Love and Lies

For Charlotte Black, there are some good things about being married to the "world renowned" Rev. Curtis Black (whose flashy, trashy life Roby has dished in earlier works). Her husband's bestselling books and flourishing ministry allow her a life of luxury, but Curtis is always away on publicity tours, and Charlotte suspects he's cheating. Of course, she's cheated, too—one affair yielded 12-year-old Matthew, while five-year-old Marissa, a budding pyromaniac (Charlotte assured Curtis the girl is his), is the demon spawn of her tryst with mentally ill Aaron. Charlotte hires a private detective to catch Curtis in the act. Meanwhile, Charlotte's best friend and co-narrator, college professor Janine, has man trouble of her own: freeloading boyfriend Antonio turns her living room into a drug den and takes up with another woman. Janine eventually calls the cops and gets her locks changed, and Antonio promises revenge. A farcical array of misfortunes (a death, a near-deadly stabbing, another illegitimate child born, etc.) rock the cast as the book lumbers toward its conclusion. Astonishingly, none of this gets in the way of the happy ending; all the trouble, it turns out, was worth it. Readers may not be so sure. (Feb.)