Synopses & Reviews
When Eric Lavender meets the attorney Colleen O'Brien Golden, his position as one of Manhattan's chic psychotherapists and most eligible bachelors suddenly loses its appeal. The sexy, stylish Colleen lures him to live with her and her young daughter in the exclusive suburb of Scarsdale. To his amazement, Eric is besotted and soon settles into the unexpected bliss of marriage and domesticity with their new baby and his loving stepdaughter. He even becomes a local hero when the police turn to him for help in resolving a hostage crisis.
But Eric's transformation comes to an abrupt halt when the police knock on his door again -- this time with handcuffs. He and Colleen are caught up in an explosive conflict of interest involving their clients. When Eric discovers that Colleen has gone to extreme lengths to conceal her secret past, she retaliates with horrendous charges against him. Eric must uncover the truth before his children, his career, and his freedom are taken from him forever.
As she did in her bestseller Almost, Elizabeth Benedict navigates the turbulent waters of love, law, psychology, and ethics with biting wit and penetrating insight. The Practice of Deceit is a razor-sharp novel of marriage -- and divorce -- gone awry.
Review
"The story practically spills into your lap as you turn the pages...A lot of wicked fun." --Alan Cheuse, NPR's "All Things Considered"
"Entertaining...clever." --Deirdre Donahue USA Today
"Intelligently written and briskly plotted update on the femme fatale story makes an absorbing beach read." Publishers Weekly
"It's smart entertainment by a very smart writer--the best kind of summer reading." --Janice P. Nimura Newsday
"the stunning new break-out thriller" -- New Mystery Reader
Synopsis
In this razor-sharp novel of marriage and divorce gone awry, Elizabeth Benedict navigates the turbulent waters of love, power, and vengeance with biting wit and penetrating insight.
When the Manhattan psychotherapist Eric Lavender meets the sexy, stylish lawyer Colleen O'Brien Golden, his bachelor life suddenly loses its long-standing appeal. Soon he moves to Scarsdale to join Colleen and finds a life of domestic bliss as a husband and father with a new baby and an adorable stepdaughter. But Eric's suburban oasis is threatened when a legal conflict of interest with Colleen turns up disturbing evidence of a hidden past.
Synopsis
When Eric Lavender, New York psychotherapist, meets the sexy, stylish Colleen O'Brien Golden, his bachelor life quickly loses its appeal. He moves to Scarsdale to join Colleen and finds a life of domestic bliss as a husband and father. But Eric's suburban oasis is soon threatened by a conflict of interest with his lawyer-wife and the disturbing evidence of her hidden past. Eric must uncover the truth or lose everything that matters to him, including his own freedom.
As she did in her bestseller Almost, Elizabeth Benedict navigates the turbulent waters of love, power, and vengeance with biting wit and penetrating insight. The Practice of Deceit is a razor-sharp novel of marriage—and divorce—gone awry.
About the Author
Elizabeth Benedict is the author of Slow Dancing, a finalist for the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Fiction Prize, The Beginner's Book of Dreams, Safe Conduct, and The Joy of Writing Sex. Her work has appeared in Salmagundi, the New York Times, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, The American Prospect, and other periodicals. She has taught writing at Princeton University, Swarthmore, and at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.