cover image Desperate Deadly Widows

Desperate Deadly Widows

Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie. Sourcebooks Landmark, $17.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-7282-9404-9

Belle, Fargo, Holahan, and Lillie reunite for a spirited sequel to Young Rich Widows. It’s 1987 in Providence, R.I., two years after the plane crash that killed a law firm’s partners and left the operation of the business to their wives. The women are now scrambling to keep the firm afloat: mama bear Krystal is calling the shots, new mother Justine is studying law, and sexpot Camille has launched a service to entrap philandering husbands. Meanwhile, former dancer Meredith has broken away from the firm to take over the strip club where she used to work. When Providence mayor Tom Bradley drops dead at Meredith’s club after drinking a glass of champagne she offered him, Meredith is swiftly arrested, and the widows set about proving their friend’s innocence. Party-crashing and double-crossing ensue, with all signs eventually pointing to an elaborate frame job. Each author writes alternating chapters from the perspective of one of the main characters, injecting wit and personality into a breakneck plot that swerves from madcap to poignant. Along the way, they land gentle insights about social class and the value of sisterhood. Fans of the first novel will eat this up. Agent: Jamie Carr, Book Group. (Apr.)