Master of the Game

Sidney Sheldon's books served as my gateway into an adult world — teeming with power, money, ambition, betrayal, revenge, madness, greed, lust — themes which simultaneously captivated and repelled me. Despite their inclusion for cheap thrills, they formed the cornerstone of page-turning stories.

Master of the Game, an epic saga spanning three generations, remains etched in my mind. Its cartoonishly evil characters and their web of corruption have stayed with me. Though flawed, it embodies the essence of what a thriller should be, culminating in a conclusion where no one emerges unscathed.

Sheldon's exploration of success's price and the corrupting nature of power was simplistic enough to spark introspection in my teenage self. Master of the Game was a formative reading experience, so whenever someone asks me for a thriller recommendation, it is the first book that springs to mind as its ability to linger in my memory, with every horrifying detail still vivid, sets it apart from the rest.

The ending was a letdown. Kate promised to handle things herself, but the story ended abruptly without any follow-through.