cover image Wife in the Fast Lane

Wife in the Fast Lane

Karen Quinn, . . Touchstone, $14 (424pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-9396-9

Quinn (The Ivy Chronicles ) spins a delightful story about the unsinkable Christy Hayes, a former Olympic gold medalist turned successful entrepreneur whose comfy life is about to hit a bumpy patch. Founder and CEO of athletic shoe company Baby G, Christy lands an ideal husband, Michael Drummond, a wealthy media mogul who's survived a bad marriage. Things are swell until Christy's housekeeper and confidant dies, leaving behind her precocious 11-year-old granddaughter, Renata Ruiz, whom Christy takes in. Michael, however, wants nothing to do with another child, as his daughter despises him. Just when the domestic scene is looking bleak, Christy is ousted from the top spot at Baby G, contretemps erupt at the private school Christy sends Renata to (Christy and the head of the PTA have a history), and another of Christy's antagonists sets her sights on Michael. Christy's battles to save her marriage and public image provide pages of good reading, though the plot hinges on a string of coincidences, and Michael's revulsion toward parenting feels forced. Still, Quinn's sharp portrayal of shady corporate dealings and shadier private school shenanigans is good fun up to its happy ending. (Mar.)