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Hardcover - 608 pages (April 1999) 
Bantam Press; ISBN: 0593042263

From the Inside Flap 
Sir Roberto Rannaldini, the most successful but detested conductor in the world, had two ambitions: to seduce his ravishing nineteen-year-old stepdaughter, Tabith Campbell-Black, and to put his mark on musical history by making the definitive film of Verdi's darkest opera, Don Carlos. 

To achieve the latter, he enlists the help of his charismatic French godson, Tristan de Montigny, the hottest director in Europe, who is capable of coaxing magical performances out of the most wayward and wooden prima donnas. 

As Rannaldini, Tristan and the entire cast, headed by Rannaldini's capricious mistress, Hermione Harefield, demand total artistic control, the recording is stormy. But nothing compares to the ructions that occur when filming begins in Rannaldini's heavily-haunted fourteenth-century abbey. 

To disgruntled spooks, temperamental singers and histrionic set designers is added a glamorous but bolshy French film crew determined to pull everything in sight, particularly the tempestuous Tabitha, now employed as Mistress of the Horse. 

All the women - and several of the men - are determined to pull Tristan. To their disappointment, he is interested only in keeping the movie on track. But as he battles to boost the morale Rannaldini is hell bent on destroying, Tristan finds himself increasingly drawn to Tabitha - which Rannaldini will not tolerate. 

Then the news leaks out that Rannaldini is writing his memoirs, revealing dreadful secrets about everyone, and his fate is sealed. 

But as Rutshire CID and the world's press pour in, doubts grow that Rannaldini is really dead. Or is it his ghost stalking the abbey cloisters in outrage that his arch-enemy, the tone-deaf Rupert Campbell-Black, has taken over as executive producer? 

Terrifyingly creepy, by turns wildly funny and unashamedly romantic, Score! is Jilly Cooper's most thrilling novel to date. But it is also a story, like Don Carlos, about loneliness in high places, and heroism and passionate love triumphing against the odds. 

Customer Comments

Danelle@gatcombe.com from formerly of Abingdon, Oxfordshire , 14 July, 1999 
Good, but not classic Jilly 
Although I found it very difficult to put this book down, it wasn't up to par with Jilly's earlier books in the series. Murder-mystery is definitely not Jilly's forte, and the ghost-stuff was not creepy, but irritating in that it wasn't very convincing. I enjoyed the characterisation, but found Tristan and Lucy to be a bit flat ... they lacked the intensity and sparkle of some of Jilly's other main protagonists, i.e., Perdita and Luke, Abby and Viking, and of course, Rupert and Taggie. The ending was something of a disappointment; not only did I find it incredulous and unbelievable that the murderer could have killed the victim as happened (why didn't the victim, whose strength was FAR superior to the killer's, fight the murderer off?) but the ending itself was corny and overly dramatic, with the murderer resorting to the tired old cliche of "revealing all" before killing the heroine, and "cackling with mad laughter" all the way. Puh-lease... I expected more, but then, I guess I'm spoiled when it comes to Jilly. A satisfying, feel-good ending would have compelled me to give the book five crowns, but still, Jilly at her not-so-best is still a marvelous read, any day. 

A reader from London , 13 July, 1999 
Superb 
I read this immediately and greedily, relishing the fact that I already knew many of the characters and their associated history from the previous 5 books. 

Score! is a well thought-out whodunnit that kept me guessing until the end. The inclusion of so much of the police investigation was reminiscent of a Patricia Cornwell book - Gablecross is an excellent new character. Confusion over Tristin's family history is an interesting sub-plot and the suspense here is well timed. 

However, I found Hermonine's nauseating child 'Little Cosmos' too unbelievable - how old is he meant to be? Even the spawn of Rannaldini wouldn't be that evil, surely. But the best character in Score! is James the dog - there are wonderful descriptions of him and his disarming affection for Lucy. 

Helen Vary (hvary@webtv.com) from Michigan, USA , 11 July, 1999 
Couldn't put it down and can't wait to read it again! 
I have waited for months to come home to England and buy Jilly's new masterpiece. I'm glad I did. I found it hilarious and the murder plot was intriguing and cleverly done. I'm sorry to hear that Rupert and friends will not be returning but I'm sure she'll work them into another book eventually. I particularly enjoyed the polo playing scenes, having just taken up the sport. 

A reader from Ireland , 28 June, 1999 
Total un-beatable, un-put-downable escapism 
I've read all of Jilly's books and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Excellent read and once again, I totally became immersed in both old and new characters. Great fun, best buy for the beach this summer.