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Summary
Summary
With 190 million copies of her novels sold in more than 40 countries, Jackie Collins is one of the top-selling authors in the world. Now, in the scorching sequel to Chances, Lucky, and Lady Boss, Lucky Santangelo returns--with a vengeance-- fighting the powers behind a devious plot that threatens to destroy her family, her career, and her life.
Author Notes
Jackie Collins was born in London, England on October 4, 1937. She appeared in a series of British B movies in the 1950s and made appearances in the 1960s ITC television series Danger Man and The Saint before giving up an acting career. She has since played herself in a few television series including Minder in 1980.
Her first novel, The World Is Full of Married Men, was published in 1968. Since then, she has written more than 30 novels including The Love Killers, Hollywood Husbands, L.A. Connections, Dangerous Kiss, Lethal Seduction, Deadly Embrace, Hollywood Divorces, Drop Dead Beautiful, Poor Little Bitch Girl, Goddess of Vengeance, Confessions of a Wild Child, and The Santangelos. Several of her novels have become successful television miniseries, including Hollywood Wives, Lucky, Chances, and Lady Boss, which she wrote and produced. Big screen successes have been The Stud, The World Is Full of Married Men, and The Bitch. She also wrote an original movie, Yesterday's Hero. She died of breast cancer on September 19, 2015 at the age of 77.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Straight-from-the-hip dialogue, designer clothing and gangsters are all reliably in place in Collins's fourth novel to feature the Santangelo family, particularly Lucky, who now heads a Hollywood studio. In previous exploits, this multitalented heroine has been married three times, built Vegas hotels, run a shipping empire and killed for revenge (as one character comments, "she's had quite a life"). Along the way, she's made her share of enemies, not least of whom is Donna Landsmanformerly Donatella Bonnattiwho here stages a hostile takeover of Panther Studios, has Santangelo patriarch Gino shot and makes it appear as though Lucky's beloved husband, Lennie Golden, is killed on location in Corsica following a night's indiscretion. Mourning does not become Lucky, however, and all too soon she's involving herself with chauvinistic director Alex Woods (he of the "smile like a crocodilewide, captivating, and ultimately deadly") even as Lennie is imprisoned in a Sicilian cave. When Lucky learns what she needs to know, however, the novel's subtitle comes into play, brutally. Collins's dialogue strains belief ("Ohmigod! she gasped, clinging to Nona. "Ohmigod! No! No! NOOO!"), and she can express scarcely a sentence, a sentiment or a plot spin without resorting to cliché. As a vision of Hollywood and the mob, this novel is utterly outclassed by Mario Puzo's The Last Don. But its very lack of class and those very clichés make this an easy, nasty read, just the qualities that have previously pushed Collins to the top of the charts and will likely do so again. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Trash may be her stock-in-trade, but Jackie Collins never fails to entertain. Vendetta is the fourth in her Santangelo series, featuring the multigenerational feud between the Bonnattis and the Santangelos. Here Lucky Santangelo, daughter of patriarch Gino, finds herself the head of a once-dying movie company, but through her steadfast, savvy, and uniquely feminine management style, Panther Studios is on the rise. Her next coup is to produce the controversial Alex Woods' new movie, Gangsters, about two mobsters who get involved with the same woman (think Casino). As producer, she is able to help her friend, Venus Maria, secure a key role. Venus is a slutty but talented actress-singer who never fails to shock the public but nevertheless has legions of faithful fans (think Madonna). Mix in a girl-next-door actress, Lucky's faithful husband, a burgeoning model, a stuck-up but lovable lead male, and a score of other colorful characters, and you have a lot of recognizable people doing a lot of mean things to each other when they're not sleeping together. Underneath all the sleaze is Lucky's nemesis, Donnatella Bonnatti, just waiting for the perfect moment to ruin Lucky's life. This is lasciviousness run amok, but if you have even the slightest taste for the tabloids, it's sure fun to read. --Mary Frances Wilkens
Kirkus Review
Collins is back, and so is the ever-popular Lucky (Lady Boss, 1990, etc.), both operating here, it would seem, on automatic pilot. Lucky Santangelo is due for some trouble, and not just because she's appearing in yet another sequel. Everything's been calm for too long: She's finally the head of Panther Studios, and with two hit movies on her hands and more to come, she's really turning the place around; moreover, her husband, successful actor Lennie Golden, is a true love match, and her three young children are thriving. Then enter Donna Landesman, née Donatella Bonnatti, one of the last surviving members of the Bonnatti family, the longtime archrivals of the Santangelos, who, as Lucky points out more than once, don't like to be ``fucked with.'' First, Lennie has a so- called accidental death in a fiery car crash. Then, Lucky's niece Brigette Stanislopoulos is taken advantage of by a sleazy New York modeling agent and one of his top models. Meanwhile, notoriously difficult director Alex Woods is making his new movie --Gangsters- -at Panther, as well as making some moves on the recently widowed Lucky. Not to mention that Venus Maria, pop singer and would-be actress/sex symbol (and one of Lucky's best friends) is wooing Alex to gain a key role in his film. And (pause for breath) Lennie's not really dead after all, but may just as well be since he's trapped in a cave somewhere in Italy! When Lucky discovers Donna's true identity, and learns that her own supposedly loyal advisor, Morton Sharkey, has helped the Bonnatti family wreak havoc on the Santangelos, she develops a mean case of tunnel vision, vowing not to rest until justice--of the vigilante sort--is done. Seventy-five percent of the fun here lies in guessing what Hollywood hot shots Collins is really dishing (Madonna, Oliver Stone, etc.). Otherwise, it's rather a by-the-numbers if harmless romp. ($300,000 ad/promo; author tour)
Library Journal Review
Jackie's back, and she's got Lucky Santangelo in tow. In their fourth outing together, Lucky finds herself up against nasty Donna Landesman, a rival set on destroying her. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Vendetta Lucky's Revenge Chapter One Lucky Santangelo Golden steered her red Ferrari through the ornate metal gates of Panther Studios, waved a friendly greeting to the guard, then drove across the lot to her personal parking space located directly outside her well-appointed suite of offices. Lucky was a wildly beautiful woman in her late thirties with a mass of tangled jet curls, deep-olive skin, a full, sensual mouth, black-opal eyes, and a slender, well-toned body. She'd bought Panther in 1985, and since then she'd been running the studio. After two action-packed years, it was still exciting, for there was nothing sheenjoyed more than a challenge, and running a Hollywood studio was the biggest challenge ofall. It was more absorbing than building a casino/hotel in Vegas--something she'd done twice, or managing her late second husband's shipping empire--a task she'd relinquished, handing everything over to a board of trustees. Lucky loved making movies--reaching out to America--putting images on the screen that would eventually influence people all over the world in a thousand different ways. It wasn't easy. The opposition to a woman taking control of a major studio had been formidable. Especially a woman who looked like Lucky. Especially a woman who seemed to have it all together--including three children and a movie-star husband. Everyone knew Hollywood was just one big boys' club--female members not exactly welcome. The legendary movie mogul, Abe Panther, had sold her Panther only after she'd proved she was capable of taking over. Abe had challenged her to go in undercover as a secretary and work for Mickey Stolli--his devious grandson-in-law who was running the studio at the time. Abe's deal was, if she could find out everything Mickey was into, he'd sell her Panther. She'd found out more than enough to close the deal. It turned out Mickey was skimming big bucks every way he could; his head of production was snorting coke and supplying two-thousand-dollar-a-night call girls to movie stars and VIPs; the head of distribution was smuggling porno flicks overseas along with Panther's legitimate productions, scoring an under-the-counter bundle; the movies Panther was making were soft-core exploitation crap full of sleazy sex and outrageous violence; producers were getting massive kickbacks; and women around the lot were treated as second-class citizens--it didn't matter whether they were star actresses or mere secretaries, chauvinism ran rampant. Lucky offered Abe a great deal of money and salvation for a studio whose reputation was being slowly ruined. Abe Panther liked her style. He sold. Lucky took over in a big way. Abe had warned her that bringing Panther back to its glory days was going to be a struggle. How right he was. First of all, she'd refused to continue making the kind of cheapo garbage Panther had been churning out. Then she'd fired most of Mickey's key executives, putting a new, first-rate team in place. After that, it had been a question of developing new projects--a slow process that took time and patience. The studio had been running at a loss for years, with astronomical bank loans. Lucky and her business advisor, Morton Sharkey, had been forced to arrange another massive loan just to keep the studio operating. Then, after the first year's disappointing net loss of nearly seventy million dollars, Lucky took stock and decided it was time to recoup some of her initial investment and diversify. Morton suggested selling blocks of shares to several corporations and a few private investors. It seemed like an excellent idea. Morton had taken care of everything--finding the right investors who would basically leave her alone to run the studio; setting up a board of directors who wouldn't interfere; and making sure she still owned 40 percent of the stock. The good news was that currently Panther had two big movies on release, both of them performing extremely well. Finder, a showy vehicle for the controversial superstar Venus Maria--who also happened to be one of Lucky's best friends. And River Storm, a sharp-edged detective thriller starring Charlie Dollar--the middle-aged hero of stoned America. Lucky was especially delighted, as both movies had been put together under her regime. She hoped this was the start of the turnaround she'd been working toward. "Give them good, interesting movies and they will come," that was her motto. She hurried into her office, where Kyoko, her loyal Japanese assistant, greeted her with a lengthy typed phone list and a morose shake of his head. Kyoko was a slight man in his thirties dressed in a Joseph Abboud jacket and sharply creased gray pants. He had glossy black hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, and an intelligent expression. Kyoko knew every aspect of the movie business, having worked as personal assistant to several top executives since graduating from college. "What's the matter, Ky?" Lucky asked, throwing off her Armani jacket and settling in a comfortable leather chair behind her oversized Art Deco desk. Kyoko recited the day's business: "You have fifteen phone calls to return; a ten-thirty with the Japanese bankers, followed by a production meeting regarding Gangsters; then a noon appointment with Alex Woods and Freddie Leon; lunch with Venus Maria; another production meeting at three; your interview with a reporter from Newstime; a six o'clock with Morton Sharkey; and --" "Dinner at home, I hope," she interrupted, wishing there were more hours in the day. Kyoko shook his head. "Your plane departs for Europe at eight P.M. Your limo will pick you up at your house no later than seven." She smiled wryly. "Hmm...a twenty-minute dinner break--you're slipping." "Your schedule would kill a lesser person," Kyoko remarked. Lucky shrugged. "We're a long time dead, Ky. I don't..." Vendetta Lucky's Revenge . Copyright © by Jackie Collins. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Vendetta: Lucky's Revenge by Jackie Collins All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
