A pretty poor showing. Gangsters glorified, Arabs despised, 'bad arse' dialogue unrealistic.

What is really alarming but a sign of our times is Collin's misunderstanding and condemnation of Arabs. Even in Saudi women aren't stoned to death for speaking their minds. Women are allowed to wear designer shoes and expensive jewellery (almost to a fault). And if the protagonist is allowed to kill for revenge of her father, how come the Arab king is not allowed revenge for the death of his son? ( )

The twisting, turning, manipulative continuation, or conclusion, of the lives of the Santangelo family. If you’re a fan of Jackie Collins you know what to expect.

Free review copy. ( )

AUTHOR: Collins, Jackie
TITLE: The Santangelos
DATE READ: 12/30/2015
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Fiction/ 2015/ St. Martin's Press / 501 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #10 in the Lucky Santangelo series
CHARACTERS AUTHOR: Lucky Santangelo -- maven and matriarch of the Santangelo dynasty
TIME/PLACE Present/ Las Vegas & California
FIRST LINES The KEYS was Lucky Santangelo Golden's dream hotel, but sometimes one can dream bigger, & Lucky had decided that she should create something even more special.
COMMENTS I won this book from GoodReads. I had not read any Jackie Collins in some time so have not read every book in this series but do recall Lucky and have read some of the earlier books. These are fast and fun reads. Collins usually writes each chapter in from the voice of alternating characters so keeps you hanging and reading on to see what happened next w/ each. There is a lot of action, violence and sex but all fits into the story line. Lucky is happy in her marriage, moving forward in her next business venture, her kids seem to be settled in either at school or launching their own careers. Bobby is owner of a few nightclubs and Max is getting started as an Int'l model over in Europe. Her father, Gino, is settled into a more sedate lifestyle in Palm Springs. But of course, this is the calm before the storm… a family member is murdered, another set up for a murder and arrested and the drama continues… ( )

I have read several books about the Santangelos family. Although the books read like a rich, soap, mob opera I could not stop reading the books. Call them an indulgence. So when the lastest Santangelos book came out I had to check it out. There was something missing in this book. I did not feel the love with this book as I did with the prior novels. While I still like the Santangelos, I was not invested in their lives or relationships.

Lucky even seemed to be docile in this book. Not as strong a female presence as she usually is. There was too much talking with not a lot happening. I was struggling to read this book. Even at half way there was not a lot happening. This book could have been shortened by like 100 pages and more action inserted into the plot. ( )

Well, it's finally feeling like summer around here (it's been nearly 90 degrees for the past three days) and that means beach reading is on. (Well not at the beach for me, up on the apartment roof pool deck, but still.)

What is the perfect book to commence beach reading? Nothing beats Jackie Collins, and she has a new installment in her long running Lucky series, The Santangelos. I have been reading about Lucky Santangelo and her family, friends and enemies since Chances was published back in 1981.

Collins is an expert at creating a perfectly blended cocktail of sex, ambition, drugs, alcohol, mayhem and murder, and The Santangelos continues in her winning tradition. She manages to create several storylines that you know are going to intersect at some point and just explode, like cars on a collision course, but getting to that point keeps you turning the pages.

Lucky is still running her fabulous Vegas hotel, and still happily married to filmmaker husband Lennie. They are a great couple, who compliment each other's strengths and balance out each other's weaknesses.

Lucky is waiting for a visit from her beloved father Gino, who has moved to Palm Springs with his new wife. Lucky's son Bobby has just opened up another successful nightclub in Chicago, and 18 year-old daughter Max is in Europe partying and trying to get a modeling career going.

As usual, there are a few bad guys who want to cause problems for Lucky. A Middle Eastern king vows vengeance, holding Lucky responsible for his son's death, and when Bobby is framed for a murder and someone Lucky loves is gunned down, Lucky goes into fifth gear to find out who is targeting her family.

We see several characters pop up here from previous books- former child star Willow Price, mega movie star Billy who once loved young Max, Bobby's business partner M.J., and his girlfriend Assistant District Attorney Denver Jones- among others. I particularly enjoyed the funeral scene when many previous characters made cameo appearances.

You know what you are getting in Jackie Collins' Lucky books- lots of sex scenes, opulent homes, behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories, fabulous clothes, great parties, drugs, really bad guys, violence and loyalty- and that's what makes it so much fun.

Lucky is a terrific character, a strong-willed, ambitious, hard-working, smart woman who loves her family and friends and would do anything for them. And that's a good thing for her family and friends, because they seem to need her help a lot.

The Santangelos is a fabulous book to while away the days under the sun getting your Vitamin D. And even though it's 535 pages, you will tear through it quickly. The good news is that after you finish The Santangelos, you can start with Chances and read the entire Lucky Santangelo canon if you haven't already.

You don't need to have read any of the Lucky series to enjoy this one, Collins gives you enough information in this book that you aren't lost, but those who have read the Lucky books will get an extra level of enjoyment.

(Warning- there are graphic sex scenes in this book. If that is not you thing, don't read this one.)

Jackie Collins's website is here, and you can read an excerpt from The Santangelos there. ( )