cover image The Lebaron Secret

The Lebaron Secret

Stephen Birmingham. Little Brown and Company, $17.45 (403pp) ISBN 978-0-316-09649-2

From the author of Our Crowd, The Auerbach Will, etc., comes a diverting tale of a ceaseless power struggle within a family bound by misguided love. In an elegant San Francisco mansion, a blackened cask of wine holds a prominent spot beneath portraits of five generations of LeBarons. The present owner of Baronet vineyards is aging beauty Sari LeBaron, who pits one family member against the next in her bid for absoute control. A gutsy immigrant who married above her station, Sari singlehandedly rebuilt the vineyard from Prohibition's ruin into a thriving multimillion-dollar business. Tiring of her endless machinations, son Eric spearheads an attempt to wrest the company from Sari's hands. Lining up behind him are Sari's sister-in-law and one-time best friend, Joanna; and Melissa, Eric's older sister, who at 57 remains eternally childish and irresponsible. Sari fights back grimly, while the past unfolds in all its sordid glory as she threatens to expose a rat's nest of old affairs. Though the title secret ultimately seems rather tame, readers can still revel in vivid description and the satisfying characters that fill these pages. Literary Guild dual main selection; foreign rights: Brandt & Brandt. January 30