Just Finished Reading The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum

I admit to not being that much into spy novels, which might come as a surprise with some of my readers who know how much a fan of James Bond movies I am, as well as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers and The Prisoner TV series.  As a spy fiction writer, Robert Ludlum is probably right up there with Ian Fleming as the best in the genre...no complaints from me in that regard.  But after just finishing reading The Bourne Supremacy, the second book in his trilogy about master American secret agent Jason Bourne...a.k.a. David Webb...I'm almost ready to throw in the towel before even beginning the final book, The Bourne Ultimatum.  You see, there is so much double-crossing, manipulation and abuse in this story...and that's just coming from the "good guys" in the U.S. State and intelligence departments...that I began not to care whether hero Bourne successfully accomplished his mission or not.  And that mission, focusing on Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, has him hunting and capturing a rogue British agent who has been on an assassination trail in the Far East, impersonating Bourne himself in both name and methodology.  As Asian Studies professor at a New England college, David Webb, still gradually recovering his memory from the first novel, The Bourne Identity, is enjoying his new life along with Marie, also from that book and whom he married.  Knowing that he, as the "real" Jason Bourne, was the only man capable of carrying out their proposed mission and that he would turn it down, the bastards good guys have Marie abducted, with the cover story that a Hong Kong crime boss bent on revenge against Bourne is holding her hostage there.  So the adventure begins after Webb/Bourne quickly discovers no one at home will help him after he discovers her missing and the apparent reason.  Not to give away the book, but since there is another Bourne novel after this one it shouldn't be too hard to conclude that the title character survives his ordeal...but how many others do?  The high anxiety and suffering throughout this story without any sort of relief made me halfway wish for everyone to be put out of their misery and all go up in a giant ball of flame.  Yet I continue on...after a reasonable break...to the final book in the series.  And no, I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to tackle the movie version of The Bourne Supremacy after I saw what the film adaptation did to the first book.  Nothing wrong with the writing, like I said, but once you realize what a bunch of jerks are in charge of our national intelligence (at least according to Ludlum) it's very difficult to relate to these characters except to wish for somebody to kick their butts: maybe that's what Bourne will do next...