Michael Van Cise

Morning, Noon & Night by Sidney Sheldon



rating: 2 of 5 stars
Sheldon's Morning, Noon & Night was recommended to me by a co-worker. The story involves a wealthy businessman, his three children by marriage and one illegitimate child. Over the course of the book, the businessman/father dies and the story unfolds over the division of his estate. There are some very well done plot twists and surprises in the book, but I found the book shallow and lacking overall.
This book reads quickly and is very plot driven. The book lacks depth because the characters are not well developed or defined and the dialogue is forced, contrived, and hardly believable. The reactions of some of the characters does not seem true to life. For example, one of the sons of the wealthy businessman is addicted to illegal drugs. When he goes to the doctor, the doctor asks him what he is taking, and he immediately confesses to the doctor that he takes heroin. I just can't imagine a member of a prominent family in a small community not at least trying to cover his addiction. I can understand that someone would admit to using drugs to his personal physician, but the doctor applies no pressure and the entire scene at the doctor's office occurs in less than one page. It's just not something I can picture happening. The book is replete with similar scenes where characters take certain actions or react, but you know so little about them, or the dialogue is so limited, that you have to accept the facts and keep reading.

If you are looking for an exciting suspense novel for the beach, this would be a good choice. If you're looking for something with more depth, I suggest looking elsewhere.

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