Private Sins

Falling back on the stereotypical plot of a son in love with his father's young bride, the writing team of Janice and Ronn Kaiser delivers a cliched and predictable tale that's as shallow as a politician's promise and every bit as seductive. Brett Maitland is a twenty-something aspiring barrister who is more of a devoted nurse than an ardent wife to her fifty-something husband, Amory. Amory is a United States Supreme Court associate justice who seems preoccupied and impotent. Elliot, Amory's stepson and Brett's indiscretion, is sexually victimized by his trampy wife, Monica; and Harrison, Amory's senator brother, is caught between his political career and his pregnant mistress. The characters don't seem to have the strength to take control of their lives, and after a while, the reader stops caring whether they do. Told mostly in a passive voice, this contrived yarn holds few surprises. Still, subjected to liberal doses of steamy sex, Capitol Hill name-dropping and cameo appearances by top political personalities, the reader remains shamelessly enthralled. (Mar.)