From Publishers Weekly Adler's third novel ( Leonie ; Peach )， has the makings of a run-of-the-mill sex-and-Gucci jet-set frolic that condescends slightly to its readers (doesn't everyone know Geneva is in Switzerland?). Yet it rises above the genre to surprise， fascinate and eventually elicit a smile at its resolution. Mike Preston， an investigative journalist looking for a new subject， spots an ad in the L.A . Times seeking the heiress to the estate of Poppy Mallory (born in Santa Barbara， died in Italy). When he contacts the Swiss lawyer who placed the ad， advocate Lieber tells him that Poppy's estate is worth hundreds of millions， and agrees that if Mike finds the heiress， he can write a book about Poppy. The novel continues on two time lines. In the present， the various claimants， all somehow (but how?) linked with Poppy， gradually become aware of each other. Alternately， we learn that Poppy was seduced and abused， ran the most exclusive brothel in Paris， fell in love with a powerful Italian gangster， lost her son's love， died slightly gaga， very rich and utterly alone. But all is not cliche; here are scarlet herrings (men and women)， genuine pathos， humor and inventiveness， and the rich actually reap the whirlwind while the riches are inherited by the meek and deserving. Troll Book Club main selection. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information， Inc. Book Description Millions of dollars will belong to the person who can prove he or she is a descendant of the mystery woman called Poppy Mallory.  Millions of lies have been told along California's Gold Coast， in Paris's demimonde， and Italy's dangerous underworld， to hide the identity of her daughter . . . or son.  Millions of hopes grip the hearts of five desperate people， each of whom claim to be Poppy's heir and are willing to commit shocking acts of passion--or even murder--to prove it.  Millions of dreams buried in the past with Poppy's secrets are now about to be exposed if one determines investigative reporter can uncover the scandalous sin behind it all . . . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews