The Janson Directive

This is one of the best I've listened to in a long while. I burn CD's to listen in my car going wherever. I found myself anxious to get in the car so I could listen to more. I guess this is the equivalent to a book you can't put down. Very well written to keep attention...very exciting. Only complaint was an occasional excursion into explaining how items used in the adventure worked. Some were tedious.

In typical fashion, Robert Ludlum has created a fast paced story of international intrigue. His precise descriptions help immensely in this audiobook format. What makes all of his stories worthwhile is the plausibilty that it could happen.

Of all the recent co-written Ludlum novels, this is by far the best. Whether it is truly written by Ludlum or not is largely irrelevant, as this story is extremely well-written. I especially liked the sniper scene in the park.
It is exciting from the first page and does not let up until the end.
Janson is an interesting character, and the supporting characters are also well developed.
To be honest, there havent been many good spy novels written in the last decade. One good one is "Avenger" by Fredrick Forsythe.
"The Janson Directive" is also very good. I finished it in one day, and highly recommend it to anyone who likes espionage, action, and mystery. I was disappointed when it ended.

I loved the action which was almost nonstop. That means it kept me up past my bedtime a lot. Although I wish I could have had the will power to have not kept adding 30 min to my nightstand ihome player, resulting in lost sleep, I really enjoyed the relentless action in this thriller. I recommend highly.

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.

Really enjoyed this book. The Paul Janson character seems to be a guy that can think/act his way out of most anything that is thrown at him, especially if weaponry is involved. Sounds like a guy to have on your side if you needed to survive a very bad situation. The reader has quite an array of voices that he uses to portray the various characters. Did a really good job on the narration. I found it very easy to tell one character from another.
Now for what I didn't like. The thing I didn't like the most, or at least got tired of, was the flashbacks to Vietnam. Enough already with Paul Janson Vietnam flashbacks. Either get the whole flashback over with or mention them but don't take so long going in to so much detail where the only purpose seems to be to indicate his resolve at surviving and his being set up. I found this part distracting from the main story line and could have been completely removed and the story would have been even better.
Don't read on if you don't want to read something that may give away the story line: what was with saving Novak at the beginning and the Kalif character (assume the spelling is correct since I can only hear the story, not read it) that was holding Novak just kind of disappears until the end of the story? You'd think there would have been more around the guy being ticked that his hostage was rescued and somehow got away. Seems like there should have been at least a little more mention of what happened when he discovered the hostage was gone. I mean was he mad? Did he slaughter his own people for "dropping the ball," or did he exact some revenge on someone else, or did he fall out of favor and get lashed? Surely something happened right away near the beginning of the story. Why didn't the author at least close the loop up front since this is where the story started? I thought the story would have been fine with much fewer flashbacks.
Having said all this, I enjoyed the book quite a bit though and will read more Ludlum books.

Talk about a thriller! What a roller coaster this one is. I loved it, never knew what was coming. How that preview reviewer can call this book "predictable" indicates that he or she is clearly clairvoyant because this book is just the opposite of that and a great listen. I found so many new ways to drive to and from work, just to make the drive longer!!!

Other's have said plenty about the storyline, and if you are familiar with Ludlum's work, there is no surprise here. However, the reading and production is absolutely top-notch. Paul Michael does and excellent job with the different characters, giving them each a specific tone and accent that is a pleasure to listen to. I've listened to at least a dozen other audiobooks and never knew the experience could be this enjoyable. I highly recommend Paul Michael as a narrator. I will now be seeking books he's read.

Same old same old. Too contrived. Frequent boring. Other Janson's have been far superior. Narration ok. Story line is déjà vu.

This book was a typical Ludlam book. Got you going right off and kept your interest all the way to,the end. Ludlam does a good job of taking a good guy, turning the government or even the world against him and having him pull through at the end. Te plots are good and it's obvious he has to put a ton of research into his writing. Get it and you'll more than likely enjoy the entire story.