Yet another scheming, steaming and intriguing tale in the line of works by Sidney Sheldon is bloodline.
Machiavellian people embezzling their way out, snuff movies, computers technology, car races an lot of sinister plots centered around the ruling stocks of a giant pharmaceutical conglomerate-Roffe and sons.
As always, Sheldon portrays one woman strong, sensible, at the height of power and having the rest of the world wanting to defeat her. She is normally the cynosure of the book around whom the plot and rest of the characters revolve. This book is no exception to the pattern. Elizabeth Roffe, intelligent and very very rich. The only heir to the huge Roffe and Sons Empire after the sudden death of her father Samuel Roffe. It can be well anticipated that there will be a huger line of people waiting to covet the presidential status of the company on her death. There will be lot to benefit from that, there will be lot to loose then as well.
The plot:
Samuel held the ruling stocks of Roffe and sons and was the president. He had one child, Elizabeth Roffe and Sam roffe was the last male in the roffe bloodline. The other Roffes, Sam’s cousins were females. The men they had married, sat on the board of the company. Anna Roffe was married to Walther Gassner, Simonetta Roffe married Ivo Palazzi and Charles Martel married Helen Roffe. Sir Alec Nichols’s was married Vivian, and his mother had been a Roffe
Each of them had a fairly enough salary, well furnished houses and basically got all the luxuries of life. They all owned a piece of the Roffe stocks but could not sell the stock anywhere in the market. That was how Sam had devised it in order to keep strangers from getting into the board of directors. The board thus consisted mainly of the Roffes and Rhys Williams who was like a right hand to Sam. He was clever and had the knack for profitable business but had no say as such in the board. He was smart and had grown up nurturing the dream to rule the world.
Each one on the board has a different tale to weave and as each one unfolds, we feel the necessity for the company to go public and have these people sell their stock. Then we also encounter some inexplicable accidents, tragedies, frauds, and crimes erupting all of a sudden. Things do not seem right. In a world ruled by testosterone, Elizabeth finds it excruciatingly painful to survive.
At the end of it
Does Rhys fulfill his dream to rule the world by getting married to the only one available, Elizabeth? How did Sam Roffe die suddenly when he went climbing? Who wants Elizabeth killed so desperately? Why is it rhys is absconding every time Elizabeth has an accident? Could it be someone else? Then who? Walther? Charles? Ivo? Alec? Any of the sisters? Or some unidentified person?
Hey hey…….
What is the fun unless you literally flip the pages of this absorbing book and feel the tension and curiosity mount?
So in case you haven’t come across it, and happen to get your hands on it, do take your time on this one, it is worth it.
I wouldn’t say it is one of the best and by far superior to the others coz it is hard to label one of Sheldon’s works as the best. I assure you it will not let you down.
As a reader
Being an voracious reader and an ardent Sheldon fan, you sort become a sleuth yourself. You begin to put two and two together and work with your own army of your gray cells. But take my word, you are in for a good jerk in the end. Totally unexpected and very clever. I guess that’s a Sheldon trademark. This book literally has all hell let loose. There is no sigh of relief anywhere at any moment. I guess that keeps you from putting the book down. Definitely a page-turner. It is some 350 odd pages and you can smoothly sail through bloodline((!)That would be an oxymoron, coz the book is actually full of treachery, deceit, fornication storms and fires, so, you actually cannot sail through smoothly)
Easy English, adept characterization and numerous plots, that are all well interlaced.
The book portrays explicitly only one thing
With power comes great responsibility and great danger
so be prepared for the worst.