Thirty-eight year old divorcee Grace Sorentino is in a precarious position, upwardly mobile in age, downwardly mobile in income. A cosmetician on Palm Beach's fashionable Worth Avenue, she barely makes enough to keep her 16-year old daughter Jackie in their tiny apartment. Still they're scraping by . . . until Grace loses her job. Hanging on by a thread, Grace reluctantly pursues a cynical and bizarre scheme to snare a rich widower. But when she finally comes within a hair's breadth of her goal, she finds herself enmeshed in a self-spun web of deception and danger that threatens to rob her of everything she holds dear. Brilliant and bittersweet, daring, erotic and darkly humorous, Mourning Glory pulls readers into one woman's tangled web. Here is another blockbusting and timely novel about the cost of getting what you want -- when what you really want is priceless.From Publishers WeeklyLubricious (and sometimes ludicrous), this novel gives hope to despairing single females on the verge of 40. There's always a chance to acquire a rich husband if you screen the obits, pick out a grieving widower with a posh address and take after him, saving the sex card, of course, for last. Prolific novelist and screenwriter Adler (The War of the Roses) is a skilled fictioneer; his plot turns are inventive, and his true-to-life dialogue helps identify each character all of whom engage readers' emotions in one way or another. Grace Sorrentino, divorced mother of feisty teenaged daughter Jackie, sells cosmetics at Saks in Palm Beach until she's fired for talking back to a rude, rich customer. Faced with continued downward mobility, she takes her boss's advice, does the research and finally fibs her way into Sam Goodwin's mansion after the funeral of his "perfect" wife, Anne, professing to be a volunteer who's been designated to distribute Anne's extensive wardrobe among appropriate charities. One lie leads to another as Grace invents an upscale past (parentage, college, ex-husband, daughter) to match her envisioned upscale future. Grace can foresee neither the threat posed by Sam's greedy adult children nor that represented by her own daughter, full of curiosity about her mother's secret activities. The sex and money showcased here constitute soft porn: designer label lingo will satisfy upwardly mobile wannabes, and the occasional stirrings of conscience among the principal characters make everybody feel good. This is romance doctored with a good dose of suspense; the titillating premise should attract browsers, especially when the mass market edition appears. National advertising; 3-city author tour. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From BooklistDesperate times call for desperate measures. Out of a job, out of money, and out of patience with her out-of-control teenage daughter, Grace takes some unusual advice from an unlikely source and does something out of character to stop her life from falling completely apart. Deciding that a loveless marriage to a wealthy man is the solution, the thirtysomething divorcee makes a calculated attempt to snare a rich widower. In tony Palm Beach, such creatures are not uncommon, and finding a likely suspect is as easy as perusing the obituaries, then cruising the funeral parlors. Quick as you can say "my deepest condolences," Grace meets Sam and insinuates herself into his life, his bed, and ultimately his heart. Although everything goes beyond her wildest expectations, nothing goes according to plan as truth and honesty are sacrificed to greed and deception. Viewing the dating game from an offbeat perspective, Adler paints a credible portrait of a grieving widower and a ruthless caricature of a predatory woman. Carol HaggasCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 45
When seventeen-year-old Danielle Levy goes missing one lunchtime, DS Wendy Knight and DCI Jack Culverhouse believe they have a routine case on their hands. Later, when a prominent local businessman is found dead in his warehouse, however, the case takes a whole new disturbing turn as Knight and Culverhouse begin to unravel the connections between the two cases which lead to a dark and disturbing secret... Views: 45
Posing as a reporter for a ski magazine, Nancy sets out to uncover the truth behind Rebecca Montgomery’s firing from posh Tall Pines cross-country ski resort. Views: 45
It’s a week before Christmas when wealthy businessman Tom Underwood disappears into thin air — with more than enough people wanting him dead. Officer Kala Stonechild, who has left her Northern Ontario detachment to join a specialized Ottawa crime unit, is tasked with returning Underwood home in time for the holidays. Stonechild, who is from a First Nations reserve, is a lone wolf who is used to surviving by her wits. Her new boss, Detective Jacques Rouleau, has his hands full controlling her, his team, and an investigation that keeps threatening to go off track. Old betrayals and complicated family relationships brutally collide when love turns to hate and murder stalks a family. Views: 45
An illusive Chinese mastermind and his henchman have already killed one socialite and they hold a mysterious sway over many of London's elite. What is the secret of their power? Follow the trail with Sax Rohmer's famous detectives Gaston Max and Inspector Dunbar as they chase the international gang of hoodlums and their leader, the evil Dr. King. Views: 45
SHE'D NEVER GIVEN HIM AN ASSIGNMENT HE COULDN'T HANDLE Bayou-born Lucky Boucher knew Jacey Wheeler was out of his league. She was more than just a high-class blonde with the body of a goddess, she was the brains behind a successful P.I. firm -- and Lucky's boss. So he kept his hands off her and his head on their private investigations. UNTIL NOW... For the first time since they had met, what she wanted from him had absolutely nothing to do with business. With their current case heating up and their professional relationship scorching, Lucky was more than willing to do whatever it took to keep the boss happy.... Views: 45
Feeling the chill of winter? Then grab a glass of egg nog, take a seat by the yule log, and warm yourself heart and soul with these four captivating tales of passion that make mistletoe seem so unnecessary... A Bright Red Ribbon Fern MichaelsBeing dumped by your boyfriend on Christmas Eve has got to be the worst. Still, Morgan Ames promised she'd wait two Christmases for his return -- tonight -- and she always keeps her promises. But a sudden snowstorm has other ideas, including a romantic turn Morgan never imagined... The 24 Days of Christmas Linda Lael MillerA matchbox advent calendar first brought Frank Rayner and Addie Hutton together. But that was years ago. There's no way the miracles of Christmas -- and the magic of true love -- could possibly be hidden under one of its tiny flaps. Or could they? Santa Unwrapped Theresa AlanWhen Aimee Lachaussee offers to drive three volunteer Santas to a children's ... Views: 45
Under the direction of famed explorer Porter Stone, an archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh who was unlike any other in history. Stone believes he has found the burial chamber of King Narmer, the near mythical god- king who united upper and lower Egypt in 3200 B.C., and the archaeologist has reason to believe that the greatest prize of all — Narmer’s crown — might be buried with him. No crown of an Egyptian king has ever been discovered, and Narmer’s is the elusive “double” crown of the two Egypts, supposedly possessed of awesome powers. The dig itself is located in one of the most forbidding places on earth — the Sudd, a nearly impassable swamp in northern Sudan. Amid the nightmarish, disorienting tangle of mud and dead vegetation, a series of harrowing and inexplicable occurrences are causing people on the expedition to fear a centuries- old curse. With a monumental discovery in reach, Professor Jeremy Logan is brought onto the project to investigate. What he finds will raise new questions… and alarm. In the hands of master storyteller Lincoln Child, The Third Gate breaks new ground and introduces a fascinating new protagonist to the thriller world. Views: 45
When Frank and Joe get jobs as "gofers" at the new Bayport Studios, they soon run up against a murder with a long list of suspects. And the Hardys had better find the killer fast because bullets are about to fly--and not just for special effects! Views: 45
