They were all that good

Sidney Sheldon, one of my favorite authors, died today. Known primarily for Broadway, television and movies, Sheldon became a novelist around 50 years old, and enjoyed writing primarily about strong, viable women fighting against the odds, and more times than not, out-thinking some male antagonist.
I remember well the winter I fell in love with Sheldon's writing. Actually, I think I was on a ski trip with Mom and Howie over a spring break in high school. In addition to The Sands of Time, I highly recommend If Tomorrow Comes (my personal favorite), Rage of Angels, Master of the Game and The Other Side of Midnight. To tell you the truth, I don't really remember which one I read first, because whichever book it was motivated me to go out and buy everything Sheldon had written up until then and read them within a few days. Of course, as the years have gone by, the books have gotten less sharp and suspenseful, but sometimes, that's just the way of writing (witness: Jackie Collins). At any rate, I am saddened to hear of this amazing author's passing.
"I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down," Sheldon explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter."
Sidney Sheldon was 89 years old.