Deliver Me From Evil

The New York Times bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly and God Still Don't Like Ugly, Mary Monroe has been hailed as "a real talent" (San Jose Mercury News) and as one of today's most provocative storytellers. In her sensational new novel, a beautiful, resourceful woman is caught in a high-stakes game of money, sex and betrayal--all in the name of a better future... Once upon a time, Christine Thurman had the perfect marriage. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she made good by marrying Jesse Ray Thurman and helping him build a business worth millions. Together, they were the perfect couple--attractive, successful, and deeply in love. Christine was convinced she'd spend the rest of her life by her handsome husband's side. But twelve years later, J.R. has become obsessed with building his video store empire and is taking his wife for granted. Feeling trapped and alone in a dead-end marriage, Christine finds herself tempted by her old haunts and the people she thought she left behind long ago. Suddenly, without J.R. even realizing it, their seemingly unshakeable bond has started fraying at the seams--and Christine will do anything to break free. Enter Wade Eddie Fisher, a bad boy with good looks from Christine's past. Wade left their hometown long ago to follow his Hollywood dreams, but now he's back, penniless, and as tempting as ever. Even though Wade is far from dependable, he offers Christine something she can't seem to resist. Soon she's immersed in a sultry affair, and before she knows it, she's concocted a scheme so risky that it promises to deliver everything she could possibly want--or shatter the lives of everyone close to her...From Publishers WeeklyBestseller Monroe delivers what could be her wildest and most entertaining novel yet. Greed, betrayal and murder intersect as Wade Eddie Fisher, who looks like a low-income Lenny Kravitz, and Christine Thurman, the wife of super-successful video store entrepreneur J.R. Thurman, devise a plan to fake her kidnapping, collect $500,000 and get her out of her marriage. (A pre-nup would leave her with nothing if she divorced.) But after the shoddy plan is put into action and creepy thug Jason Mack comes onboard, things quickly disintegrate. J.R. offers to pay double for Christine's immediate and safe return, setting into motion among the conspirators murderous plots and double-crosses. The narrative is fun but suffers from repetitive exposition and unsympathetic characters, though their nasty (or pathetic, depending) natures create enough surprises to keep readers piqued till the end. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.