Butterfly

The pseudonymous Harvey's vivid, imaginative tale of a unique Beverly Hills brothel called Butterfly focuses on its wealthy founder, and three of her troubled female patrons. Discreetly located above an elegant men's clothing store, the brothel features costumed male ``companions''a masked burglar, a Confederate soldier, a Versailles courtier, a cowboycapable of fulfilling any woman's needs and fantasies. Lawyer Jessica Franklin goes there for relief from her cold, intimidating husband; Dr. Linda Markus tries to cure her frigidity; Trudie Stein wants affirmation of her feminity. Behind the scenes is Butterfly's owner, Beverly Highland, whose harrowing life story is interspersed with the current action of the tale . Having run away from home in New Mexico at age 14 after being abused by her alcoholic father, Beverly succumbed to the rough-hewn charm of Danny Mackay, who put her to work in a squalid brothel and forced her to abort their baby. Vowing revenge, plain Beverly attains beauty through plastic surgery, becomes an affluent California entrepreneur and cunningly plots against Mackay, now an influential TV evangelist and presidential candidate. Glamour, wickedness and passion spark this highly commercial novel, which builds to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion. $75,000 ad/promo; first serial to Cosmopolitan; Troll Book Club main selection. (September)