The Scorpio Illusion (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Ludlum (Author) "Sundown. The distressed sloop, its mainmast shattered by lightning, its sails ripped by the winds of the open sea, drifted into the small, quiet beach..." (more)
Key Phrases: gatehouse log, dock boy, toda autoridad, Van Nostrand, White House, Little Girl Blood (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Ludlum's latest thriller sold 600,000 copies in hardcover.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Ludlum fans who perhaps were frustrated by the author's last three novels (e.g., The Gemini Contenders , Audio Reviews, LJ 4/1/93) have a genuine treat in store with this one. The master of international intrigue is back, make no mistake about it. The producer offers an excellent abridgment, and the story is enhanced with music and read expertly by Robert Lansing. This is a riveting, fast-moving thriller full of violence, sex, thrills, and electronic wizardry--all the things one imagines for today's terrorists and intelligence agents. The story concerns Amayra Bajaratt, a beautiful terrorist, whose goal is nothing less than death for the heads of state of England, France, Israel, and the United States. Enter Tyrrell Hawthorne, ex-naval intelligence operative recruited by British military intelligence to stop "Little Girl Blood." Recommended for all popular adult collections.
- Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553566032
• ISBN-13: 978-0553566031
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars this was a GOOD book, December 18, 2000

By	J. Peterson "jenpeterson" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this was only the 2nd ludlum book i have read & i was very impressed. The plot, although slightly unrealistic, keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. the only thing that got to me by the end was ALL the killing--that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just seemed that for the last few hundred pages, someone was killed every few pages. and i would recommend keeping a pen and paper near by to keep track of who is in charge and where they are. i thought that "Tye" was a believable character and that jackson was a laugh a minute. amaya was very resourceful, considering the circumstances. at any rate--this will not be the last ludlum book i buy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One more of Ludlum thrillers, December 21, 2001

By	Siddhanti R B (Bangalore, India) - See all my reviews

Another best seller from Ludlum, the author of 29 books that have sold over 210 million copies worldwide is an interesting, enjoyable book.

Ludlum is a master storyteller specializing in intrigue, suspense, and action thrillers full of conspiracies, violence and fast pace, movement, energy and action. Scorpio Illusion has all of these. The basic story line is fairly simple and thin;

Amaya Bajaratt, a western women married to an Arab revolutionary is also an accomplished terrorist. After the death of her husband in an encounter with Israeli commandos, she embarks on a mission of revenge.
An unnamed terrorist organization having taken up a contract sponsored by "scorpios", assigns the mission of assassinating the American President to this woman terrorist. When she starts putting her action plan together western intelligence agencies start smelling the rat which makes them alive to the developing conspiracy.

They manage to recruit Tyrell Hawthorne, an ex-naval intelligence officer with impeccable accomplishments to his credit, who had quit the job after mysterious death of his wife under suspicious circumstances. Hawthorne single handedly (mostly) manages to unravel the mystery, trace the plot and the links, thwart the plan,kill the terrorist and save the world from chaos which were engineered by scorpios, the secret organization.The whole fun is in reading about how he manages all this!

The basic story has no suspense as such since the identity of the assassin, as well as the target and the persuer are well known in the first chapter itself, and the outcome too is fairly predictable, but still the author manages to get the reader glued to the book with fast paced action, multiple layers of intrigue, and interesting situations over a vast backdrop and wider canvass of characters. The scenes cover a huge landscape ranging from Palestine to Europe, Caribbean, and US.

Credibility has never been a forte of Ludlum. His every book has a powerful,super secret,underground organization with unlimited tentacles,unlimited resources, reach, and power...only to be exposed and ultimately destroyed by one man, the hero!. This book has Scorpios as the secret organisation which Hawthorne manages to defeat and destroy.

Since Ludlum uses this sub-plot of a super-powerful, secret organisation wanting to control the world in every book of his, obvious question that comes to my mind is whether Ludlum really believes in it, or he has adopted it as a surefire successful formula, like the "lost & found" formula patented by Hindi fillums!

Anyway, Ludlum books are a fun to read, and this book too is an enjoyable thriller of vintage Ludlum variety, but does not leave a lasting impression as his Bourne series, Parsifal series, and Acquitaine progression did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poor Ludlum is falling deeper into his own cliches..., November 14, 2000

By	Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I am a fanatical follower of Robert Ludlum. There was at one time I believe that NOBODY on the face of God's green earth who could compete with his sheer creative power to write a thriller of epic size. Sad to say however, as in all things, a good thing can't always last forever. Now that isn't to say that 'The Scorpio Illusion' wouldn't stand up to just about any OTHER spy/thriller out there, it's just that after so many years, Ludlum seems to be re-telling the same story in a different setting here. I can't put my finger on it, but suffice it to say there was something oddly familiar at the heart of this book that reminded me of at least two other Ludlum stories. With that said, Ludlum STILL manages to keep the pace flowing at amazing speed and kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. For MY money, the all-time greatest spy/thriller novels came from Ludlum in the 70's and 80's. But if you are a Ludlum fan, pick this one up anyway, it's still really good.