VEGAS HEAT

Michaels's second in her highly touted trilogy (Vegas Rich, 1996) is more like Vegas lukewarm: Far too many characters' personalities flip-flop 180 degrees, and an overabundance of fatal illnesses, vicious betrayals, reunions with never-before-met relatives, and general excess dilute the story instead of intensifying it. Fanny Thornton is following in the footsteps of her mother-in- law Sallie, the intrepid hooker-turned-entrepreneur of this series' equally jam-packed opener. Not that Fanny's turning tricks; she's just taking Vegas by storm as the most powerful woman in the state of Nevada. When Ash, her manipulative ex-husband, falls ill and learns that he's dying, he insists that Fanny, now married to Ash's brother Simon, take over Babylon, the booming casino that maintains and builds the Thornton family fortune. But Simon can't deal with sharing Fanny with either her family or the Vegas business world, so he files for divorce, leaving Fanny alone again. Meantime, Fanny and Ash's sons, twins Sage and Birch, are also in the picture, as are their daughters: Billie, who remains a shadowy figure throughout, and Sunny, who develops multiple sclerosis but seems more like a schizophrenic with all the inconsistencies her character exhibits (one minute she's an angel, the next a child abuser; one minute she's on mom's side, the next on dad's, etc.). Suddenly Ash—out of nowhere it seems—becomes the good guy, helping Fanny mend her messy relationships with her children, and Simon becomes the villain, trying to steal Babylon and make Fanny's life generally miserable. Michaels sets the stage for book number three with Fanny's purchase (at Ash's request) of land in Atlantic City (wonder what they'll build there?), her newfound ``friendship'' with the mysterious and handsome Marcus Reed, and the introduction of a new and (of course) suspect branch of the family.