Ludlum's Cold War spy tales routinely topped the bestseller lists, although critics usually panned him for his excessive use of exclamation points that only served to accentuate his implausible plot twists. A former actor and theater producer, Ludlum turned to writing at age 40 as a lark. His first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance, was an instant success and was followed by a veritable avalanche of books. Ludlum often boasted that his theatrical training helped him to set up scenes and plot complicated books that the reader enjoyed the way he might a good show.
Passage, Robert Ludlum, 74
Ludlum's Cold War spy tales routinely topped the bestseller lists, although critics usually panned him for his excessive use of exclamation points that only served to accentuate his implausible plot twists. A former actor and theater producer, Ludlum turned to writing at age 40 as a lark. His first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance, was an instant success and was followed by a veritable avalanche of books. Ludlum often boasted that his theatrical training helped him to set up scenes and plot complicated books that the reader enjoyed the way he might a good show.
