Review by Booklist Review
LaManna (Pretty Guilty Women, 2019) returns with another nail-biter in which a group of friends each has a secret, one of which may be murder. Excerpts from a trial are highlighted in each chapter and outline potential motives. Eliza has carefully crafted her life as a successful public relations executive, but her husband, Roman, is far from perfect. Anne thought she had a happy marriage, but where is her husband going every Tuesday night? Penny, single and full of hope for a career in LA, can't tear herself away from an unfulfilling relationship with a married man. When Penny and Anne accept Eliza's invitation to join the author of a new book Eliza's promoting for a discussion, they hope the self-help guru might inspire them--but the conversation soon turns to men and murder. Did one of them take the book club meeting too far? The combination of trial transcripts and alternating points of view keeps the reader wondering as much about the motive for murder as who carried it out. Fast-paced suspense makes up for only light characterization. Recommend to readers of Samantha Downing and Wendy Walker.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in Los Angeles, this divinely original thriller from LaManna (Pretty Guilty Women) unfolds from the perspectives of three women--Eliza Tate, a high-flying PR consultant; Anne Wilkes, the harried mother of four children; and Penny Sands, a young wannabe actor--who seem to have only one thing in common: a book club. When one of their book club meetings leads to the murder of a philandering husband, one of them goes on trial, though both victim and accused remain unidentified until late in the story. The author provides a wonderful carousel of revolving suspects, motives, and means, and many people to love and to love to hate. Every character possesses good qualities balanced by their dark secrets. In one of the many dramatic court transcripts, the accused says, "I thought I knew my husband... and my best friends. Now, I'm not sure who is my friend and who is trying to frame me for murder." Readers will keep guessing right up to the surprise fair-play ending. This rollicking tale is sure to win LaManna new fans. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
LaManna's second novel (after Pretty Guilty Women) opens with a book club meeting like no other. Eliza Tate is the host, Anne Wilkes and Penny Sands the guests, but things take a turn for the dark when the discussion moves to cheating husbands and the best way to get away with murder. Anne knows her detective husband is having an affair, but with four young children at home, she might be willing to put up with it. Eliza is aware her husband is cheating, too. Penny has moved to Hollywood in search of a film career and is taking acting classes from Eliza's husband. When one of their husbands is murdered, the wife is the prime suspect. But all three women are under suspicion as the dead man had been very busy, sleeping with one of the women and blackmailing the other. Told in chronological order and interspersed with trial transcripts, this is a fast-paced and entertaining read, with an unexpected twist at the end. VERDICT This winning combination of family drama, women's friendships, and courtroom intrigue should appeal to Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty fans.--Stacy Alesi, Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Lib., Lynn Univ., Boca Raton, FL
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