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The Scarlatti Inheritance / The Osterman Weekend / The Matlock Paper / The Gemini Contenders
Book by Robert Ludlum
827 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 1979
1 person is currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Robert Ludlum
632 books5,307 followersRobert Ludlum was a titan of the suspense genre, whose name became synonymous with the modern international spy thriller. Before amassing a staggering readership estimated between 300 and 500 million copies, Ludlum forged a career in the theater as a Marine veteran turned actor and producer. This theatrical background proved foundational to his literary success; he often credited his sense of pacing and "what-happens-next" urgency to his years on stage. Writing from his home in New Jersey, he crafted 27 novels characterized by "lone wolf" protagonists battling shadowy global conspiracies, corrupt corporations, and clandestine military organizations.
Ludlum is most famous as the creator of Jason Bourne, the amnesiac assassin who first appeared in The Bourne Identity (1980). While the blockbuster film adaptations starring Matt Damon brought the character to a new generation, Ludlum’s original trilogy delved deeper into the Cold War paranoia and intricate psychological trauma of the protagonist. His work often drew inspiration from contemporary conspiracy theories, such as rumors surrounding the Trilateral Commission, and he frequently explored the idea of terrorism as a tool for authoritarian manipulation. Even after his death in 2001, his literary estate has continued to expand his universe through video games and posthumous collaborations, cementing his legacy as a master of the "ticking clock" narrative.
Ludlum is most famous as the creator of Jason Bourne, the amnesiac assassin who first appeared in The Bourne Identity (1980). While the blockbuster film adaptations starring Matt Damon brought the character to a new generation, Ludlum’s original trilogy delved deeper into the Cold War paranoia and intricate psychological trauma of the protagonist. His work often drew inspiration from contemporary conspiracy theories, such as rumors surrounding the Trilateral Commission, and he frequently explored the idea of terrorism as a tool for authoritarian manipulation. Even after his death in 2001, his literary estate has continued to expand his universe through video games and posthumous collaborations, cementing his legacy as a master of the "ticking clock" narrative.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 5, 2018
Whew! That took a while! I read something else between each of the novels in this book. For those who feel that Ludlum only writes about Nazis - alert - Only The Gemini Contenders (which sets the first half of the book during WWII), even really mentions Nazis, and that is NOT what the book is about. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these stories, but this is a huge book and very cumbersome. If I read them for a 3rd time it will be on my Kindle!
October 3, 2025
Wow, and again Wow. These four books in one were fun to read one after the other. Ludlum's books are clearly written by the same person. The style and excitement could only be Ludlum's work. It was a lot of fun reading them all in one book. We found this book at a thrift shop and it was more than worth the $2.00 we paid for it. Ludlum always has a few tricks up his arm -- oops, I meant to say he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Very clever writer.
November 18, 2017
This had 4 very different books. The Scarlatti Inheritance was probably the best. I frankly did not get the Osterman Weekend. The other 2 were ok, but I guess every author takes a while to get into the groove. These were early works.
June 10, 2020
I meant to just get the first book but it turned into a massive book of four. Not sure which I liked best because it took me a while to read them all.
August 12, 2010
(11/18/09) Well, I chose this as "to read" as I plan on reading "The Scarlatti Inheritance" in the near future. Truth be told, however, I have already read two of these enclosed books, and herein are brief reviews of them:
"The Gemini Contenders" is one I actually read about 30+ years ago and recognized I had done so about a third of the way through it. Finished it anyway because I enjoyed it so much. Involves twins on opposite sides of a Nazi-inspired (what else?) pursuit of a supposedly "lost" gospel by Jesus himself, calling into account some presuppositions about him and all sorts of "this is gonna have a massive influence on Christianity and the WHOLE WORLD!!!" folderol. This device was in "The Word" by Irving Wallace" and of course more recently in "The DaVinci Code." No matter, the action and suspense are very good, the relationship between the brothers intriguing, and those dirty old Nazis are everywhere, even in modern day! Very fun read, highly recommended. Would give it a Five Star Review!!!
"The Osterman Weekend" is more of a "Who are our neighbors REALLY?" scenarios, and the plot goes through all sorts of twists and turns and suspicions of this one, then that one, with some (well, not enough, for me) clues as to who's the REAL culprit(s). Might make you take a second look at who those nice people on your cul-de-sac might really be... This was made into a movie, Sam Peckinpah's last, but it got bad reviews, gonna see it sometime anyway. Book was OK, but I think not up to Ludlum's usual quality. Would give it Three Star review.
OK, now on to "The Scarlatti Inheritance" (well, after I finish "The Lost Symbol (yeah, Dan Brown again, can't put 'im down) and "Eureka Man," which is my FIRST pre-publication book I won through Goodreads! A review of that one coming in a couple weeks.
01/28/10 Finished "The Scarlatti Inheritance," a pre-Nazi thriller which, I fear, is mostly talk and only a bit of thrill. Nonetheless, it is a fun romp through the world of the rich (a transformation similar to that in "The Lost Symbol" is part of the fun, but much more overt). I would have given this a "Three Star" review, easy to read, but not up to the standards of some of his other works (see above).
08/12/10 Finished "The Matlock Paper," my second-favorite in this collection. A college professor, James Matlock, is recruited by the Justice Department to infiltrate and find out who's behind drug deals on a Connecticut campus. WELL, the shootings and torture start almost immediately and the good/bad guys are shifting almost in every chapter, and this poor sap gets pursued by good and bad alike and the layers of depravity get uncovered almost as fast, and I couldn't put this dang thing down! Another fun "The groves of Academe hide pretty nasty stuff" romp. This was published in 1973, so some of what we'd see as anachronisms are pretty fun: Use of pay phones to conceal one's whereabouts; the militant Black campus organizations amidst general student unrest; and, my personal favorite, when talking about recruitment of college girls for a prostitution ring, one character exclaims,"It's the Age of Aquarius! Nobody has to pay for sex!" I laughed out loud, but then I'm old enough to remember all that stuff.
"The Gemini Contenders" is one I actually read about 30+ years ago and recognized I had done so about a third of the way through it. Finished it anyway because I enjoyed it so much. Involves twins on opposite sides of a Nazi-inspired (what else?) pursuit of a supposedly "lost" gospel by Jesus himself, calling into account some presuppositions about him and all sorts of "this is gonna have a massive influence on Christianity and the WHOLE WORLD!!!" folderol. This device was in "The Word" by Irving Wallace" and of course more recently in "The DaVinci Code." No matter, the action and suspense are very good, the relationship between the brothers intriguing, and those dirty old Nazis are everywhere, even in modern day! Very fun read, highly recommended. Would give it a Five Star Review!!!
"The Osterman Weekend" is more of a "Who are our neighbors REALLY?" scenarios, and the plot goes through all sorts of twists and turns and suspicions of this one, then that one, with some (well, not enough, for me) clues as to who's the REAL culprit(s). Might make you take a second look at who those nice people on your cul-de-sac might really be... This was made into a movie, Sam Peckinpah's last, but it got bad reviews, gonna see it sometime anyway. Book was OK, but I think not up to Ludlum's usual quality. Would give it Three Star review.
OK, now on to "The Scarlatti Inheritance" (well, after I finish "The Lost Symbol (yeah, Dan Brown again, can't put 'im down) and "Eureka Man," which is my FIRST pre-publication book I won through Goodreads! A review of that one coming in a couple weeks.
01/28/10 Finished "The Scarlatti Inheritance," a pre-Nazi thriller which, I fear, is mostly talk and only a bit of thrill. Nonetheless, it is a fun romp through the world of the rich (a transformation similar to that in "The Lost Symbol" is part of the fun, but much more overt). I would have given this a "Three Star" review, easy to read, but not up to the standards of some of his other works (see above).
08/12/10 Finished "The Matlock Paper," my second-favorite in this collection. A college professor, James Matlock, is recruited by the Justice Department to infiltrate and find out who's behind drug deals on a Connecticut campus. WELL, the shootings and torture start almost immediately and the good/bad guys are shifting almost in every chapter, and this poor sap gets pursued by good and bad alike and the layers of depravity get uncovered almost as fast, and I couldn't put this dang thing down! Another fun "The groves of Academe hide pretty nasty stuff" romp. This was published in 1973, so some of what we'd see as anachronisms are pretty fun: Use of pay phones to conceal one's whereabouts; the militant Black campus organizations amidst general student unrest; and, my personal favorite, when talking about recruitment of college girls for a prostitution ring, one character exclaims,"It's the Age of Aquarius! Nobody has to pay for sex!" I laughed out loud, but then I'm old enough to remember all that stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2013
The Osterman Weekend might have been my least favorite but I still liked it.
The Gemini Contenders,Scarlatti Inheritance and the The Matlock Papers were just amazing. Its been years since I read Ludlum but I still remember the thrill, the master of spy and intrigue gave me.
I recall just sitting there after I finished one of his novels, dying to tell the world what I just experienced. That was before the internet. Ludlum's novels went viral before there was an internet,facebook,or twitter.
For fans of Ludlum, I highly recommend Lawrence Sanders and his Deadly Sins novels. A bit different than spy. More detective, but lots of intrigue.
The Gemini Contenders,Scarlatti Inheritance and the The Matlock Papers were just amazing. Its been years since I read Ludlum but I still remember the thrill, the master of spy and intrigue gave me.
I recall just sitting there after I finished one of his novels, dying to tell the world what I just experienced. That was before the internet. Ludlum's novels went viral before there was an internet,facebook,or twitter.
For fans of Ludlum, I highly recommend Lawrence Sanders and his Deadly Sins novels. A bit different than spy. More detective, but lots of intrigue.
February 18, 2010
I really liked The Scarlatti Inheritance. I found it very interesting. That is the only story in this book I actually liked.
The Osterman Weekend and The Matlock Papers I found boring and skimmed through the pages.
The Gemini Contenders was probably read by Dan Brown when writing his book The Da Vinci Code. At least The Gemini Contenders is much better written than Dan Browns version and his horrible writing style.
The Osterman Weekend and The Matlock Papers I found boring and skimmed through the pages.
The Gemini Contenders was probably read by Dan Brown when writing his book The Da Vinci Code. At least The Gemini Contenders is much better written than Dan Browns version and his horrible writing style.
November 29, 2008
Scarlatti Inheritance is one of the great Ludlum novels. And i am speaking from experience. Intrigue, plot twists and action in a colorful setting. If you happen to read all his books it becomes a little formulaic, but if you only read one, read Scarlatti Inheritance.
June 27, 2013
Nice freshman effort by R. Ludlum. Nicely plotted. The occasional anachronism does not detract from the flow. Shows signs of the Ludlum knowledge of process: this is much more prominent in his later works.
December 8, 2008
Different from what I am used to reading. Probably will invest more time in reading more of his earlier novels, before the "Bourne" series.
January 30, 2015
Well, I finally finished this book. This Collection of Ludlum's first 4 novels is interesting in that each book was successively better. The final as the best.
October 18, 2013
Robert Ludlum weaves a plot like a bird weaves a net. Intricate patterns and interesting characters.
I really enjoyed the read.
I really enjoyed the read.
February 2, 2016
Early Ludlum novels. Before he really caught fire but they perfectly captured desperate men put in desperate situations.
February 18, 2014
excellent ... Ludlum at his best
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews