From Publishers Weekly
The godmother of glam/vamp fiction returns with a campy prequel/sequel to Lethal Seduction, digging down and dirty to find the roots of celebrity journalist Madison Castelli's twisted family tree. Madison, first introduced in Collins's L.A. Connections series, plays a supporting role in this soapy sex-o-rama. This time, her father, Michael Castelli, a handsome "wiseguy" turned tycoon, takes center stage, along with his lover, stunning Las Vegas showgirl Dani Castle. Castelli has been accused of killing not one but two women: Beth, Madison's mother, and Stella, the woman Madison believed to be her mom. He is acquitted of the first murder with the help of his mob boss buddy, Vito Giovanni, aka Mr. G., who is unfortunately deceased by the time the second hit occurs. The nasty men responsible for framing Castelli are threatening to take out more of his loved ones if he doesn't cough up money Mr. G. promised them before he died. While Castelli knows that means they could harm not only Madison but Dani, mother of Madison's two step-siblings Sofia, teen wild child now on the prowl in Europe, and Vincent, young Vegas hotel mogul he also knows these crooks are responsible for the murder of his own mother, making retribution his ultimate goal. Throughout the readable if sometimes turgid saga, which skips from Michael and Dani's New York and Las Vegas pasts to the present-day ordeal of Madison held hostage at an upscale L.A. restaurant, the bombardment of amoral antics leaves the reader either reaching for an antacid or a very dry martini. Warning: the tongue-in-cheek/family-feel-good denouement cheerfully opens the door for another sequel.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Picking up where Lethal Seduction left off, this novel tracks sassy celebrity writer Madison's efforts to uncover her father's mobster past. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Michael Castelli's legitimate and illegitimate families are both at risk from a crazy, old porno queen who is bent on revenge for having been jilted by Michael's father during WWII. Will Michael have to kill her? And will he finally marry his mistress of 30 years? Carrington McDuffie offers fine characterizations of Michael's New York mobster friends and their sleazy associates. Her depiction of Michael's younger daughter makes the girl sound 38 rather than 18, but remains consistent. McDuffie's soft, formal delivery, however, never quite captures Collins's racing pace and sharp edge. Her performance works too hard on what should be simply a fun read. The sound levels and pervasive hiss on the tapes don't help matters either. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
Things aren't going well for Madison Castelli, last seen in Lethal Seduction (2000). Her father, Michael, is accused of a double murder (well, he is a mobster), and her photographer boyfriend has been missing in Colombia for 10 days, "which is pretty damn worrying." Needing "a break to get her head on straight," Madison heads to L.A., where she is promptly involved in a hostage situation in a trendy restaurant. And so it goes in Collins' glitzy, melodramatic world. Seemingly flying on automatic pilot, Collins throws together her usual grab bag of outrageous events stitched together in alternating story lines and described in laughable prose. The dialogue consists of gems such as, "You treat me like crap, Michael, then you expect me to fall gratefully into your arms like God's gift." Or the ever popular: "Give it to me, Mike, give it to me good." But to give Collins her due, she is a master of pacing. Each short chapter, alternating between the past and present and exploring the lives and loves of Madison's family, trots briskly along, filled with drugs, sex, murder, and mayhem--and concluding, just like a Jane Austen novel, with an oh-so-happy wedding. For the addicted. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Associated Press Very addictive.
Book Description
HIGH-STAKES PASSIONS. DANGEROUS SECERTS. DEADLY EMBRACE Jackie Collins turns up the sizzle of her blockbuster Lethal Seduction in this explosive New York Times bestseller. Nothing has prepared Madison Castelli for learning the truth about her father -- revelations about murderous crimes that have thrown the beautiful, street-smart journalist into a tailspin. Michael Castelli, on the run in Las Vegas, vows to exact revenge on his enemies. Meanwhile, Madison steps into a deadly trap in L.A., where one mistake may cost her her life. She can try to run from danger, but playing with fire runs in her family...
About the Author
Jackie Collins is the author of twenty-three New York Times bestselling novels. From Hollywood Wives to Lady Boss, from Lethal Seduction to Hollywood Divorces, Jackie Collins has chronicled the lives of the rich and famous with "devastating accuracy" (Los Angeles Times). She lives in Beverly Hills.
Deadly Embrace FROM THE PUBLISHER
Jackie Collins turns up the sizzle of her blockbuster Lethal Seduction in this explosive New York Times bestseller.
Nothing has prepared Madison Castelli for learning the truth about her father -- revelations about murderous crimes that have thrown the beautiful, street-smart journalist into a tailspin. Michael Castelli, on the run in Las Vegas, vows to exact revenge on his enemies. Meanwhile, Madison steps into a deadly trap in L.A., where one mistake may cost her her life. She can try to run from danger, but playing with fire runs in her family...
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The godmother of glam/vamp fiction returns with a campy prequel/sequel to Lethal Seduction, digging down and dirty to find the roots of celebrity journalist Madison Castelli's twisted family tree. Madison, first introduced in Collins's L.A. Connections series, plays a supporting role in this soapy sex-o-rama. This time, her father, Michael Castelli, a handsome "wiseguy" turned tycoon, takes center stage, along with his lover, stunning Las Vegas showgirl Dani Castle. Castelli has been accused of killing not one but two women: Beth, Madison's mother, and Stella, the woman Madison believed to be her mom. He is acquitted of the first murder with the help of his mob boss buddy, Vito Giovanni, aka Mr. G., who is unfortunately deceased by the time the second hit occurs. The nasty men responsible for framing Castelli are threatening to take out more of his loved ones if he doesn't cough up money Mr. G. promised them before he died. While Castelli knows that means they could harm not only Madison but Dani, mother of Madison's two step-siblings Sofia, teen wild child now on the prowl in Europe, and Vincent, young Vegas hotel mogul he also knows these crooks are responsible for the murder of his own mother, making retribution his ultimate goal. Throughout the readable if sometimes turgid saga, which skips from Michael and Dani's New York and Las Vegas pasts to the present-day ordeal of Madison held hostage at an upscale L.A. restaurant, the bombardment of amoral antics leaves the reader either reaching for an antacid or a very dry martini. Warning: the tongue-in-cheek/family-feel-good denouement cheerfully opens the door for another sequel. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Picking up where Lethal Seduction left off, this novel tracks sassy celebrity writer Madison's efforts to uncover her father's mobster past. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
Michael Castelli's legitimate and illegitimate families are both at risk from a crazy, old porno queen who is bent on revenge for having been jilted by Michael's father during WWII. Will Michael have to kill her? And will he finally marry his mistress of 30 years? Carrington McDuffie offers fine characterizations of Michael's New York mobster friends and their sleazy associates. Her depiction of Michael's younger daughter makes the girl sound 38 rather than 18, but remains consistent. McDuffie's soft, formal delivery, however, never quite captures Collins's racing pace and sharp edge. Her performance works too hard on what should be simply a fun read. The sound levels and pervasive hiss on the tapes don't help matters either. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Celebrity journalist Madison Castelli's life is falling apart. Her father, Michael Castelli, vanishes after being accused of a double homicide: Stella (Madison's stepmother) and her live-in lover are shot, execution-style. And Madison's boyfriend, ace photographer Jake, has gone missing while getting the scoop on a Colombian drug cartel. Undaunted, Madison heads straight for a trendy LA restaurant to be consoled by her gay personal trainer and TV-personality best friend. No sooner is the designer water brought than Uzi-toting bandits burst in, ordering Madison and her companions to hit the floor. Maybe someone has it in for Madison? Travel back (and forth) in time occurs as the sordid facts of her parentage are established. Her grandfather is shot and paralyzed in a staged hold-up by a jealous girlfriend, fatally wounding Michael's sainted mother. The child enters the world as his mother expires, soon showing entrepreneurial promise selling hijacked cartons of cigarettes in his father's grocery. Siring first Madison, then her half-brother Vincent and half-sister Sofia, Michael is a man of mystery with a heart of gold. Unbelievably handsome and pursued by amorous women wherever he goes, he makes a fortune in Las Vegas from various shadowy deals, though his jealous nemesis stalks him still. Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, Madison contemplates fighting back, manicure be damned. More time travel awaits and further complications unfold: Madison's mother had escaped from a polygamous Mormon marriage as a virginal teenager, becoming a showgirl and conceiving her daughter in a one-night stand. Meanwhile, back once more at the restaurant, the Uzi-toting thugs get carried away and all hellbreaks loose. Can it be that the old (very old by now) girlfriend, the menacing Mamie, is behind this staged hold-up, too? Preposterous plot, unattractive characters, and crude dialogue make for a lackluster sequel to Lethal Seduction. No razzle-dazzle, no Hollywood cameos, and, worst of all, no shopping.
Art & Photography
Book Info
