Dangerous Temptation

Identical twins with opposite personalities are the main protagonists of this latest offering from 30-year fiction veteran Mather (Relative Sins, Raw Silk). When Nathan, who has a history of illicit activities, asks his twin, Jake, the compassionate public defender, to carry a suitcase to England, Jake agrees. The plane crashes at takeoff, and Jake wakes up in a hospital with amnesia. Everyone, including Caitland, the beautiful woman who claims to be his wife, believes he's Nathan. Nate, who showed himself to be sexually depraved during his honeymoon with Caitland and who embezzled money from his father-in-law, is no favorite with anyone. Jake regains his memory during sex with Caitland and comes to realize that he's being used by Nathan. But to what purpose? The plot strains credibility, to say the least, and the telling of it is strangely phlegmatic, but there is a certain irresistible appeal in this tale of the rich and sleazy. (Feb.)