From Publishers Weekly
The bestselling pseudonymous husband-wife duo Judith Barnard and Michael Fain return (after 1999's A Certain Smile) with a formulaic novel set in their hometown of Chicago. Saintly 27-year-old Sara Elliott works as City Greeter (aka "Everybody's Schlepper")—a job that swiftly, conveniently introduces her to both arch-villain Lew Corcoran and romantic hero Reuben Lister. Sara meant to be a doctor, but her paycheck provides for three adolescent half-siblings, ever since their mom, Tess, had a disabling stroke that landed her in a nursing home. All the other grownups have checked out—Sara's father died; Tess's second husband ran off; and Mack, eldest child of Tess's second marriage, has also vanished. Now Mack comes back, playing havoc with the kids' emotions and assaulting Sara's primacy. The novel is generally short on shades of gray, but Mack is coal black. When he isn't saying "shit" or "fuck" to his appalled, delighted sibs, he talks in odd litanies of three: "A fine robe finely made that feels fine." Ages before Sara catches on, the reader is certainly certain of the certainty that he's working with Lew to squelch Reuben's low-income housing project. Curiously, Chicago itself never comes to life, although Greenwich Village is finely drawn when Sara visits Reuben on his home turf. Alas, Mack burns down the house while she's trysting, but that's the kind of middle-America melodrama that Michael's readers seem to love.
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Sara Elliott has forgone her dreams in order to raise her three younger stepsiblings. After her stepfather disappeared and her mother had a stroke, she gave up medical school, came back to Chicago, and took a job as a greeter for the city, helping high rollers find homes. Almost simultaneously, two men enter her sphere, and each has an agenda. Mack is the long-lost brother who left when things got difficult. Reuben is Sara's client but has the potential for being more. The children are ecstatic that Mack has returned, which Sara resents. And she finds it hard to trust him. He never talks about his past; his furtive actions do nothing to raise her expectations, and she doubts that he'll stick around. Reuben, on the other hand, is steady as a rock and seems to care about her and her emergency family, although he, too, is concealing something. As things progress, Sara must decide what is best for her as well as for those she mothers. In spite of the many complex family issues raised, this effort feels a bit lackluster for the popular husband-and-wife duo, but there is enough conflict, glamour, and intrigue to keep their fans happy. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
