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)

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.

Solid story ...

I judge books and movies by a fairly high standard. Being a working adult/father/full time graduate student, I don't have time for dumb stories, bad cliches, or glaring plot issues. This book had none of those problems. The story is fairly believable (for a spy thriller) and the writing is quite intelligent. The narrator does a great job with the story and kept me engaged for the duration. I highly recommend.

Solid book - highly recommend

This was my first Robert Ludlum book and I was thoroughly entertained. The narrator was great and the plot was intelligent, engaging and had lots of unexpected twists. If you like action, mystery and excitement, you'll enjoy this.

Any book read by Paul Michel is a winner

This is a typical Robert Ludlam book with many twists and turns to the story as it progresses. To me this means he spends a great deal of time regressing to earlier times in an effort to explain why the hero is making certain decisions. Sometimes these get a little laborious, but worthwhile to the plot.

I will now look for books read by Paul Michael. I could not believe how accurately he was able to mimic various ethnic accents and to keep them a straight in his head as he read through the book. I found if very easy to lose myself to the book believing to be listening to a cast of people. Thanks Paul for making the book come alive.

A new Ludlum fan

I loved this book! Ludlum's writing is superb and erudite. A real treat for those of us who've become weary of the usual stereotypes that tend to plague thriller novels. I can't wait to get immersed in the next one!