The Holcroft Covenant (1978)

The Second World War is over. Three top Nazis have embezzled $780 million from Nazi funds - and then committed suicide. Their Covenant, to be inherited by their three eldest children, is to redistribute this vast wealth amongst the survivors of the Holocaust. Reparation must be made.

Conventional Noel Holcroft is one of the inheritors and his mission is to find the other two 'children' and prove himself worthy of his task. But the Sonnenkinder, the Children of the Sun, are determined to gain control of the millions and establish a Nazi Fourth Reich. As Holcroft tries to carry out his destiny, he finds himself enmeshed in a bewildering, horrifying nightmare.

A formula Ludlum book, but keeps you busy on a long train ride, many twists and turns in the plot to keep you turning the pages. ( )

NIL

An Excellent Thriller!

I believe this was the first book by Robert Ludlum the I read. The story is about the son of high ranking Nazi officer, Noel Holcroft, who is given a document that after he reads it, his life will never be the same. Noel learns that his father was deeply involved with the Third Reich, and that he stole a lot of money from the holocaust victims. He also finds out the he must find other people in order for them to get access to the cash. Midway through the book Noel finds that there are looking for him also. There are lots of twists and turns and the ending caught me off guard. It wasn't what I expected at all. Still, the book was a great read. Highly recommend. ( )

One of Ludlum' best in my opinion. At times it got a bit complicated but soon straightened itself out. The right amount of history mixed with fiction. ( )

Der beste Ludlum: Meiner Meinung nach der beste Ludlum. Platz 2: Das Scarlatti Erbe. Platz 3: Das Jesus Papier. Wiederkehrendes Motiv aller drei Bücher: Gradlinige 60er Jahre Heldenfiguren, die Verschwörungen und Geheimorganisationen aus der Nazi- und Mussolinizeit aufdecken sowie aristokratische Gegenspieler und (ein typisches Ludlummotiv: siehe Bourne Bücher) interessante Frauenfiguren, in die der Held sich auf der Flucht verliebt. Die Handlungsstränge sind faszinierend kompliziert angelegt, mit zum Teil drei konkurrierenden Geheimorganisationen. So eine Art Frühform der Dan Brown Bücher. Später hat Ludlum sich leider von diese Themen abgewandt, zugunsten von Agentenfiguren und Geheimdienstverschwörungen.