Dangerous to Know [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Taylor Bradford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 1996

That is why the police are profoundly baffled when Sebastian Locke is found dead at his country estate under mysterious circumstances. Has he been murdered? And if so, who would have wanted to kill the world's greatest philanthropist? Could such an upstanding man have had enemies?

As in all of her previous bestsellers, Barbara Taylor Bradford engages you from the very first page in this startling new novel. From Connecticut to Provence, Paris, London, and Africa, Bradford masterfully steers you through the turbulent emotional gamut of Locke family life -- the love, lust, and passion, the ambition, jealousy and pain.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hate, lust and considerable intrigue propel Bradford's latest (after Everything to Gain), a romantic mystery. Sebastian Locke, the last great philanthropist, has the world at his fingertips?power, money and a beautiful fiancee. Suddenly, mysteriously, he commits suicide?or does he? The answer is unveiled through a series of first-person narratives by members of his dysfunctional family. Vivien, his third wife, who seduced, married and divorced Sebastian but remained his confidante, will stop at nothing to learn the truth behind his death. But the philanthropist's son, Jack, hated his father with a passion that rendered the younger man impotent; glad to be out from under his father's shadow, he couldn't care less about the truth. Meanwhile, Luciana, the fragile daughter with a will of iron that matches her father's, is determined to gain control of Sebastian's assets and to start a new Locke dynasty of her own. Bradford's writing style is dialogue-heavy and laid-back, sometimes passionless, but the clever and unexpected plot twists, capped by the revelation of Sebastian's shattering secret, will keep the author's many fans entranced. $250,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections; simultaneous HarperAudio release; simultaneous large print edition from G.K. Hall; author tour; rights: Janklow & Nesbit.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The unexpected suicide of billionaire philanthropist Sebastian Locke troubles Vivienne Trent, who knows that only some horrible revelation could have motivated his self-destruction. Vivienne investigates, and along the way readers share the perspectives of Sebastian's two children before a mysterious countess provides a horrifying explanation. The facile psychological explanations, laced with jargon to explain Sebastian's inability to love, may grate on some readers. A series of improbable coincidences and the large age gaps between sexual partners that figure in the plot resolution may bother others. Still, the central drive to solve the riddle pulls the reader along. Hints of the next Locke generation plus a romance in progress for Vivienne point to a sequel. Bradford's (Angel, Random, 1993) popularity and the selection of her novel by major book clubs ensure heavy public library demand. [A Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/95.]?Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
-?Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061092088
• ISBN-13: 978-0061092084
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE is one of the world's best loved storytellers. Her 1979 debut novel, A Woman of Substance, ranks as one of the top-ten bestselling books of all-time, with more than 30 million copies in print. All 25 of her novels to date have been major worldwide bestsellers. Her 26th book, Playing The Game, will be published on October 12th by St. Martin's Press.

Bradford was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire (UK) as the only child of Freda and Winston Taylor. She grew up in the Leeds suburb of Armley and after Town Street Church of England School worked in the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post before going into journalism. By the age of twenty she was the fashion editor of Woman's Own Magazine and an editor and columnist on Fleet Street for the London Evening News.

Bradford's books have sold more than eighty-two (82) million copies worldwide in more than ninety (90) countries and forty (40) languages. Ten (10) of her books have been made into miniseries and television movies, making her one of the best-selling authors over the last 30 years.

In April of 2003, Mrs. Bradford was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America alongside Mark Twain, Langston Hughes and Dr. Seuss. She was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for her contributions to literature. Her original manuscripts are archived at the Brotherton Library at Leeds University, alongside the works of the Bronte sisters. In 2009, Barbara's publishers began a worldwide 30th anniversary celebration of A Woman of Substance. The first annual Woman of Substance Awards took place on September 10th 2009 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. She lives in New York City with her husband, of 43 years, television producer Robert Bradford.

Her official website is: www.barbarataylorbradford.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Unpredictable, August 22, 1999

By 

Michelle Marie Perron (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Mass Market Paperback)

This book comfortably moves along in chapters of its major characters' descriptions rather than the usual chronological sequence of events found in most books. This allows the reader a full understanding of each character and his/her motives instead of bits and pieces here and there. The last 1/3 of the book was a complete surprise as I wondered why a new character was introduced and the story's revelations took me by surprise. Thank you Ms. Bradford. I would love to hear from you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A BIT SLOW, November 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Mass Market Paperback)

Even though I am no a big fan of this author I did find this book to be very entertaining even though I threw it against the wall of my prison cell many times. But Over all it was a good read. In prison there aren't a lot of good things to read. Heck I even told my mother about it and she had a tough time reading through it. But in the end she liked it too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Terrible!!!, June 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dangerous to Know (Paragon Softcover Large Print Books) (Paperback)

This has to be the worst book I have ever read and I'm seriously not kidding either. It was boring with uninteresting characters. I kept reading thinking that it would get better and neatly come together at the end, but it never did. The bizarre, disturbing ending stamped it as the worst book ever for me. I never read a Bradford novel before and certainly expected something better than this. Don't even ask me how I was able to get through it, but somehow I did!