Book I read maybe 20 years ago

[Greybeard]

Main character is a woman of some stature--not sure if royalty or just wealthy. Her brother is some sort of sexual sadist: nothing explicit but there are references to him going off and doing things to servants. And that's all I remember. I probably own it but scanning spines of my bookcases I don't see anything that leaps out at me. Anyone? I know this is a super-sucky description!

 

[Vince W]

Hmmm. Your description is making me think of Nova by Samuel Delany, but I'm probably wrong.

 

[Danny McG]

Is this SF/fantasy?
It just makes me think of Caligula!

 

[hitmouse]

Bluebeard?

 

[Greybeard]

Hmmm. Your description is making me think of Nova by Samuel Delany, but I'm probably wrong.

Thanks, but no, that's not it, I'm sure. Appreciate it, though!

I don't feel like it was a hardware-y book, more a head thing. Gosh it's weird that I have such a fragmented memory of it.

 

[Greybeard]

Bluebeard?

Is that a book or a crack about my name here?

 

[Greybeard]

Is this SF/fantasy?
It just makes me think of Caligula!

Definitely SF, sorry. Should have made that clear. The brother was more of a tension for the main character than anything like the point of the book. I think we'd have to agree that the sex was a big part of the point of Caligula, at least as far as I know (have not actually seen/read it)!

 

[hitmouse]

Is that a book or a crack about my name here?

Bluebeard - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ginny]

There is a series of books by Julian May called the Intervention series.
In this book a brother is abusing people with his mind powers(sort of mind raping people) it's been a while since I read it but I can't remember that there was a female in that part of the family.
Eventually he begins to attack the family as they begin to suspect him.
and it is a major portion of the plot, so it probably isn't this series.