Page Count:  253

Author:  Jackie Collins

Publisher:  Pocket Books

ISBN:  0-671-62484-9

Category:  Fiction

Genre:  Um, Drama??? (and I'm using that word LOOSELY here, folks!)

Dove's (Personal) Review:  I have to confess... I used to read lots of "Jackie Collins" books, back when I was about 14, maybe 15, years old. Thankfully, I grew out of that phase, LOL!
     A friend of mine owns a little book store in the downtown area, and one day a while back, he was cleaning out the trunk of his car - which was loaded with books he was getting rid of. Being that I HATE to see books being thrown away, I took a peek to see if there was anything I'd like to bring home. Of course "The Bitch" is an eye-catching title, so I spotted that one right away. The rest of the cover was partly hidden by all the other books thrown haphazardly into the trunk, so I grabbed it to take a better look. When I saw "Jackie Collins" was the author, I - literally - "laughed out loud." I flipped to the copyright page to see how old the book was. Turns out it was originally published in 1984, which was around the time I was actually reading her stuff regularly. Somehow, I must've missed this particular title.
     Perhaps back in 1984, when I was 14, I would've enjoyed this book. Today, now that I'm 35, I would rank this one more than a few steps below horrible. "Pointless drivel," "smut," "laughable," and "utter trash" are a few other terms that come to mind. Hmmm... I guess that doesn't say much about my mid-eighties reading tastes. Although, I was also reading Stephen King at that time, so... I dunno... You figure me out, LOL.
     The main character - aka "The Bitch" - is Fontaine Khaled, a once rich, now broke, middle-aged, divorced, night-club owner. The main supporting character is Nico Constantine (good Lord, even the names are smutty), also a once rich, now broke, middle-aged, single person. The only difference between the two of them is the fact that Nico doesn't own a night-club. He's a professional gambler.
     How the two of them meet, hook up, and eventually get together for good is the entire plot. I'm amazed Jackie Collins was able to find a publishing company willing to take on such a "weak" storyline. But, hey, sex sells, and I guess that's what made this a "marketably pleasing" merger.
     I, for one, have very little interest in reading about sex in novels. I especially have no interest in books that are written which center around sex.
     Having said that, there is really only one way to rate this book: TWO-THUMBS-DOWN.... WAY down!!!