The Janson Option by Paul Garrison

Published by Grand Central Publishing on March 18, 2014

The largest name on the cover of The Janson Option is Jason Bourne even though this is not a Bourne novel. The second largest name is Robert Ludlum even though Ludlum has been dead for more than a decade. The Ludlum factory continues to churn out novels, however, and by the time we reach the bottom of the cover, we learn that Paul Garrison wrote this one. He did a capable job. Unlike recent Bourne novels, The Janson Option does not seem like a hastily written factory-produced thriller.

The Janson Option follows The Janson Directive, which was published a year after Ludlum's death. Paul Janson is a former clandestine government assassin who founded something called Phoenix, which is sort of a rehab center for former government killers. Janson funds Phoenix by handling corporate security assignments. The Janson Option begins with Paul Janson and Jessica Kincaid smuggling the son of a dictator out of his country in North Africa. A year later, Kingsman Helms, who runs the oil division of a ruthless and powerful global corporation, hires Janson to rescue his wife from Somali pirates. Helms needs some rescuing himself after Camorra hit men start shooting at him. The explanation for that apparent coincidence is more credible than the explanations thrillers typically muster.

In fact, The Janson Option as a whole is more believable than many thrillers, including some of Ludlum's. It is carefully plotted without becoming convoluted and it contains at least one satisfying surprise. While Janson and his partner/lover Kincaid are standard thriller heroes, their adversaries (American corporate executives and warring Somalis) are more interesting than typical thriller villains. The international settings have an authentic feel. There is enough action to enliven the story without becoming a mindless novel of shootouts and fistfight. While there is nothing truly exceptional about The Janson Option, it is a fun and fast-moving escapist thriller.

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