Three Twenty-something women, one hot rich guy, two mega movie stars, and a devastating murder…
Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington, with whom she is having an affair. And Annabelle Maestro – daughter of two movie stars- has carved out a career for herself in New York as the madame of choice for discerning famous men, with the help of her cocaine-addicted boyfriend, Frankie. Then there is Bobby Santangelo Stanislopoulos, the Kennedy-esque son of Lucky Santangelo. Back in the day he went to high school with the three women, and Frankie is his best friend.
When Annabelle’s mother is found shot to death in her Beverly Hills mansion, the friends are thrown together, and secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt them…
I’ve read suspense novels jam packed with drama and non-stop theatrics but Jackie Collins writes her novels in such a candid and clear way that I can’t help but be constantly sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle and gang warfare that litter the pages of Poor Little Bitch Girl.
Despite the fact the story is supposed to be centered around Annabelle’s mother’s death, a lot of other events take place that reveal the true sides of some characters; when the senator’s mistress turns up with a big surprise that threatens to ruin not only his family but his career, he becomes a living example of the saying “if you back a coward into a corner, he will fight”. There’s also a series of scandals such as kidnapping gone wrong, gang violence, a failed performer turn assassin, a dominatrix mega star, upper class prostitution and even an unexpected budding relationship.
Out of all the certifiably crazy characters that Collins conjures up, I can’t help but have a top three favorite characters list. The first of the pack being Denver. Not only did she have spunk and humor gushing out of her speech but she also had a healthy dose of self respect and was true to herself all throughout the novel. Even though at times it didn’t always work to her advantage. Second runner up would have to be Bobby Santangelo Stanislopoulos. On top of the fact that this multi-billion dollar star is supposedly drop dead gorgeous and said to move in the top of the top crowds, he’s amazingly down to earth and heavily ambitious. His character acted in such a way that he wasn’t hard to relate to and could definitely be labeled as realistic. Lastly and surprisingly, I found myself liking Hank Montero. The “wild card” and money hound (next to Annabelle’s coke head bf, Frankie, of course). I think I liked his character mainly because he was the unexpected villain even to himself. He’s one of the characters who hasn’t been born privileged and failed to make a more than honest living as an actor. His side of the story is what wraps this story altogether and makes it the page-turner that it is.
This is the first time I’ve ever read a Jackie Collins novel and I have to admit, she’s truly lived up to the numerous rumors of excellence that I’ve heard throughout the years. I’ll definitely be following up on her novels from now on.
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Rating: 9/10
Book Info:
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; First Edition edition (February 1, 2011)
Length: 436 pages (paperback)
Series: N/A
Source: My own copy
Genre: Adult fiction, Romance, Suspense
Completed: July 2013
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