cover image Black Tie Only

Black Tie Only

Julia Fenton. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary, $19.55 (430pp) ISBN 978-0-8092-4308-2

This slick, formulaic first effort, written under a pseudonym by a ``bestselling novelist'' and a ``prominent entertainment lawyer,'' is a farfetched suspense story set in the world of wealthy and powerful celebrities. It follows three young American women, Alexandra, Jette and Mary Lee, who meet at an exclusive English boarding school where the future Lady Diana is their friend and classmate. One of their teenage pranks, which they keep secret, has tragic consequences, and continues to haunt them throughout the years, during which time all three return to the U.S. Alexandra wins fame as a songwriter and ultimately marries a fantastically wealthy hotel executive. Jette, a successful actress, becomes the mistress of an explosive and unpredictable Mafia don, and Mary Lee, after writing a bestseller, rises to the top as a talk-show hostess. When the Princess of Wales asks her old friend Alexandra to host a party for her and the Prince during their visit to the States, an escalating series of events is set into motion, culminating in kidnapping, extortion and an attempted assassination. While the novel is a slick and sometimes entertaining blend of glitz, sex and violence, the long-awaited finale is bloated and badly mishandled. (June)