The problem with great performers is that you want them always to be the best. Sachin Tendulkar scoring 55-70 runs is not a great thing in our mind. So it happens with writers like Sidney Sheldon and Jefrrey Archer etc.
* If I had read the story before reading anything else by Sidney Sheldon I might have liked it. SS likes his protagonists to have heavy sex life and enjoy. So, it does in this story. But the sex is so much that I hated it this time.
*Now coming to the total book. The story revolves around two people Toby Temple and Josephine, later on as Jill. They are people who were strugglers and then became big stars.
How they take revenge/return is what makes the story. The writer has given a clear message at the end of 319 pages that you cannot be happy after doing several crimes, even though you may be just returning what you had taken.
There is nothing in the story to look forward to. Places change, person changes, but things remain same. Its like a format is made and then values are changed according to the month, in the production or sales report. I felt so!
There is no suspense, no eagerness to know what happens next. We are understanding from the way the story moves what will happen next. Like when Toby gets sick first time, the way the narration goes we know that here we have a winning pursuit and while the second time we are clear that here we have everything to lose, because losing is winning!
Readability is good, the use of sex is very high. The use of sex may be for making the reader stick to the book!
Otherwise it is the same stuff, the main character are from smaller places, have hollywood dreams, come to hollywood, struggle at beginning and then become successful by the end.
There is not much of character to the characters. If you read the other books of Sheldon like If Tomorrow comes, Tracy whitney as a great presence. or the Windmills of the Gods, the killer is special or The otherside of midnight, any one can fall in love with Catherine. There is some character that makes an impression on your mind. But that does not happen in Stranger in the mirror.
If you have read many of Sheldon books, you need not worry about being missing this one. If you havent read any, then you can get a small taste with this!