Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of The Game by Tilly Bagshawe

This book review is written by Mani Padma . Mani Padma is an avid book reader and a follower of GingerChai.

When I grabbed a copy of the book “Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of The Game” I was hoping hopelessly a sequel to the Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon and at par with the Master himself. Well if not at Par at least someone who comes quite near to him in thrilling us with his trademark twists and turns of the plot. But alas! Tilly Bagshawe is no Master or for that matter yet to become the mistress either.

Bagshawe’s sequel starts off from the Demise of the Grand Dame Kate Blackwell. And the old order is survived by Peter, Alexandra’s husband (Alex too dies at childbirth of her second baby Alex again who is the main protagonist of the sequel), Eve her recluse twin who is still pining for revenge against all her so called tormentors and finds the means for revenge and fulfillment of her repressed ambitions in Max, her son, who has a massive Oedipus complex, which in turn is utilized by the twisted minded Eve to the fullest. Keith Eve’s Surgeon husband is also killed. Robbie, Alexandra’s first born, who was quite favored by Kate Blackwell to run Kruger Brent the giant company is a musical prodigy and has his own plans and calling. So, that leaves Kruger Brent to be fought out between Max and Alex, (Alexandra’s and peter’s daughter} which is about the story in the sequel.

Bagshawe tries to weave a drama or a thriller of deceit, greed, lust, emotions but fails to deliver up to the expectations. The characterization is good but the protagonist and antagonist lacks the power, cunning and dynamism as is expected from a Sheldon novel. The trademark twists and edge of the seat thrills are missing so are the last minute escapes. The manner in which Alex regains her position is also hazy. Not like the well researched documentations by Sheldon. The language is of course lucid and she has tried hard in the characterization.

Probably if the Authoress had written this novel out of the shadow of the Master (Sheldon), it would have made an enjoyable read, but as a sequel to the Master’s Master of the game, it failed.