Pocket Books (Paperback), ISBN 0-7434-1125-0
Three married couples live in small upscale community in Connecticut. At first it seems their only problem lives next door in the form of a young, beautiful widow whose husband died too long ago to have fathered the child she carries. And all three husbands, for various legitimate reasons, fit the time frame of the conception. The wives can summon little sympathy for the woman, seeing her as a usurper who married a much older man after his wife died of cancer. That wife they loved. Each of the three husbands, in his own way, showed greater kindness to their beautiful neighbor than their respective wives, and those kindnesses give rise to suspicion and wifely doubt

But other problems simmer beneath the surface of what appears to be an idyllic lifestyle. A psychologist working with children, Amanda wants desperately to have a baby, but her age and declining fertility work against her and her husband's wishes. Forty-something Georgia owns her own company, supports her stay-at-home writer husband's wish to be a house husband, but wants to be at home with her children. Karen, also in her forties, knows her husband strays but thinks her children need a stable home.

It takes a suicide, a child in crisis, a woman in need, vandalism, misunderstanding and some backbone to bring the suspicions out in the open. But will that give each woman what she wants? I guess each reader will answer that in his or her own way.

If you are looking for excitement, look elsewhere. Excitement lurks here and there, but what makes this book so interesting lies in a different direction. It delves deep, shows flaws, and it does it well. Delinsky held my attention, gave me moments to ponder, and made me realize, once again, that if anything can go wrong in relationships, it will.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White's latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.

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