Rating: 
Summary: Big problem with this book
Review: I believe one of the problems today is the lack of ethics by publishers. I do not believe this book was written by the late Mr. Ludlum and the lack of disclosure of this fact by the publishers is apalling. Why can't we have honesty here? Writen by him and another? I could take that. Written by someone based upon an idea by Mr. L.? I could handle that too, but this current trend of trying to dupe reading audiences out there is horrible. We have had on the bookshelves the last five years, suspected works suposedly written by Lawrence Sanders, Harold Robbins and Mr. Ludlum. What is next, a "new" tale of youth written by Ernest Hemingway & F. Scott Fitzgerald. So many people like this book and are reading it and I think that is great. Why, then can we not have honesty from these publishers? I hope you all enjoy the book, truly I do. I will not because I have standards. Pouring a cheap wine into an expensive wine's bottle and selling it is wrong for your local grocer to do, why put up with that same behavior from a publisher?
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: See book description above. I was rather apprehensive when I purchased this book, but in hindsight, it was the best purchase I've made in years (as far as novels go). As far as international thrillers go this is by far the best one that carries the Ludlum name. It is truly non-stop action, and along with that you get highly intelligent dialogue and story telling. It seems to be just a step above the normal Ludlum novel. Keith Kahla was the senior editor that supposedly put this novel together. The publisher says about three quarters of the book was finished when Ludlum passed away. A truly wonderful work of suspense. I wonder if there's a chance we might see Janson and Kincaid again. That I would surely like to see. HIGHLY Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: If, like me, you have been waiting for that one spectacular posthumous work from the immortal master of international intrigue, then your patience has been richly rewarded. Since his death in March 2001, the first few offerings bearing his name were of the poor-to-bland variety. However, THE JANSON DIRECTIVE is pure, unadulterated, vintage Ludlum. Security consultant Paul Janson, a retired Consular Ops covert operative, is suddenly thrown back into his former role when he is called upon to rescue Pete Novak, an international businessman, philanthropist and diplomat. Janson's mission eventually goes terribly wrong, and soon he is being targeted for death by the very same people who were once his allies, his former protégé being the assassin who seeks him out. If he wants to live, and save the man who once saved him, he must unravel a conspiracy that permeates the highest government powers. What makes THE JANSON DIRECTIVE so brilliant is the myriad of detail which gives added color to the storyline. Sometimes the details were a bit to graphic for my taste, but I never once considered putting the book aside, even for a moment. It's true that the dialogue is more "electric" than Ludlum's previous work, however, the plot is just as complex and technical as any of his international conspiracies. The storyline, written prior to 9/11, is right out of the most recent headlines; a true Ludlum trademark. He always seems to know what will make tomorrow's news before it becomes news. Nevertheless, I am perplexed by the publisher's silence as to the true author of this work. Knowing who to give credit to would certainly satisfy my insatiable curiosity. According to an article (The New York Sun,10/21/2002) which quotes Ludlum's longtime agent, Henry Morrison, the late author started this book during the early months of 2000 and finished it that fall. If true, this would account for the likeness this book has to the Bourne trilogy. However, the same article states that he 'almost" finished it. So which is it? I guess we'll never know. Cris Cunningham
Rating:
Summary: Rumors of his death have GOT to be exaggerated
Review: I know, I know ... but 'he' hasn't written this tightly, this edge-of-the-seat since the Bourne trilogy. If you haven't read Ludlum recently, this is definitely a 'must read', and if you have, boy, do you have a surprise coming! Kudos!
Rating:
Summary: ROBERT LUDLUM AT HIS BEST (undoubtedly with an assist)
Review: Suspense - Action - Intricate Plotting - Wonderful Intrigue - All the things which Robert Ludlum provided the reader in his most successful books are contained in THE JANSON DIRECTIVE. This is an action adventure thriller to rival the Jason Bourne trilogy, and fans will hope that a sequel for Paul Janson was also conceptualized before Ludlum's death. Paul Janson, a retired field operative from the covert agency Consular Ops is clandestinely recruited to attempt an exfiltration of Peter Novak, a billionaire and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been kidnapped by nationalist rebels on the island kingdom of Anura and is to be executed in three days time. After being informed of the details of the mission by Marta Lang (head of Novak's philanthropy - the Liberty Foundation), when Lang thanked him for providing she and her associates with hope Janson remained silent but concluded that "perhaps false hope was better than none at all". And indeed, on the verge of apparent success a terrible tragedy occurs as Part One ends. For reasons totally unknown to Janson or the reader, a "beyond salvage" is then issued by Janson's former agency and he is targeted for death. The remaining eighty percent of the book involves unraveling the intertwined mysteries of the life of Peter Novak, the Vietnam wartime experiences of Paul Janson, the role of the secret ops of the U.S. government, the disappearance of Marta Lang, and the continuing role of the masterful Anuran rebel leader, the Caliph, who has also a fateful link with Janson's past. The intricate nature of the conspiracy as it unfolds rivals the best books of this nature that I have read, and the characters are well drawn, especialy Jessica Kincaid, the young sharpshooter of unbelievable ability (literally, her achievements were a bit too good) who is on the team chosen to pursue Janson, but also several of the bit characters as well including the Russian Grigori Berman. I was especially intrigued by Peter Novak, who Ludlum clearly seemed to model on George Soros in many details. However, Novak chooses to achieve his goals through an activist "directed democracy" rather than Soros' methodology of simply promoting "Open Society". Nevertheless, the existence of Soros as a real life model for the accumulation of such vast wealth makes Novak's character more believeable. As most of Ludlum's books, this displays deep cynicism regarding the actions of our government, and great understanding of the arrogance of power. I found Janson's contempt for "the best and the brighest" and his analysis of their faults truly refreshing. Several things argue against this being written (rather than plotted) by Ludlum. Most noticably, the contemporary idiom relative to his other books, as well as the more graphic and detailed violence. I was repulsed by a few of the descriptions of torture, as was undoubtedly the intent given their context. However, the fact Ludlum stepped out of character to write THE ROAD TO GANDOLFO and THE ROAD TO OMAHA keep me from reaching a firm conclusion regarding the extent of his role in the preparation of this manuscript. But is is good enough so that the publisher should have informed its readers concerning whatever collaboration occurred in its preparation and provided appropriate credit, as this would not have detracted from its appeal.
Rating:
Summary: ANTONDV
Review: What's to say! He may be in his box, but RL has never failed to produce a fascinating plot. He was among the top writers of the world and let's hope (like Catherine Cookson) he's left a few more good plots to perpetuate his memory. On entry I stabbed the first button by mistake. This one (No. 5) is the correct one.
Rating:
Summary: "A gift that's been left behind!"
Review: "The Jasen Directive" by one of the world's finest writers still continues to entertain his many fans even in death. Another thrilling tale of suspense and intrigue. Definately a book not to be missed! (A gift that's been left behind!)
Rating:
Summary: This Wraith Can Write
Review: There continue to be two types of books offered that carry the name Robert Ludlum. There is the, "Covert One", series that has been abysmal since its first appearance and has shown no signs of improvement. And there are the 11 books that it has been said he left outlines for at the time of his death. The latter series that are the traditional Ludlum fare have remained far above the previously mentioned series, and they have been surprisingly good. "The Janson Directive", is by far the best book since the death of this author that helped define this genre. It has been clear that a new pen was introduced when the first unfinished book was completed after Ludlum's death, and with this book it is clear that from beginning to end, while possibly based on a Ludlum outline, this is another author's work. Happily whoever he/she is can really write, maintaining the storyline style that Ludlum continues to be famous for, while bringing a more contemporary flair to the work. When I use the word contemporary it is often the dialogue that has changed. It is not only much crisper, edgier, and wittier than Ludlum, it also uses dialogue from movies like, "Pulp Fiction", that would never have been found in the late author's work. What puzzles me is where the publishers find a writer this good who is willing to remain anonymous. Perhaps these contributions will launch a new career eventually, but in the meantime I hope that whoever is writing these books is being very well paid. One only has to look to the last, "Ludlum", book and its time spent on the bestseller lists to hope this is true. The author has created one of the most entertaining players in the form of Grigori Berman. This Russian now considers himself absolutely the English gentleman, and to prove it one need only visit his home which was decorated with a single purchase. For on the day Merchant and Ivory Films completed one of their period pieces, our Russian simply bought the sets in their entirety and furnished his home in fashionable London. The paintings are not quite finished, and the furniture looks a bit strange without studio lighting, but for Grigori they are perfection. Grigori's butler is also a riot as he trains his "English" boss, and the nurses that attend to Grigori's needs have to be read about to be believed. Whoever did write this tale they are very well schooled in the art of the extraordinary marksmen known as snipers. There are several very well written sequences that are very tense and also very informative as the three dimensional world of a sniper and teams of snipers is explained as the action takes place. The writing does not glorify what they do; these characters are not mindless killers or assassins for hire. They are people with amazing discipline and talent, and also people you want to stay a good mile or more away from. I do think it matters who wrote this book, and I wish they were given the appropriate credit. The talent that is writing these books is extending the literary life and legacy of Mr. Ludlum, and he or she deserves to be recognized.
Rating: 
Summary: Way too long
Review: If I give 5 stars to the Bourne series, I would have to give this book 2 stars.
- Length: Way too long
- Detailes: too many irrelevant ones. I had to skip many paragraphs.
- Action packed: Not really. Atleast not compared to Bourne series.
- Ending: Huh?!
- Is it worth reading: not really
- So whats next: I think I will close the book on Ludlum after reading the new Bourne book. It seems that all of his works, carry the same story line. It gets boring after a while. So why am I either going to bother with the new Bourne book, even though it is not written by Ludlum? To just say that I have read all of Bourne books and plus the first 3 were awesome.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Throughout!
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was hard to put it down. The person that put this story together had or has a fantastic imagination. There were two surprises I did not see coming. The clues were there but I was blind sided. You have to admire the person that could think this story through and put it on paper.
Robert Ludlum has to be a master of the English language. I don't think I have ever read a book that had so many words I have never seen before. Some examples: gestalt, menhaden, cudgel, ersatz, foppish. The list goes on and on. When I had a chance to read I did not have access to a dictionary. Yet I enjoyed the book.
Paul Janson, the hero of this book, is one of those larger than life type of guys. He is more than any one man can be, kind of a James Bond without the girls.
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