Book Review: Robert Ludlum’s The Treadstone Resurrection by Joshua Hood

Published February 29, 2020 | By Laura

The first novel in an explosive new series inspired by Robert Ludlum’s Bourne universe, perfect for those who binged Treadstone.

Operation Treadstone made Jason Bourne, but he’s not the only agent they trained.

Treadstone nearly destroyed Adam Hayes. The top-secret CIA Black Ops program trained him to be an all-but-invincible assassin, but it also cost him his family and any chance at a normal life. Which is why he was determined to get out. Working as a carpenter in rural Washington state, Adam thinks he has left Treadstone in the past, until he receives a mysterious email from a former colleague, and soon after is attacked by an unknown hit team at work.

Adam must regain the skills that Operation Treadstone taught him – lightning reflexes and a cold conscience – in order to discover who the would-be killers are and why they have come after him now. Are his pursuers enemies from a long-ago mission? Rival intelligence agents? Or, perhaps, forces inside Treadstone? His search will unearth secrets in the highest levels of government and pull him back into the shadowy world he worked so hard to forget.

The Treadstone Resurrection is the first novel in an explosive new series inspired by Robert Ludlum’s Bourne universe, introducing an unforgettable hero and the covert world that forged him.

When I discovered there was a new series based around Treadstone and that there was also a new book in this series (which incidentally coincides with the 40th anniversary of the franchise), I was excited to be part of the blog tour.

Treadstone pretty much destroyed Adam Hayes life. Now working as a carpenter in rural America, he is happy to have left his old life behind.

When he receives an e-mail from an old colleague, he is quickly pulled back into his old world and must recall his training if he is to stay alive.

I feel I have to be honest and admit that I’ve not read any of the original Robert Ludlum novels. My main exposure to the Bourne universe has been the movies and I am a fan of those.

Adam Hayes is a perfect anti-hero who is pulled back into his previous life as a Treadstone agent. You could feel his resentment crossed with a sense of justice as he tries to figure things out.

The development of his character happens gradually through the novel but I got the feeling that there was still a lot about him that the reader isn’t told about. There is still a big air of mystery about him. He’s complicated that’s for sure and I hope that his background is explored more should more books be released which I hope will be the case.

The action begins in the US, moving to Columbia and Venezuela. The reader is immediately pulled into the action and it never stops.This made it compelling and hard to put down. The plot had me on the edge of my seat until the end. It was hard to figure out how Adam was going to get out of the situation he found himself in.

The Treadstone Resurrection is an action packed novel that introduces a new agent but in my opinion, also tries to do right by the original series. Yes, to a certain degree, this new book in the series is what you’d expect but I feel it’s a great addition to the Bourne universe. There’s lot of action, tension, suspense and mystery and includes a great nod to the original Jason Bourne character. I was hooked.

About Robert Ludlum and Joshua Hood:

Robert Ludlum was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 225 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March 2001.

Joshua Hood graduated from the University of Memphis before joining the US military and spending five years in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was a team leader in the 3-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment in Iraq from 2005-2006 where he conducted combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From 2007-2008, Hood served as a squad leader with the 1-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan where he was decorated for valor in Operation Furious Pursuit. On his return to civilian life he was a sniper team leader on a full time SWAT team in Memphis, TN, where he was awarded the lifesaving medal. Currently he works as the Director of Veteran Outreach for the American Warrior Initiative. He is the author of Warning Order and Clear by Fire.