Eden

Bean, a veteran of genre westerns, offers adroit characterization as he dissects the dynamics within the oil-rich Texas King family. He begins with their annual barbecue on the 60,000-acre family ranch, and by dinner--served at an impeccably polished 20-foot mahogany table--the varnish of feigned affections and civility has worn thin. Though love within the King family is tied to purse strings, blood ties still bind--and blind. Matthew King, the second son and seemingly the only King beset with the inconvenient traits of compassion and reason, narrates the events that lead to his older brother's murder, and his own ethical dilemma when he discovers the murderer. Readers may question Matt King's sacrifice at the tawdry altar of King familial devotion, but Eden offers more unsparing, thought-provoking drama than most epics in the Dallas mold. (Oct.)