In Bloodline, Sheldon intends primarily to entertain, to help his readers escape to the world of adventure and romance. Typically his characters belong in the upper echelons of their professions and possess fortunes that the average reader can never hope to attain. But Sheldon in presenting these people is very careful in placing them in their correct settings. It might also be reasonably said that he is more skillful at establishing the factual basis for his stories than he is creating believable human beings. Is he a better social historian than a writer of fiction?

A best seller often gives expression to the dreams of the reading public, which eagerly devours its contents. To what extent does Sheldon accomplish this?

Whatever the reader might think of Sheldon as a writer, there can be little question about his intelligence as a producer of best sellers. He has...