text: This is my first Ludlum book and it is sure to be my last.  The plot is preposterous because of Ludlum's limited understanding of economics and history.  Once you realize that, all interest in the story falls away.  It starts off plausible enough...and the blurbs on the jacket imply some "weapon" more powerful than a mere 270 million dollars!  Hitler gained power because of the alignment of a number of situations that made the ground fertile for his brand of megalomania.  Some spoiled, rich American brat and his fortune would hardly make a difference to the currents of history.  I know that this is only supposed to be a work of fiction, and it is all in good fun, but the plot-concept needs to be much more believable to hold my interest.  If you don't need logic in your fiction, it's interesting enough as a cloak and dagger story, but it falls far short in the historical (and economic) fiction department
  