The Scarlatti Inheritance (Paperback)

by Robert Ludlum (Author) "The brigadier general sat stiffly on the deacon's bench, preferring the hard surface of the pine to the soft leather of the armchairs..." (more)
Key Phrases: field accountant, waxed moustache, Elizabeth Scarlatti, Heinrich Kroeger, Matthew Canfield (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Great, astonishing, the most  spellbinding suspense in  years!"--Minneapolis Tribune.

"Has that sense of drama and pact that only the best  storytellers have."--San Francisco  Chronicle.

"Drive and  excitement from first page to last."--Mario  Puzo, author of The Godfather.  

"Gripping. . .Ludlum writes with  imagination and convincing  authority."--Baltimore Sun -- Review

Review
"Great, astonishing, the most spellbinding suspense in years!"—Minneapolis Tribune.

"Has that sense of drama and pact that only the best storytellers have."—San Francisco Chronicle.

"Drive and excitement from first page to last."—Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.

"Gripping. . .Ludlum writes with imagination and convincing authority."—Baltimore Sun

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (February 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553271466
• ISBN-13: 978-0553271461
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #238,133 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #58 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Ludlum, Robert

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book that keeps you thrilled, March 12, 2005

By	S. G Spires (Huntsville, Al United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Other reviews listed here complain about the pace, development and plotting of this novel. I'd have to say many people are spoiled by some of today's works in that most events are telegraphed to the reader and it ends up being like a typical action movie ... thin and unmoving.
To me this book is neither. It has depth and a trio of main characters that are interesting. There are some citations that note this book is formulaic. Perhaps it needs to be taken into consideration that it was written before some of these formulas were developed.
I thought The Scarlatti Inheritance was a fine read and the premise was very interestng. A mother -- Elizabeth Scarlatti -- wants to keep her evil son -- Ulster Scarlatti -- from financing the Third Reich in the 1920s. The "hero" of the novel is Matthew Canfield, a government man who is looking to find out what Ulster Scarlatti is doing with more than $200 million in securities.
Ludlum does an excellent job of capturing the way people lived in the 1920s, especially the rich.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very Interesting Read, June 25, 2007

By	ReadMyWay (Miami, Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scarlatti Inheritance (Paperback)

I guess I'm very late for a review of this book, since it's been out for a number of years, but I thought the novel held its own against many of the books that a significant number of the publishers and authors crank out today. Whewwww. I'm new to Robert Ludlum. I shouldn't be because I have been reading novels for 25 plus years. Anyway, I thought "The Scarlatti Inheritance" was a very interesting read. I was fascinated by the author's approach of using the character Elizabeth Scarlatti and her determination to stop her son from helping Hitler's regime. I'm not a big fan of military novels and even less of a fan when it comes to that era of Germany's power during WWII. However the author made the novel seem like I was looking at this time period from another completely different perspective and I guess that's why I found the novel very interesting. I won't go so far as to say it was a super read, but it was a good read and worthy of your time.



Have a good day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hmm, not the best, but worth the read, July 11, 2000

By	Jared Garrett (Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Scarlatti Inheritance is a good book. It's best ingredient is the vivid imagination of Mr. Ludlum and his ability to weave a fine plot and have it unfold at a good pace. This book hits the same key that many others do: Nazis and the Third Reich, but it is very original in plot and hero, or as it were, heroine. The ending isn't necessarily what you might expect from Ludlum, but it is definately appropriate. This is worth your plane ride, so read it.