The Janus Reprisal (34 page)

My first experience with Robert Ludlum’s novels was through my mother, who came home one day with his book
The Matarese Circle
and proceeded to read it while making dinner and preparing for work. She was a jazz singer in Chicago at the time and would vocalize in the early evening before heading to the clubs. Not so that day. That day she was silent, reading. She finished it in twenty-four hours and then raved as she passed it to me. From that novel, our mutual love of thrillers was born. My favorite was, and still is,
The Bourne Identity
. A nearly perfect plot for a thriller.

When I was asked to write this novel, I thought about what made Robert Ludlum’s books so fascinating. Pacing, certainly, and plot, yes, but also characters. You really cared if Jason Bourne would discover his true identity, and you worried along with him that what he would discover would be abhorrent to him. I wanted to write about Jon Smith with the same humanity, and I wanted to give him a high-stakes plot that also fit within our current worldview. I also wanted to add some interesting tidbits from the real world, and so while this book is fiction, there are two aspects that are not.

First, the “electric” bacteria Shewanella MR-1 is real and does colonize, conduct through metal, and breathe through tiny wirelike pili. The Navy has been testing it to determine if it has the ability to generate electricity. It does, and from what I could gather, testing appears to continue. I didn’t find any studies regarding weaponizing it as described in the novel, and I hope there never will be.

Second, Nolan’s mining and use of “kilodollars” are actually based on a currency system called “Bitcoins.” I read about Bitcoins in a Forbes article some time ago, and I find the idea of a virtual currency that can be mined from the Internet fascinating.

However, the hotel under attack in the beginning of the novel is fictional and its architecture is a mixture of several hotels in The Hague and in the suburb of Scheveningen. If you’re planning on visiting either location, you can sleep without worry.

I’d like to thank Mr. Kevin Ortiz of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority for his assistance with some of the aspects of the New York subway system. While security considerations made it impossible for him to answer all of my questions, he helped me with facts and figures when he could. Any mistakes are mine.

I’d also like to thank my agent, Barbara Poelle; the Estate of Robert Ludlum, for giving me the opportunity to create a story using Mr. Ludlum’s characters; Henry Morrison, agent for the Estate; and everyone at Grand Central Publishing, for guiding me through the process. Thank you to my editor, Jaime Levine, for her astute insights and suggestions; my second editor, Mitch Hoffman, who picked up the reins so seamlessly; my production editor, Kallie Shimek; and my copy editor, Georgia Maas. As always, thank you to my family for their support and enthusiasm.

And lastly, to the late Mr. Robert Ludlum. It’s been an honor to play a small role in continuing his legacy. This book was a pleasure to write, and I hope that you enjoy reading it.

Jamie Freveletti

May 8, 2012

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. To learn more, visit
www.Robert-Ludlum.com
.

JAMIE FREVELETTI
is the internationally bestselling and award-winning author of
Running from the Devil
,
Running Dark
, and
The Ninth Day
, which was named one of the “Best Thrillers of 2011” by
Suspense Magazine
and “Best of Chicago” by the
Chicago Tribune
. A trial attorney with a diploma in international studies, she is an avid distance runner and holds a black belt in Aikido, a Japanese martial art. She lives in Chicago with her family.

“Fast-paced and action-filled, with iconic characters and contemporary themes…Fans of Ludlum…thrillers will find
The Ares Decision
right on target.”

—
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
(VA) on
The Ares Decision

“A tight and tense pageturner.”

—
Booklist
on
The Ares Decision

“Fast-paced, exciting…a winner.”

—
Booklist
on
The Arctic Event

“The cinematic chase through changing landscapes and mounting body count gives the book its rapid pace, while insider politics, tradecraft, and technical wizardry lend an extra kick.”

—
Publishers Weekly
on
The Cassandra Compact

“Packed with all the classic Ludlum elements…the intricately engineered plot thunders forward at breakneck pace. Bottom Line: Perfectly executed.”

—
People
on
The Altman Code

“Jamie Freveletti shows once again why she is one of the top thriller writers working today.”

—Steve Berry,
New York Times
bestselling author,
on
The Ninth Day

“Exciting…Caldridge’s grit, ingenuity, and courage should win her new fans.”

—
Publishers Weekly
on
The Ninth Day

“Just terrific—full of thrills and tradecraft, pace and peril. An outstanding debut.”

—Lee Child on
Running from the Devil

“This is a breathless, hair-raising read, one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve read in a long, long time.”

—Tess Gerritsen,
New York Times
bestselling
author, on
Running from the Devil

Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
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Author’s Note
About the Authors
Praise for the Covert-One Novels
Also by Robert Ludlum
Copyright