Sidney Sheldon's
MISTRESS OF THE GAME                                                                by  Tilly Bagshawe

Review #36
The sequel to the late Sidney Sheldon's No. 1 New York Times best seller, The Master of the Game (1982)

This book continues the sticky power struggles of the Maxwells, America's richest family. A new generation of Maxwells includes Eve, an evil temptress brutally scarred by her controlling cosmetic surgeon husband,and her identical twin sister, Alexandra, an angel in comparison.

Alexandra dies giving birth to a daughter, Lexi, while Eve survives the birth of her son, Max. Eve plots to take back the family's business empire, rearing Max to hate and, at age 10, kill his father.

Lexi's father, Peter, and her big brother, Robbie, surround Lexi with love, but she's traumatized at age eight when she's kidnapped and raped. Years pass as Lexi and Max square off, while across the ocean "the most famous barrister in London" embarks on a quest that will eventually lead him to Lexi, but not without many shocking twists.

I barely made it through this book. Most of the surviving characters are a mess with the exception of Lexi’s gay brother, Robbie, who has the good sense to renounce his inheritance and to leave the country. Robbie embarks on an adventure that leads him to happiness as a famous pianist who is able to make his own way in the world.

I love Sidney Sheldon’s books, but this one made me glad I am not rich and a member of this miserable family! I'm glad this was the last of the Maxwell Family stories.