cover image A Place in the Country

A Place in the Country

Elizabeth Adler. St. Martin’s, $25.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-312-66836-5

Bestseller Adler (From Barcelona with Love) smoothly blends suspense and romance in this tale of betrayal and murder. Caroline Evans, in the wake of her divorce from her unfaithful, duplicitous husband, James, has left Singapore and settled with her 15-year-old daughter, Issy, in the Cotswolds village of Upper Amberley, where she soon gains the sympathy of the locals. While coping with the teenage angst of Issy, who enrolls at a nearby prep school, Caroline finds satisfaction working as a chef in a small Upper Amberley restaurant. She even considers getting involved with a younger man, until James suddenly appears in the village. James’s subsequent disappearance and a murder in Singapore pose a threat to Caroline’s newfound stability. Adler’s admirable heroine’s ability to remake her life and rebuild her relationship with her daughter will resonate with many readers. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (June)