One of the things I think readers appreciate most about Penny Vincenzi's writing is that, ever since her beloved Spoils of Time trilogy, she has given us portraits of women who are not only sexy and desirable but also professionally ambitious and undeniably successful. In that series, the industry in question was publishing; now, in A PERFECT HERITAGE, Vincenzi gives us a peek behind the scenes at a storied cosmetics house on the verge of change and the women committed to seeing it through to the other side.

The House of Farrell was founded by Athina Farrell and her husband, Cornelius, in the year of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Its signature products, especially the moisturizer known simply as The Cream, have graced the faces of celebrities and royalty alike. Now, nearly 60 years on, however, the House of Farrell has fallen on hard times. Cornelius recently passed away, and the company has failed to keep up with its competition --- or with modern marketing techniques. On the verge of failure, Athina turns to a pair of venture capitalists to help invest in and save her beloved company. But part of the package is a turnaround expert, Bianca Bailey, whose callousness (according to Athina) toward the company's employees and ill-informed opinions about the business are sure to result in failure. She begins to scheme about how to return the House of Farrell to its previous glory while still preserving its traditions.

"A PERFECT HERITAGE is, like the cosmetics company it profiles, a classic and very much worth the investment."

Meanwhile, Bianca herself is beset at every turn. She has assembled a terrific team of confident, capable managers (most of them also women) who will help her relaunch the brand. But she's having a devil of a time dealing with Athina, and her home life isn't much better. Her previously doting husband, who formerly seemed more than happy to support her career and be the children's primary caregiver, has suddenly discovered his own ambition and taken his own high-powered job. Their teenaged daughter, Milly, is having a terrible time with bullying at school, and neither Bianca nor her husband, Patrick, has the time or inclination to intervene.

Bianca is not the only one with domestic troubles. As the novel progresses, we begin to see outside the boardroom and into the living rooms and bedrooms of a large number of other characters. The book even travels back in time somewhat to the early days of the House of Farrell, revealing a few scandalous secrets that underlie the company's so-called "perfect" heritage.

With the exception of these occasional flashbacks, A PERFECT HERITAGE takes place during a relatively short timespan, as Vincenzi's novels go. This concentrated chronology and resulting relatively slow pacing (the book is more than 700 pages, after all) takes a little getting used to, as does the attention paid to the minutiae of the business. That said, Vincenzi has a remarkable knack for drawing readers in to her characters' stories and lives. And as she deftly weaves professional and personal roles together, readers will find themselves getting hooked despite themselves.

A PERFECT HERITAGE is, like the cosmetics company it profiles, a classic and very much worth the investment.