Robert Ludlum (born 1927) is a prolific author of best-selling spy and thriller novels noted for their complicated plots and high-powered suspense. The diverse settings and time periods are embellished by his protagonists, who are ordinary people either accidentally propelled or manipulated into participating in acts of espionage and political machination.

While some critics find Ludlum's plots formulaic and his prose overwritten, others commend his ability to create plausible situations, evoke foreign milieus, and sustain reader interest.

The Scarlatti Inheritance (1971), The Rhinemann Exchange (1974), and The Holcroft Covenant (1978) are all set in the World War II era and depict the attempts of the Third Reich to gain world dominance. The Scarlatti Inheritance, which takes place during the early years of World War II, details the financial backing of the fledgling Nazi party by a group of Western business executives whose leader is an American expatriate and Nazi sympathizer. A corrupt...