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espionage thriller
Series · comedic thriller
Road to Gandolfo
The Road to Gandolfo series by Robert Ludlum has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Road to Gandolfo (1975). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Road to Omaha.
- Books
- 2 known books (2 novels)
- Published
- 2
- First published
- 1975
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: The Road to Gandolfo (1975) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Road to Gandolfo
The Road to Gandolfo is the novel that opens Robert Ludlum's Road to Gandolfo series, published in 1975. It's followed here by The Road to Omaha. It's the natural place to begin the series, which ran to completion between 1975 and 1992 across 2 books. It was originally published in January 1975 under the pen name Michael Shepherd, before later editions credited Robert Ludlum directly; this catalogue lists it under his own name to match the rest of his backlist.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Road to Gandolfo - Book 2:
The Road to Omaha
The Road to Omaha is by Robert Ludlum, the second novel in the Road to Gandolfo series, published in February 1992. It follows The Road to Gandolfo as the most recent entry in the series so far.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Road to Omaha
About the Road to Gandolfo series
Disgraced General MacKenzie "the Hawk" Hawkins and reluctant Army lawyer Sam Devereaux are the odd couple at the center of Robert Ludlum's only comedic thrillers, a sharp tonal departure from his trademark paranoid conspiracy plotting. The Road to Gandolfo (1975) — originally published under the pen name Michael Shepherd — follows the drummed-out Hawkins' revenge scheme to kidnap the Pope, dragging Devereaux along as his unwilling accomplice.
The Road to Omaha (1992) reunites the pair 17 years later for an equally absurd scheme involving a forgotten 19th-century treaty that could hand the city of Omaha, Nebraska to a Native American tribe. Both books trade Ludlum's usual life-or-death stakes for farce and banter, making them a notable curiosity for readers who only know his straight espionage thrillers.
Frequently asked questions
How many Road to Gandolfo books are there?
Two: The Road to Gandolfo (1975) and The Road to Omaha (1992).
Was The Road to Gandolfo published under Ludlum's own name?
Not originally — it was first published under the pen name Michael Shepherd in 1975, and later reissued under Robert Ludlum's own name.
Are these books like Ludlum's other thrillers?
No — they're deliberately comedic, built around farce and banter between General Hawkins and lawyer Sam Devereaux, unlike the paranoid espionage tone of Ludlum's other work.
Is there a third book in this series?
No. The duology has been complete since The Road to Omaha (1992).
If you like the Road to Gandolfo series
Reading order last verified .