ALL I WANT IS FOREVER

Behind the pretty face and business-like demeanor of 29-year-old D.C. lobbyist and political consultant Talia Marchand lies a "past as thick as swamp mud." Unfortunately, Talia is forced to confront her former life when a new client turns out to be none other than her long-lost first love, Derrick Guillory, now an investigator for the DA's office in their tiny hometown of Rougon, La. During an extended trip home, Talia reluctantly reunites with her incarcerated mother, Monette, who is serving a 40-year sentence she is trying to appeal. As Talia and Derrick look into the circumstances surrounding Monette's conviction, they uncover a trail of corruption leading to a high political official who is determined to keep Monette behind bars. The political intrigue subplot adds a smidgen of suspense, and Talia's interactions with her mother, while at times overwrought, inject the narrative with warmth. Despite Emery's (Gotta Get Next to You) tendency to tell rather than show ("Talia had always meant to follow the money. Yet influence and control were just as important to her"), she still manages to place the reader firmly in her Southern setting. (Nov. 5)