The Bourne Ultimatum is one of Ludlum's most skillfully plotted novels.

The traps and counter-traps flow one into another seamlessly, without impeding the main plot line. Ludlum's principal narrative problem is keeping the conflicts within Webb/Bourne clear. Ludlum does this by switching from one name to another depending on what aspect of Webb/Bourne's personality is dominant: David Webb, Jason Bourne, the Chameleon, and Delta One. The Chameleon is a subpersonality of Bourne; when the need for disguises arises, Webb/Bourne shifts to the Chameleon, changing himself into a new person. Delta One is part Webb and part Bourne; when the international crime syndicate Medusa holds Webb/Bourne's attention, he shifts to Delta One to recall what he knew about the original Vietnam organization. These shifts from one name to another may sound confusing, but in the novel they serve to quickly and easily clue the reader...