The assassination of a Treadstone agent leads two Blackbriar operatives down a rabbit hole of deceit and betrayal in this explosive new series from the world of Robert Ludlum.A car explodes along a quiet Prague side street—among the dead is an undercover Treadstone agent. It's not unusual for such men to meet their fates on an operation, but in this case there's one catch. None of his superiors know what he was doing there.Two Blackbriar operatives, Helen Jouvert and Donovan Wade, are sent to investigate. Their search for answers will take them deeper into the world of conspiracy and fake news than they ever expected.Treadstone and Blackbriar may be two sides of the same coin, intelligence and counterintelligence, but they have one thing in common, answers can be the deadliest commodity of all.
Simon Gervais is a former federal agent specializing in protective operations and counterterrorism. He spent nearly twenty years in the military and in law enforcement. His assignments took him all over Europe and the Middle East. He's the New York Times and #1 Amazon bestselling author of 15 exciting thrillers, one of these titles—Robert Ludlum's The Blackbriar Genesis—was written for the Robert Ludlum estate. Simon's Clayton White series is presently being adapted for TV by CBS Studios with Jerry Bruckheimer TV attached to produce.
Simon lives with his wife and two children. He's an avid boater, diver, and skier.
Literary Agent: Mark Tavani at David Black Agency. Film/TV Agent: Debbie Deuble-Hill and Alec Frankel at APA.
The Caspian Anderson series: THE ELIAS NETWORK (Sept 2024) THE ELIAS ENIGMA (July 2025) THE ELIAS CONSPIRACY (July 2026)
The Chase Burke series (co-written with Ryan Steck): THE SECOND SON (December 2025) THE MARKED SON (November 2026)
Robert Ludlum's THE BLACKBRIAR GENESIS written by Simon Gervais (October 18, 2022)
The Clayton White series: THE LAST PROTECTOR (November 2021) THE LAST SENTINEL (August 2022) THE LAST GUARDIAN (October 2023)
The Pierce Hunt series HUNT THEM DOWN (January 2019) TRAINED TO HUNT (September 2019) TIME TO HUNT (November 2020)
The Mike Walton series: THE THIN BLACK LINE (March 2015) A LONG GRAY LINE (Novella—March 2016) A RED DOTTED LINE (November 2017) A THICK CRIMSON LINE (April 2018)
"[An] action-packed series launch by Simon Gervais..." —Publishers Weekly
"One of the most anticipated action thrillers of the year..." —The Real Book Spy
"Gervais is a thriller writer to watch..." —Library Journal
"An action-packed thrill ride with plot twists around nearly every curve" — Kirkus Reviews
Simon Gervais has a way of starting his novels with a shocking and powerful opening scene. His first novel in the Blackbriar series, Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis is no different. Action, suspense, treachery, and intrigue keep this novel moving at a terrific pace. It has aspects of espionage, political, and military thrillers. While set mostly in the Czech Republic and Egypt, readers also travel to Greece, North Macedonia, Mexico, and the United States. This series is within the Jason Bourne universe.
A car explosion in Prague causes the death of an undercover Treadstone agent. While this can happen agents in the field, none of his superiors know why he was in Prague instead of Switzerland. Two Blackbriar operatives, Helen Jouvert and Donovan Wade, are in the region and are sent to investigate. While Treadstone is a covert clandestine assassination group, Blackbriar focuses on covert counterintelligence, counterespionage, and intelligence gathering activities.
While there are several characters in this novel, the focus is on Helen, Donovan, and their boss, Oliver Manton. While all the main characters had depth, I felt Helen was the most dynamic. She’s the team leader, multi-lingual, has great investigating skills and hand-to-hand fighting skills. She’s also competitive and his good instincts, but lacks the experience Donovan has in a firefight. Donovan is a good partner, thinks fast, and keeps his past private, but can be tough to read. Oliver is still adjusting to his new role. Readers get some insights into how he got the position as well as how he treats those reporting to him.
This suspenseful and action-filled story moves at a blistering pace. The author’s military and federal experiences are reflected in well-crafted action situations and counter-surveillance activities that felt authentic. Each rapidly turned page provided new thrills and danger. The ultimate threat to be thwarted felt extremely realistic in today’s world. My one quibble with the story was the multiple missions Helen and Donovan experienced back-to-back. I felt their lack of downtime would have made them less effective than they actually were.
Overall, this is novel was riveting, fast-paced, and engaging. If you enjoy espionage or military thrillers with strong lead characters, then this may be the series for you. The combination of a thought-provoking and convincing story line, pulse-activating action, breakneck speed, and terrific global settings makes this an intoxicating novel. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was October 18, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine. -------------------------------------------- My 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
First there was Jason Bourne who was a member of Treadstone, when Treadstone was compromised another agency named Blackbriar was supposed to pick up the pace until they were closed down. Now they are back with a vengeance. The third series in the Jason Bourne universe👍😎 The blackbriar agency has one team we follow a man called Donovan and a woman Helen, both have been personally picked by their director Oliver Manton, a previous Treadstone operative. The book starts with Oliver protecting a political person and in doing so finds a friend, the first 60 pages are one big action scene. Then we move forward in time to Donovan & Helen in Egypt. This book has an incredible pace and action that never lets up until the last page. It’s plot very modern and scary it does have a Russia working along the drug cartels to alter the perception through social media. It’s Blackbriars task to investigate, Blackbriar being a defensive organization where Treadstone is an agency more aimed at taking action. This new series is very convincing and it is of with a great genesis to start this series.
Well advised and I am sure that Ludlum would have enjoyed this extension of his created Bourne universe. I know I do.
Robert Ludlum would be pleased with this latest addition to his Bourne universe. The Blackbriar Genesis by Simon Gervais is a brand new series introducing some great characters and the Blackbriar program. It's an evolution from the Treadstone program and there's even a wink to Joshua Hoods character Adam Hayes. These two series is a great example of how you can build on an existing series without having troubles with the age of your main character. As with any book by Gervais it is extremely well written and it has become one of my favorite books this year. He is one damn good storyteller. I strongly recommend that you try this book when it hits the stores on October the 18th. Many thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons, Penguin Random house and Edelweiss for making this advance copy available to me. I also need to thank Simon Gervais for writing these great stories.
Simon Gervais enters into the Robert Ludlum universe with a statement in The Blackbriar Grenesis. When a Treadstone agent is assassinated it is up to Blackbriar agents, Helen Jouvert and Donovan Wade, to investigate. Never working together and hardly acquainted, the duo will have to survive multiple assassins and armed-to-the-teeth terrorists all while learning to trust each other. The intelligent, and quite deadly, duo uncover a conspiracy with worldwide implications that are already in motion. The overarching theme is reminiscent of our world today and Gervais lets the bullets fly in order to save democracy.
Simon Gervais is one of my must read authors and he delivers the goods with The Blackbriar Genesis. Intense action, interesting plots complete with twists, and wonderful characters are hallmarks of Gervais' books. And he hits it out of the park with Jouvert and Wade. Think of them as a slightly toned down Jason Bourne except there's two of them. Working for Blackbriar, Wade and Jouvert's main mission with the outfit is counterintelligence. Basically, their job is to f" up the enemy's intelligence operations and capabilities. While the action is heart stopping and tense, what I enjoyed the most in The Blackbriar Genesis was the dynamic between Jouvert and Wade and the bond they form through car chases, explosions, and hit teams.
If you are not familiar with Gervais' work, The Blackbriar Genesis is a great place to start and is a worthy addition to the Ludlum universe. You won't be disappointed!
My sincere thanks to Simon Gervais, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Blackbriar Genesis.
Wow! Another SUPERB action/thriller by Simon Gervais. Loved the story and the characters - Simon is one of the best storytellers out there and you will be captivated from the start. BLACKBRIAR GENESIS is impossible to put down!
Having enjoyed all of the recent Ludlum novels, as well as Simon Gervais's own books, I was looking forward to this one all year with high expectations, and I was not disappointed.
Simon Gervais has seamlessly launched this new series and brings you into the Ludlum world without making this feel like a first novel but rather a natural part of the canon. He combines a bit of the far-reaching conspiracy aspects of Brian Freeman's Bourne novels with touches of the violent action of Joshua Hood's Treadstone series, and holds it together with large doses of espionage and spycraft. You don't need to read those other books to get into this one, and you don't even need to be a Ludlum fan to enjoy this one. It stands on its own as an up-to-date and relevant thriller, and Simon breaths some fresh air into the genre with an original concept. Rather than focusing on the usual counterterrorism or assassination aspects, the fictional Blackbriar is a small, off-the-books unit tasked solely with counterintelligence, aggressively pursuing threats to US security internationally that the FBI legally cannot touch. The focus is on Blackbriar's investigation as they unravel the disparate threads of a plot involving Russian spies and cartel hitmen, but there are still plenty of tactically realistic and intricate action scenes. The new protagonists are believable, likeable, and professional, but also very different than Bourne and Hayes, so this book doesn't just retread the same elements of the other Ludlum series.
Hopefully, Simon Gervais will write many more of these books.
Now, if only the Ludlum authors would find a way to bring back Paul Janson...
Simon Gervais enters Ludlum-verse with a bang! Fantastic characters, cinematic action and the most imaginative plot I have encountered in quite a while. A fantastic spy thriller that luckily is just the beginning of a promising new series.
A bang up start to a new series that's also a well crafted offshoot of another. Blackbriar is a super secret USG organization meant to thwart bad foreign intelligence activity against the US that was put to one side for years but is has been reactivated with Oliver Manton, a Treadstone (woohoo) agent at the head. Manton almost immediately has two problems- there's a bad actor in US intelligence and a Treadstone agent has been killed in Prague. Luckily, he's got Helen Jouvert and Donavan Wade in his quiver. She's former FBI, he's former CIA and together they make an ace team that's able to cope with all the bad guys. And there are a lot of them. There's the Russians, there's the cartels, there's the fake news contingent. This isn't an espionage novel but rather an action thriller. There's a lot of action. And violence. Far be it from me to explain how it all comes together and to be honest, as with the Treadstone novels (which you need not have read for this one), I remain surprised at how much I enjoyed it. A lot hangs on the Jouvert/Donavan partnership and they're terrific. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. Would be a great travel book and a terrific movie.
If you like the Jason Bourne series and the spin-off Treadstone series, then this thriller is right up your alley. Great, now I have 3 Bourne/Treadstone/Blackbriar series to follow. Robert Ludlum's world lives on and on.
Another book in the Jason Bourne universe and I'm starting to get tired of them. Since I'm a big fan of Simon Gervais I had to read his take on Jason Bourne though and gladly he pulled it off. It's an interesting story, fast paced and filled with action so I can highly recommend this book.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Edelweiss for this copy.
Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis by Simon Gervais is an exciting new thriller which takes the reader on a roller coaster ride beginning in Cairo, Egypt with an exciting ambush/car crash attack on American diplomats. It continues at the same pace throughout various European locations including Prague and Macedonia. This novel is definitely not for the faint-hearted with its vivid and frequent displays and descriptions of killings.
The story is set in the current era depicting organizations such as PROYECTO VERDAD & UR Real News. Does this bear any resemblance to anyone spouting off about “fake” news? There is even mention of a cat named Melania in the book.
This book is highly recommended for readers of thrillers who are not put off by constant violence.
I want to thank NetGalley and G.P Putnam’s Sons Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.
This is the first in the Robert Ludlum's Blackbriar series. I received an Advanced Reading copy of this book from G.P. Putnams's Sons, the publisher of this book. I can certainly not fault the tension buildup or the non-stop action in this spy thriller. The book swept me around the world - Cairo to Prague to North Macedonia with two Blackbriar operatives - Donovan Wade and Helen Jouvert. We also have side stops with other characters in Mexico, New York and Russia. A Treadstone operative had been murdered in Cairo so Manton sent two of his operatives from Blackbriar to find out what happened. They find themselves in a minefield of highly trained assassins and well-supplied terrorists and a whole rabbit's nest of psychopathic killers. Helen and Donovan are a new team, and are just trying to feel each other out, and determine which specialized skills they each have. By the end of this mission, they know each other inside and out and have learned to trust each other implicitly which bodes well for their future assignments as this is only book one in the Blackbriar series. The is a book for die-hard spy story fans who like hard-hitting plots and plenty of violence. You'll enjoy it even more if you like a bird's-eye view of political intrigue at the highest levels. The pace never lets up, and neither do the dangers that Donovan and Helen experience. I really enjoyed the book and i can recommend it to spy aficionados like myself. Don't plan to get much sleep while you read this one. I'd like to thank Edelweiss, the author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It will be publishedt on October 18, 2022.
This story will be familiar to readers of this series, or similar titles. Treadstone was was forced to reorganize after the debacle associated with Jason Bourne, and a new organization called Blackbriar, focused on counter-terrorism, is formed. This adventure follows the exploits of two Blackbriar associates as they become involved in a rather bizarre conspiracy between Mexican drug cartels and Russian spies. The two run around Egypt and Europe, engage in multiple gunfights, and aggressively interview various bad guys.
The story is mostly action oriented. There is a little attempt to develop the relationship between the two Blackbriar agents, but not much. Author Gervais bounces back and forth between Europe and Washington, DC, where we see the behind-the-scenes stuff driving the investigation forward.
There is nothing subtle here. People basically speak their mind and the dialogue is strictly superficial. The bad guys are all bad.
While I was entertained, I did not find the book compelling and I will undoubtedly have forgotten everything about it in six months
An explosive new entry into the world of Robert Ludlum by author Simon Gervais through the birth of Treadstone’s counterintelligence operations - The Blackbriar, and a wonderful start to my reading goal in 2023. The book has brief references to Treadstone’s Intelligence operative - Jason Bourne as well as Treadstone’s shepherd operative - Adam Hayes, responsible for the hostage and rescue unit. Robert Ludlum’s estate has now three inventive authors - Brian Freeman, Joshua Hoods, and now Simon Gervais. I loved the concept of counterintelligence in black operations, actively pursuing threats to the US, that cannot be legally handled by the FBI or the CIA.
The plot opens with an action-packed sequence in Cairo, Egypt with an adrenaline-raising car chase and an ambush attack on an American diplomat, culminating in a daring rescue by a team led by Oliver Manton, who goes on to head the Blackbriar operations. He reports to Levi Shaw, the head of Treadstone operations, who can be seen active in all Robert Ludlum novels. The Blackbriar operations have been reactivated after a prolonged period of dormancy on a small scale of four teams, operating in the US, Europe, and North Africa, and a few seasoned analysts providing support to the field operatives.
When an undercover Treadstone operative is killed in a car bomb outside a hotel in Prague, Czech Republic, Blackbriar operatives Helen Jouvert, a former FBI and Donavan Wade, an ex-CIA are reassigned to find out what happened and why. It is not unusual for Treadstone operatives to be killed in this style, but what baffled the echelons was the reason for his presence in Prague and, one that was not sanctioned at all. Helen and Donavan begin their probe for answers which leads them into a murky world of the Russian mafia, the cartels, and a deep fake news syndicate. Their adversaries are highly trained assassins with the modern and latest state-of-the-art arms and ammunition at their disposal and ruthless killers. Helen and Donavan are a new team, having their individual strengths, are testing each other, and yet to have full trust in their partners on such covert operations. The plot dominantly toggles between the cities of Prague, Cairo, and Skopje as the plot progresses at a nerve recking pace.
Can this new team unfold the events that led to the death of the Treadstone operative and bring down their adversaries? If you wish to know more and, are a die-hard fan of Robert Ludlum, then this action espionage thriller is a must-read for you. A high-octane machination with superbly created characters. While Jason Bourne and Adam Hayes are solo operatives, Blackbriar operations are significantly their scaled-down versions, but by the end of their first active mission, the duo of Helen and Donavan have eventually gained each other’s trust, complimenting their strengths and are ready to take on more daring future assignments. This book can be read as a stand-alone as it is the first in the series. I am already signed up for the next one in this series making it a total of three to follow in the Robert Ludlum universe - Bourne, Hayes, and now Blackbriar.
Starts off with a literal bang - an explosion on a quiet street in Prague that kills a former Treadstone agent - kicks off this new spinoff in the Ludlum’s dynasty. Toss in the Russian mafia, numerous exploding SUVs, the Mexican drug cartel, and the introduction of the newest team of badass operatives under the “Blackbriar” banner.
While both deeply off-book, Treadstone (Treadstone is the spin-off series from the Jason Bourne universe) and Blackbriar have related, but very different missions.
Treadstone = CIA superhuman assassins, sleeper agents, brutal, frequent, close killing. The duo here are equally highly trained - former special ops with ties to both FBI and CIA but their focus is counterintelligence. Or as they describe it, not just the gathering of intelligence but the disruption of it. Creating their own fake news, if you will, and trying their absolute best to escape a collection of people determined to kill them.
Deze thriller speelt zich af in het Bourne-universum van de overleden schrijver Robert Ludlum. In de loop van de tijd schreven auteurs zoals Brian Freeman en Eric Van Lustbader thrillers geïnspireerd door Ludlum. Operatie Blackbriar is een nieuw opgezette geheime operatie om spionnen onschadelijk te maken, net als Treadstone, een soortgelijk project. Helen Jouvert en Donovan Wade, twee geheim agenten, doen onderzoek naar een bomaanslag, waarbij een Treadstone agent om het leven komt. Met een flinke dosis geweld, schietincidenten, auto-achtervolgingen en geheime missies is dit een complexe en spannende toevoeging aan Ludlums wereld. Zoals gewoonlijk is er weinig karakteropbouw of subtiliteit, maar dat zal voor de liefhebbers geen probleem zijn. De auteur schreef eerder succesvolle thrillers en is een oud-militair en FBI-agent. Deel twee in de serie volgt in 2023.
I think the only thing I can say was that this book was just not my cup of tea. Like I knew going into it that government espionage type beat is not my vibe, but for some reason I thought maybe I would change. Of course I was absolutely lying to myself, cause I wanted to pull my hair out every time I told myself I should finish reading this book. To me it was just soooooo boring. I find myself a huge fan of more imagery and kind of flowery writing, but this book was just too rigid, very tell not show. It kind of felt like I was being led through a sequence of plot points rather than immersed in a world. I was 100 pages in and somehow nothing had really happened, I had just been told a lot of things. So yeah this book was not for me :(
Absolutely Riveting!! A great story of 2 Blackbriar operatives, Helen Jouvart and Donovan Wade who are sent to investigate a bombing in Prague which killed a long time Treadstone embedded agsnt. The story travels back and forth among the cities of Prague, Cairo, Skopje and Manzanilla with the action, intrigue, and blistering suspense ramping up with each destination change. Very well written and the story unfolds speedily with no extra scenarios added. Throw in Levi Shaw from Treadstone along with Russell and Manton from Greenbrier and the story becomes just that much more enjoyable. Cannot wait for the next story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Are there now three overlapping series (Bourne, Blackbriar, and Treadstone)in the Bourne Universe? Not quite sure. If so, this makes for interesting reads…
Enjoyed this kickoff of a new generation of Blackbriar. Good action, complex beginning but brought together for me nicely while maintaining a backstory that should hold this series (and the other two?) given some apparent lane definition. But, in books of intrigue, are those lanes always maintained. I do hope Gervais, Hood, and Van Lustbader are doing what I propose and are able to do it well. Even if not, this was a good start on Blackbriar…
Welcome to the world of Blackbriar. A programme and a world spinning off from Treadstone. That alone was enough to reel me Inuit a good premise is only that, luckily the sharp writing and the relentless, non-stop action kept me hooked.
This is clearly the start of a new franchise and it lauds very solid grounds, for me it needs to find its own identity as the comparisons to Bourne didn’t really do the main characters any justice as they seemed a bit flat in comparison. However, it’s only a start and I expect we’ll get to live these characters more over the coming adventures.
Simply put... a terrific addition to the Jason Bourne/Treadstone Universe!
This is a debut to a new series (I sincerely hope) of novels written by Simon Gervais. I have read somewhere that the estate of Robert Ludlum had asked him to write this novel - and they made an excellent choice with their pick of the author.
Action packed and well written.
I am looking forward so much to the next in the series that I wonder which will be released first: a Pierce Hunt, Mike Clayton, or Blackbriar!
This is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I rounded up to 4 stars realizing that this is a new series, and it will take more than one book to solidly build all of the characters. I thought Helen and Donovan were decently developed. The opening chapters in Cairo started well and the action in North Macedonia was fast paced. In the audiobook, the narrator did a reasonable job, but it was difficult at times to keep all of the Mexican characters straight.
Overall, it is a quick read, and the characters were interesting enough that I will read the second book when it is released.
A new addition to the Ludlum universe. There is background on Oliver (head of the supposedly defunct Blackbriar) and how he and DNI Russell met. Then we are on an op following two Blackbriar operatives Helen & Donovan through a number of European cities hunting a traitor and evading quite a few ambushes.
There are 4 groups of Blackbriar operatives and this book only follows Helen/Donovan, new partners formerly FBI/CIA now in counter-intelligence. It's got lots of action and bad guys.
The Blackbriar Genesis is a spinoff of the Treadstone novels. It's better than some of the Treadstone reads but it's not as good as the original Jason Bourne stories. This tale brings Russian disinformation teams together with Mexican Drug Cartels to create fake news to convince the US government not categorize the cartels as terrorist organization so the US won't raid the cartels. Blackbriar is an off the books group aimed a preventing bad guys from collection critical US intel. It's a long read which spends too much time on background info on operatives who eventually get offed & therefore doesn't matter to the basic storyline.
4.5 stars but I will round up because this is a new series.
Simon Gervais is currently one of my favorite authors. He writes action-packed novels that do not drag on, do not waste my time, and tell an entire story without the need for useless drivel.
Unlike the latest Thor, Flynn/Mills novels, Gervais continues to write novels I look forward to reading. Can hardly wait to read the next Pierce Hint, Clayton White, Mike Walton, and now Blackbriar installments.
This is the first Robert Lublum book I have read and it was well worth the read. Total excitement and adventure. I know there is a Treadstone series, but don't know about Blackbriar, only that it was supposed to be defunct. Obviously not. Also a lot, if not most of the operatives are familiar to loyal readers. The two major characters probably are not and I hope they are the focus of the next two books. They are awesome!
I only have one complaint, and it’s more against all fiction writers in general, and not Simon in particular: give your characters distinct names that don’t sound like another character, especially if they are representing the Antagonist Party. Though Berganza, Belousov, and Bentayga kept me confused as Simon weaved a very complex storyline of spy verses spy traveling from Greece to Egypt to the Czech Republic and finally Macedonia. A good addition to the Bourne trilogy 🤣👍🏼.
This is an excellent addition to the Ludlum universe. The book is fast paced full of action, espionage and betrayal. The book is well written and will keep you engrossed from the first page. This is the first in a series by this author and there is room for a sequel. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.