Texas Noon — Leonard Sanders

In the tradition of TV's Dallas comes this tale of the oil-rich Spurlocks, a family hopelessly gripped by its stormy, scandalous past. After Brod Spurlock suffers a heart attack, his illegitimate half-brother and his cousin try to take over the company. Brod's brother Loren resists their plans, so they have him killed. Brod retaliates by arranging his half-brother's murder and his cousin's economic ruin; then he dies, leaving his wife as regent. Later, the sons force out their mother and transform the oil firm into a diversified corporate raider. Facilely written, the novel is strong on plot, weak in character development. Sanders carries Texas from the 1950s of Giant into the mid-'70s,but these Texans, alas, appear to have shrunk over the years. (Jan.)