I was pretty disappointed with this one. My first Sidney Sheldon novel was "If Tomorrow Comes" and I found Tracy Whitney a much better, more believable heroine than Kate Blackwell. This is now my 5th Sheldon novel and the thought that keeps repeating in my head is "I'm indescribably grateful it was not my first."

Of those that I've read, I found "Master of the Game" to be the slowest, least climactic, and least appealing. The story seemed never-ending and, in this case, that wasn't a good thing. Sheldon's other works have kept me awake into the wee hours of the morning, reluctant to put them down in favor of sleep. Page-turners that gripped me from the beginning, I've been fascinated with his works since I first laid my hands on one. This one, on the other hand, took me ten days to finish as I found myself unenthusiastic about continuing the interminable story.

Mr. Sheldon skyrocketed his way into the high ranks of my favorite authors with "If Tomorrow Comes," and the trend continued with each additional book I read. However, after such a setback with "Master of the Game," I'll be sticking to his works published post 1985 from now on unless miraculously compelled otherwise. If you have not been introduced to the wonderful world of Sidney Sheldon's writing, I highly encourage it - I simply advise you start with a work other than this one.