Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Windmills of the Gods

Windmills of the Gods
reviewed on + 3389 more book reviews


During the Cold War, the President of the United States asks college professor and Mrs. Average America Mary Ashley to fill the very important post of Ambassador to Romania. She is flattered, but declines because her husband's job requires him to stay here. Faster than you can say "Conspiracy theory," the husband has a fatal accident and Mary is off to Bucharest, where the protocol is stifling, her office is bugged, and her assistant, smart aleck Mike Slade, just may be trying to kill her.

This story is a bit of a departure for Sidney Sheldon, who usually writes romantic thrillers about spunky, single young women. Mary Ashley is brave, but definitely from the Donna Reed School for Wives and she has two (perfect) kids, to boot. The character I liked best was the enigmatic master assassin, Angel, who has killed some of the world's most influential people, and now find Mary Ashley on his to-do list. The ever-smirking Mike Slade is a fun and likeable character. You'll learn a lot about diplomatic protocol in this tidy little political thriller.