"Exciting suspense thriller"

Reporter Madison Castelli is stunned to learn that her father Michael has hidden much of his life especially his mob connections from her. Feeling distraught because he is her only blood family, Madison flees across the country to gather her thoughts and control her feelings until she can logically confront her father. However, Los Angeles contains its violence and soon Madison is trapped with her host in a hostage situation connected to her father.

Though framed, Michael spent five years behind bars. During his incarceration, he vowed to go straight, but find out who murdered his mother and his first wife and why. However, he also has trouble in the present being framed again but this time for murder. He flees to Vegas to regroup with his second spouse, the mother of his two other children. As the past and present converge in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the Castellis do more than just try to survive as Michael goes after those who want him silenced.

Though sexual fluff abounds in DEADLY EMBRACE (duh - Jackie Collins), the story line is actually more of an exciting suspense thriller that ties up loose ends from previous Castelli novels (see LETHAL SEDUCTION and L.A. CONNECTIONS). The plot is exciting never slowing down even with the numerous flashbacks that provide insight into Michael's past. Madison remains a strong character and the support cast serves more than just as ornaments, but this entry focuses more on Michael. This tale is a winner for fans of Ms. Collins, which proudly this reviewer is one of them.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 27, 2002

Summary

Jackie Collins, international bestselling author, returns with another fast-paced and unforgettable tale of dangerous passion and suspense, both prequel and sequel to her New York Times bestseller Lethal Seduction. At the center of this thrilling and powerfully erotic story is Madison Castelli, the beautiful, talented and street- smart journalist first introduced in the L.A. Connections series and Lethal Seduction. Distraught after finding out her father has been keeping secrets from her (and is possibly involved with the mob), Madison flies from New York to L.A. She visits her best friend, Natalie De Barge, a gorgeous black radio personality, but within hours they find themselves caught in a restaurant hold-up, where they are trapped in a life-or-death situation. Meanwhile, Michael Castelli, Madison's outrageously handsome father, has been accused of two murders and flees to Las Vegas to be with Dani, the ex-showgirl mother of his other two children: Vincent, a Las Vegas hotel and casino owner, whose pretty wife is busy chasing hot young movie star Andy Dale, and Sofia, a wild eighteen-year-old currently running around Europe getting into dangerous situations with older men. Michael is determined to find the people who set him up and exact his revenge. And, as Madison knows, what Michael Castelli wants, Michael Castelli gets. Deadly Embrace is full of surprises, excitement, passion and intrigue, a wickedly entertaining read, brimming with the memorably raunchy characters and glamorous settings that readers have come to expect from Jackie Collins. This new novel -- her most brilliant and suspenseful yet -- shows the mistress of sexy fiction at the height of her considerable powers.