Windmills of the Gods [Paperback]

Sidney Sheldon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 1995

This classic best-selling thriller races from the White House to the romance of Paris and the shady menace of Cold War Bucharest as a young woman ambessador faces unseen and powerful enemies plotting her and her children's destruction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest novel by the veteran author ( If Tomorrow Comes, etc.) is a fast-paced thriller. Upon taking office, idealistic President Paul Ellison inaugurates the "people-to-people" program, intended to establish America's ties with Iron Curtain countries. Instead of naming an experienced diplomat as ambassador to Romania, Ellison selects wholesome Mary Ashley, instructor of Eastern European political science at Kansas State University. Mary initially declines the post, but after her husband dies in a suspicious car crash, she warily accepts Ellison's offer in an attempt to quell her overwhelming grief. Unwittingly, Mary has placed herself in peril, for a sinister covert organization of right- and left-wing tycoons and politicians called Patriots for Freedom intends to abort Ellison's project by lethal means. To kill Mary in Romania, these code-named extremiststheir identities aren't divulged until the novel concludeshire Angel, a terrorist infamous for for barbarity, skill, and dedication. Sheldon's characterizations are slick but involving, and the action escalates to an electrifying final scene. Adding depth are descriptions of harsh Romanian life, the agony of widowhood and the foreign service initiation process.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In the world of political intrigue and espionage Sheldon's work is far from Le Carre or even Ludlum. But he can spin a fast-moving tale and give it a few twists. Here an international cabal of politically powerful right- and left-wingers seeks to destroy President Paul Ellison's plan to strengthen relations with Iron Curtain countries. Ellison's program is to start in Romania, and for ambassador he selects Mary Ashley, political science professor, wife, and mother who has seldom been outside Kansas in her 35 years, but whose writing has caught Ellison's eye. Sheldon strains credulity severely along the way, notably in murders masked as accidents, and Ashley's gaffes on the Washington diplomatic scene are glaringly inconsistent with her shrewd negotiating in Bucharest a few months later. But the story speeds along and the epilogue is a chiller. Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers (July 10, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006174426
• ISBN-13: 978-0006174424
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,972,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular!, July 28, 2000

By 

Randy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windmills of the Gods (Mass Market Paperback)

Sidney Sheldon is one of my favorite writers, so it is no wonder that Windmills of the Gods is such an excellent book. Like all his books, Windmills of the Gods is equipped with a silky yet entrancing writing style that makes it impossible to put down. In the story, Mary Ashley, a university professor in Kansas, is appointed ambassador to Romania, which had only recently ameliorated its relations with the West. Mary receives much acclaim and over night she becomes one of the most famous and influential people in the world. However, she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous web of conspiracy and corrupt power, and many parties are after her, including one of the most powerful assassins in the world. Even the reader does not know who Mary should trust as she tries unremittingly to vanquish the forces that are working against her. You are in for many shocking surprises as well as great joys and sorrows as you read this book. It is truly one of the best.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sisney Sheldon's surprises & suspence!, January 24, 1999

By 

iljc82 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windmills of the Gods (Mass Market Paperback)

Really, this is the best book I've ever read after "The Best Laid Plans" again by Sidney Sheldon. If you are reading other reviews on this book, try to avoid ones telling you the synopsis, or else there will be no point, really, to read this book. I'm not going to tell you what it is about but I could possibly tell you that be prepared that the climax is not reached until the third book. Be sure to read till the end, or you'll regret! Now about Sheldon: He has the ability to frame an innocent person to look like the tyrant of the century and conceal so meticulously the deepest secret of an ordinary person. I guess that's what makes Sheldon's books so special and luridly intriguing!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the definition of a page-turner, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Windmills of the Gods (Mass Market Paperback)

This book defines the phrase "page-turner." I simply could not put it down. The minute I thought "okay, I'll stop here" there was another twist in the story and I had to keep reading to find out what happend next. Then, near the end of the book, EVERYTHING takes a crazy turn and mysteries unfold that make you say things out loud like, "NO WAY" and "OMIGOD." I am not much of a book reader, in fact this is the first book I've read since high school, and I am going on my 5th Sydney Sheldon book in 3 weeks. This guy is good!!!