Rating: 
Summary: The debute of the Master; not quite as I expected it...
Review: After reading Ludlum's "The Icarus Agenda", "The Rhinemann Exchange", "The Osterman Weekend", and a fair number of other top-class novels, I found in "The Scarlatti Inheritance" a bit of a disappointment. Usually, the real masters' first releases, are slamming hits. I refer to Tom Clancy ("The Hunt for Red October") and Alistair MacLean ("HMS Ulysses", and later on "The Guns of Navarone"), but, having expected the true masterwork, Ludlum's debute was a bit of a pity. Ludlum did a fantastic job in plotting the story-line, which was quite superb, but he failed in getting to a climax, which has, over the years, become his trademark."The Scarlatti Inheritance" did not bore me at all, it was just not as exciting as "The Osterman Weekend" and "The Chancellor Manuscript". I missed the tension, and - as I said before - the climax of the story... So, the debute of the true Master of conspiracy, plotting and intrigue, was not quite as good, as I expected it. Still though, it remains a work of Mr. Ludlum; an author not to be underestimated!
Rating: 
Summary: An entertaining book!
Review: Elizabeth's son was the personification of evil.He was aligned with very shadowy characters when he was a very young man. His very lovely wife was mistreated by him. His mother did not like the monster that was her child. He joined forces with one of the greatest sources of evil by combining forces with Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. Elizabeth Scarlatti was correct to consider her son dangerous. The goodguy in the person of the field officer was also effective. A different written Ludlum book but still interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Ludlam in training
Review: Great premise, great disappointment. Formulaic, improbable, confusing. Ludlam is clearly honing his skills in this early work. He ended a different book than he started. Bottom line: keep shopping.
Rating:
Summary: Shows all of Ludlum's flaws as a writer
Review: If you like Ludlum, read one of his later works.
"The Scarlatti Inheritance" showcases all his flaws as
a writer.
Ludlum can indeed handle certain techniques of a suspense
novel -- the buildup of tension, the explosive scene, etc.
Unfortunately, his flaws ruin the pleasure of reading this book.
* His characters are paper-thin.
* He's sloppy with background details. In this particular book,
for example, historical details are wrong and/or misinterpeted,
and the German dialog is grammatically and/or idiomatically incorrect.
* Excess reliance on "deus ex machina" plot devices. Summary: If you like the type of suspense Ludlum writes,
you'd be better off reading someone like Trevanian.
Rating:
Summary: Shows all of Ludlum's flaws as a writer
Review: If you like Ludlum, read one of his later works.
"The Scarlatti Inheritance" showcases all his flaws as
a writer.
Ludlum can indeed handle certain techniques of a suspense
novel -- the buildup of tension, the explosive scene, etc.
Unfortunately, his flaws ruin the pleasure of reading this book.
* His characters are paper-thin.
* He's sloppy with background details. In this particular book,
for example, historical details are wrong and/or misinterpeted,
and the German dialog is grammatically and/or idiomatically incorrect.
* Excess reliance on "deus ex machina" plot devices. Summary: If you like the type of suspense Ludlum writes,
you'd be better off reading someone like Trevanian.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most boring conspiracy ever
Review: Let's see if I got his plot right - The year was early 20s, and some of the wealthiest men in the world were pooling their resources together to fund the fledging Nazi party so that they can be the true masters of the New Order. This was before the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis occurred, though the threat of Communism was looming. Finally, the conspirators all (but one) backed off because of threat to their financial ruin, their most closely guarded secret achilles' heels - all discovered by a dame within less than four weeks. What would have made the book great was 1. How the conspirators came together, their motives, etc. 2. What the conspirators really hoped to achieve to their gain. 3. How dame Scarlet discovered their vulnerabilities. 4. How she knew the potential horror of their project. From the beginning of the book, readers are already told that Ulster lived, and that there were records in the government archives. From what happened in Zurich, how much would have been revealed to the government anyway ? The ending of the story was, totally boooorrrrrrriiiiinnnnggg. The whole creation of the book seem to be like the author had an idea of a conspiracy, wove the peripheral details around it in an excellent manner (give him the credit here), lost his Muse and couldn't provide the real meat for the dish. For all its excellent starters and garnishing, the main course proved hollow and there was no desert to attempt a decent exit. *sigh*
Rating:
Summary: ludlum was lucky to be given a second chance
Review: ludlum can perhaps thank his lucky stars he made his name elsewhere before starting to write thrillers, since not many other authors would have been given another chance after producing something as muddled as this. the opening and final chapters are ghastly, veering from sheer incomprehensibility to juvenilia. the idea isn't bad and the rest of the book chugs along, but how did he get away with that opening? without reading the rest of the book it makes no sense at all and strikes me as being more likely to repel rather than suck in the reader.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Different Ludlum Novel
Review: The first Ludlum novel I read was "The Matarese Circle" which made me a Ludlum fan.After reading a series of '80s Ludlum novels,the "Scarlatti Inheritance" seems somewhat strange in the making of the characters.Because this novel begins in the turn of the century and goes to 1950s.I loved the passages in which Ludlum makes his man talk to Hitler.And the last few chapters really do show how misguided we humanbeings can sometimes be.
Rating:
Summary: hmm, not the best, but worth the read
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not Ludlum's Best
Review: The Scarlatti Inheritence reads slowly and is somewhat uninteresting for Ludlum fans. The plot is not as thrilling or embedded as Ludlum readers are accustomed to. Additionally, the plot is revealed early on to the astute reader. It is a novel that one can begin, but not necessarily feel compelled to finish immediately.
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