A fast-paced adventure thriller scheduled for a TV mini-series. When the top executives of Nexus mining company are massacred on a South Seas Island, their five spoiled wives are stranded in the jungle with their fishing guide, surrounded by bloodthirsty natives. To survive, they must become as savage as their surroundings. The idea of cannibalism haunts the story from the prologue, where Conran writes of "savoury, mouth-watering steam" rising from a roasting corpse. The story is so intense that it is a pity the writing is only adequate. Where style and character development could have heightened the tension, Conran too often falls back upon cliche and stereotype. In her fictional society all the rich are dishonest, and all women are slightly simpleminded. Public libraries buy for demand. Literary Guild main selection. Elsa Pendleton, M.L.S., Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.