Rating: 
Summary: Convoluted and Implausable
Review: I received this book as a Christmas gift and was surprised to see it as I remembered that the author had died a year or so ago.
Whether this was a completed and unpublished transcript or a partially completed transcript that was finished by an unnamed ghost is irrelevant. I found the story line very implausable, unnecessarily convoluted and confusing. Those that are Ludlum fans may enjoy it as a last hurrah, I suppose, but I was glad to finish it so that I could start a more enjoyable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Thrilling!!! Extremely Thrilling for a wordful person
Review: Ive only got one complaint to make and that is the kind of words this guy chucks in his book. I was almost positive he had a theasaurus next to him when he was writting it(if he did write it of course). Fair enough hes clever and has a large vocabulary and if u understand the words u would get a better understanding.Anyways, no matter all the words i didn't understand(although i had a dictionary next to me most of the time) i thouroghly enjoyed this book all the way through(especially when i learnt to ignore the words and go with the flow), it was full of action confusion and i liked the build up of suspense. Ludlums ideas of interrogation, planning, confusion and wit are really wat makes this book great to read. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspensful thriller or even a general all-round reader. Im only 15 so maybe you would understand the vocabulary better, but i look at it in a positive way, after reading this i have a whole bunch of new words logged into my memory.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Most reviews have said what I would have had I been first. If Ludlum in fact wrote 90%, I feel I could pick out the other 10%. Some lines are plain shlock, but overall, this is good Ludlum if you don't get hung up on the lines that don't ring true (certain dialogue). There are also too many incidents where someone happens to be in the right place at the right time. I can't even meet my wife when we plan the time and place. Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Many classic Ludlum scenes and touches make this a good (but not great) read!
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping saga of terrorism, murder and intrigue
Review: Paul Michael superbly narrates this story of Peter Novak, a billionaire committed to global democracy who faces a determined terrorist/executioner. It's up to Paul Janson, legendary covert operative, to come back from retirement to save him, in this gripping saga of terrorism, murder and intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular, Enthralling, Engrossing--You Name It.
Review: The "Spider Writer" At His Best---I have had the pleasure of reading every one of Mr.Ludlum's books, and regardless of who actually wrote this book under his name, this piece of literature is simply top shelf. Fast paced, great character building, complex story telling...it has it all. If not for the sheer complexity, this book would make for a great motion picture, (but I am sure Hollywood would goof it up). I simply can't say enough positives about this fantastic read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Ludlum(esque) books ever
Review: Since we don't know who the real author is, I'll just call him Ludlum. This easily a top 3 Ludlum book, following perhaps only The Bourne Identity and the Materese Countdown. Some of his posthumous books have been a little shaky, but this really shines. Paul Janson is a (more) realistic superhero, and the character development of him is great. As I was reading along, there would be places where I would have to look back and dig up some seemingly obscure passage to make it all make sense. This is exactly the type of book I like, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Who cares if Ludlum didn't really write this?
Review: I can't believe some of the reviews I've read here, saying that Ludlum didn't write THE JANSON DIRECTIVE. When a book is this entertaining who cares? Isn't it strange that to date, some of Ludlums best work has been published posthumously? (THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION & THE SIGMA PROTOCOL). Anything's preferable to another of those lousy Covert One novels (Gayle Lynds is a very good writer, but why does she waste her time with that third rate drivel?)
The story centres around Paul Janson, a retired CIA man and now a much wanted and selective security guru after his wife is murdered by one of his nemeses. Predictably Janson finds himself reluctantly returning to the field after powerful Hungarian immigrant Peter Novak, a man who uses his power and wealth to give war torn and Third World countries a shot at democracy, has been kidnapped by terrorists and will be executed unless Janson and his hand-picked team of experts locate and rescue him in time. But the mission goes terribly wrong and Janson finds himself a fugitive on the run from his superiors and his own unit. And that is just the tip of the iceberg....
Admittedly, there are long, rambling passages that readers will skim over to get to the suspense, and the story takes a while to take flight, but once THE JANSON DIRECTIVE gets going theres just no letup. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The work and spirit of a master lives on
Review: Robert Ludlum departed from this side of the veil a couple of years ago. He left a variety of manuscripts prior to his death including THE JANSON DIRECTIVE, which was about 90% completed prior to his death, and then was edited by his long time agent, Henry Morrison and his editor, Keith Kahla. Ludlum did not invent the master spy novel, but it is doubtful that the genre would exist in its present form without him. The plots are of a basic theme: take a larger than life hero and put him up against impossible odds with the price of failure being the fate of the free world. One would think that the variations on this theme would wear thin and in the hands of a less-able writer they would, and have. THE JANSON DIRECTIVE, however, is the finest of page-turners. Our hero in this case is Paul Janson, an almost-legendary super-assassin who, weary of the bloodshed and brutality that marked his career, retired from the covert agency where he made his career and hired himself out as an industrial consultant. His retirement abruptly ends, however, when he is contacted by a representative of the Liberty Foundation, a private organization devoted to the cause of peace and democracy throughout the world. It seems that Peter Novak, founder of the Liberty Foundation --- and a man to whom Janson owes his life --- has been kidnapped by the forces of a terrorist known as The Caliph. Worse, Novak has been summarily scheduled for execution within a few days. Janson, at the request of the Liberty Foundation, assembles a crack team of operatives to rescue Novak. The mission, against all odds, proceeds successfully until, within the span of a few moments, everything turns disastrous. In the aftermath, Janson is inexplicably marked for death by operatives at the highest level of the U.S. Government and finds himself on the run, unable to trust those formerly closest to him. And soon Novak finds himself pursued by Jessica Kincaid, Janson's protégé and an agent of breathtaking ability who knows all of his secrets and his weaknesses. There is a passage dealing intimately with the process of drowning that will leave you gasping for air. Literally every character from Janson to adversaries who pass into and out of the novel in a single paragraph, is interesting. Even the anticipation that all will end well, or reasonably so, by novel's end does not make the journey any less interesting, or compelling. THE JANSON DIRECTIVE continues Ludlum's fine tradition of suspense writ on a global scale, dealing with topics that seem to be eerily prescient of tomorrow's headlines. Ludlum, through his work and the work which he inspired, truly lives on. There is no better epitaph than that. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: A VeryGood Ludlum(like) Book!
Review: While it's probably not a surprise that Ludlum didn't write this book (at least not in its entirety), The Janson Directive is a fast-paced international thriller that -- in typical Ludlum fashion --will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. It's very fast-paced and loaded with action and suspense. Further, based on writing style and characterization, "this" Ludlum often surpasses the "real" Ludlum. The Janson Directive is a big book (547 pages) and lots of fun to read (although I think it might have been even better if it been 50-100 pages shorter,which kept me from giving it a 5-star rating). Hopefully, there will be more books by "this" Ludlum. I think you'll find that once you start The Janson Directive you'll agree that your in for an exciting reading experience that will allow you to escape far from reality. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A new James Bond knock-off
Review: Very disappointing after some of the fine work Ludlum has done. It reads like a poor James Bond with the hero able to always succeed at every impossible task and unbelievable bad guys who always screw up. The Bond girl kills the pilot and machine gunner in a helocopter with two rifle shots while driving a speedboat at top speed on Chesapeake Bay, for example. It's more like a parody of Ludlum.
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