Jeremy Renner may have replaced Matt Damon in the latest installment of the Robert Ludlum's™ Bourne series, but that doesn’t mean Jason Bourne has stepped out of the picture. Did you know that there are nine (count ’em) Bourne novels beyond the trilogy? They were all written by this man:
Eric Van Lustbader inherited the Bourne legacy (get it?) after Robert Ludlum’s death in 2001. But Lustbader is no ghostwriter; he is an immensely successful novelist in his own right, and the first three tales in his beloved Nicholas Linnear series are now available as ebooks!
The Ninja introduces us to our hero. Born to a British father and a Chinese mother, Linnear was raised in Japan, where he mastered ninjutsu—the ancient art of the ninja. Years later, he has found success in the advertising business, as well as love with a beautiful woman, when a coworker is found murdered by Japanese throwing star. There is a ninja on the loose in New York City, and as the body count rises, Linnear must revisit the darkness of his past to triumph over a present-day vendetta.
Linnear returns in The Miko.The suspicious death of his best friend brings him to Tokyo on a path to revenge. He sets his trap, taking a job for the billionaire industrialist who ordered the murder. But Linnear finds far more to worry about than the intricacies of Japanese business; he is being pursued by a miko—a female assassin whose beauty is matched only by her skill in combat. In this tangle of corporate intrigue, international espionage, and hedonistic sex, Linnear might have to put revenge on hold if he is to leave Japan alive.
In White Ninja, the series’ third entry, a sadistic killer is mutilating women, leaving their bodies in Tokyo’s back alleys and sex clubs—and Linnear is the only man who can stop him. But Linnear is battling an illness that has left him Shiro Ninja—stripped of his power and discipline—and he fears he may not be able to summon the strength required to keep his family from becoming the murderer’s next target.
Commended for its enthralling combination of crime, suspense, and Japanese mysticism, Lustbader’s Nicholas Linnear series is sure to be a cross-cultural thrill ride.