The Bourne Identity

The first Jason Bourne thriller

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Scott Brick

He was dragged from the sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues: a frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the skin of his hip; evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face; strange things he says in his delirium, which could be code words. And a number on the film negative that leads to a bank account in Zurich, four million dollars and a name for the amnesiac: Jason Bourne.

Now he is running for his life. A man with an unknown past and an uncertain future, the target of assassins and at the heart of a deadly puzzle. He's fighting for survival and no one can help him - except the one woman who once wanted to escape him...

Read by Scott Brick

(p) 2008 Penguin Random House LLC©1980 Robert Ludlum

Critic reviews

A page-turner of non-stop action that should leave his fans begging for more

He's more mysterious than Bond, more real than Batman and more complex than Bruce Willis

A fast-paced thriller from a reliable master

A superspy to rival Bond

Watch your back 007 - Bourne is out to get you

Doesn’t stand the test of time.

Annoying narrator, boring story. The rare occasions the movie is better than the book.one big headache.

Spoilt by the movie

Is there anything you would change about this book?

My interest in the BOURNE stories was created by viewing the movies. I have only hear this one book so far. I could not gain the interest in it that I have had in other Audible books. I will try again with another BOURNE story and try again.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Obtain a new reader. Don't watch the movie first.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The story is involved, this is the way it is meant to be but needs a person with the ability of the author to make the story real in your mind. I didn't find this with this reader.

Any additional comments?

The movie spoilt this plus the reader. I will leave it for a while till the movies forgotten then try another one.

Not the movie

Very enjoyable book. The movie is not based on the book in any meaningful way.

Such a pity - but mostly excellent

Huh? What did he say?
Unfortunately Mr Scott Bri has the tendency to use a soft voice with some parts so if you are listening in a noisy environment, like in a moving vehicle, you tend to lose the las par of some wo. (And possibly some sentences too?)

The book is exceptional. The story much better than the story in the movie but I see it as a bonus (similar stories in the same vein).
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to the next in the series (Supremacy) BUT I am going to opt for the abridged version narrated by Jeff Harding, even though it is 20 hours shorter. From the sample it sounds acceptable.

The performance of the narrator is mostly top notch but I hate it when people do not finish their words or sentences. If a word is worth saying then say it, dont sa i.

Superb book by R. Ludlum, superbly read!

Having much enjoyed the trilogy in theater, this opens the true history of the man known as Jason Bourne. Well read, as only Scott Brick can. A masterpiece of 3 by Robert Ludlum.