2 of 5 stars
The second in the Babylon series, DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME takes up where PAM OF BABYLON left off. Jack has left three women he was sleeping with when he died several months earlier, his wife Pam, pregnant lover Sandra, and sister-in-law Marie (not to mention a homicidal brother.) He's left the women with something else too HIV.
Unlike POB, this sequel has turned Marie into a stereotypical caricature of spoiled, selfish raving lunatic. Pam isn't written much better, she's shallow, yet there's something about her worth rooting for. Only Sandra escapes as somewhat likable among this trio of Jack's lovers.
I particularly dislike the stereotypical manner in which HIV/AIDS was handled. Other than Jack's wife Pam, who had an expectation of monogamy, Jack's lovers had a responsibility to protect themselves, and blaming him for having and spreading the disease seems so 1990s to me.
As with POB, DON'T YOU is filled with twists and turns, and although some seem contrived, they help quicken the pace of this novel that I could almost overlook all the telling rather than showing that usually highlights mediocre writing. Still, the book and characters kept me interested enough that I'll read the rest of the series.