A well-crafted beach read – a page-turner that gets gritty with sand and doused with saltwater – is a rarity. Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins wrote the best in the business. The latter is the only survivor, still belting out books at a terrific clip. Her latest, “Drop Dead Beautiful” (St. Martins Press, $24.95), revisits one of her most beloved characters, Lucky Santangelo, who we’ve seen grow up from a Mafia princess to a particularly glamorous boss over the course of Collins’ fabulously entertaining novels “Chances,” “Lucky,” “Lady Boss,” “Vendetta” and “Dangerous Kiss.”
In “Drop Dead Beautiful,” Lucky’s 16-year-old daughter, Max, gets caught up in an Internet dating situation, while Lucky is trying to set up a 95th birthday party for her father, Gino. Lucky’s also trying to build a resort in Vegas while an old feud comes to a boil. A dissatisfied wife has two affairs, and there’s some federal infiltration, allowing for Collins’ flair for the filthily entertaining. CNN called the series’ original book, “Chances,” “The Godfather goes to bed.” They meant that in the most enticing way possible, and it continues to be true. The only problem with Collins’ latest is that it’s bound to lead you directly back to the beginning of the saga, when Gino was a young man on the make.