In books such as The FBI and Inside Congress， Ronald Kessler turned his journalist s eye， its focus honed during years at The Washington Post， to uncovering the scandals behind America s biggest institutions; his research even led to the deposition of a director of the FBI. So， what secrets has he uncovered that will change the lives of Palm Beach denizens? Not many， as it turns out. Mistresses， breast implants， and other high-living extravagances of the Palm Beach rich aren t secrets after all. Nor does Kessler have the literary gifts of John Berendt， who deftly explored small-town society intrigue in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The characters that populate The Season are straight out of Dynasty: "shapely" and "alluring，" "raven-haired，" or "spectacular blonds with impossibly tight behinds." If there s anything truly shocking about this book， it s witnessing Kessler s remarkable research skills put to such trivial use. As a frothy page-turner The Season earns its price， but as a cultural study it s as insubstantial as the lives it chronicles. --Maria Dolan