wasn't bad or anything, but it's been sitting poorly with me. Fair warning!

Fun listen

This was quite an enjoyable piece of fiction. Plenty of action and suspense kept me interested and character development was nicely done for the most part.
The narration was excellent, one of the best narrators I have ever heard. There are tons of different accents and he nailed them, it would have been really annoying if he did a poor job.
The plot had some good twists and turns though ultimately was a bit, well, odd. I know a big point of the story is that bureaucrats have little foresight but the mistake they made was a bit far-fetched. Oh well, it was still enjoyable.