Year of Publication: 1977
Plot Overview :
The plot revolves around the pharma company: Roffe and Sons and the bitter battle to take its ownership after the death of its owner: the wealthiest man in the world. What follows is the series of scandals that can put the entire estate into shame. At the center of this is Elizabeth Roffe, the daughter of the man who suddenly finds herself as not only the chairperson of the company, but also the prime target for an unknown assassin!!
Time Setting:
This covers a period from the Nazi Camps of WW2 till the contemporary period.
Profession at Background: Pharma Industry
My Review:
I personally feel that this is an overrated novel. This is good, no doubt, but its not worth putting as the best ever (some critics have done that).
We see a faint resemblance from his greatest novel till that time: Other Side of Midnight. However, Mr. Sheldon has underplayed the sex part in Bloodline and has experimented mostly with power play. Its quite interesting if we analyse the two novels that followed Other Side…., namely A Stranger in the Mirror and Bloodline. While the former took up the glamour and erotica from Other Side…, the later experimented with the plot giving some respite to erotica. Probably it was Mr. Sheldon’s way of experimenting what works with the readers. I can strongly say that because the four novels that followed Bloodline are among the five best of Mr. Sheldon (the fift one being Other Side..)
Bloodline has glimpses of mastery of art of writing that we see from Mr. Sheldon. Still, it falls flat at the climax, which was no great surprise and the reader can easily guess whodunit.
Characterisation was average (no one comes close to worth remembering) and some parts are excellent in narration. For me, the highlight of the novel has been the father who is jealous of his children and wants to kill them as he wants his wife all to himself… The suspense, when revealed from this part, put me totally spellbound and the climax of the novel that followed this chapter was no great shakes.. Hence I was left with a bit of frustration in the end.
Over all, a good novel and a MUST READ.
Positives: The sub plots.
Negatives: No characters worth remembering and predictable climax.
Memorable Characters: None