They Did It with Love [Paperback]

Kate Morgenroth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2007

Secrets lurk under the smooth surface of a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood, until a murder reveals all

Sofie and her husband have left Manhattan in search of a more tranquil life in the suburbs. But when a member of Sofie?s new neighborhood book club turns up dead, things get messy. She discovers that everybody has something to hide, including her own husband. Her neighbor Priscilla has been married to Gordon for fifteen years, but the love left their marriage a long time ago. Susan is Priscilla?s biggest supporter until she has to choose between loyalty to her friend and telling the truth. Ashley is eager to fit in, but her youth and status as a second wife keep her on the outside. She may know more than they think she does, though. Julia seems to have it all?the perfect house, job and husband. But her untimely death has people questioning how perfect her life really was. Through this swamp of suburban secrets, Sofie must wade to find the truth behind Julia?s murder and the state of her own marriage. They Did It with Love is a delightful, twisty, and twisted exploration of the things we?ll do for love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Agatha Christie meets The Stepford Wives in this rolling read about a couple who relocates to a posh Connecticut suburb, where one day the wife discovers a member of her book club hanging from a tree.  She decides to investigate and uncovers--dum, da-dum, dum!--well, we won't spoil it for you.  But if you like a sexy mystery, Morgenroth keeps the finger of suspicion rotating faster than a game of Spin the Bottle."
—Marie Claire

“Morgenroth tricks suspicious readers by withholding key information until the end.”
—Kirkus

“…Morgenroth’s greatest accomplishment is the ease with which she describes a certain kind of ennui and aimlessness—and the kind of fatal betrayals that can lurk beneath all that suburban gloss.”
—The Washington Post

“Agatha Christie meets Desperate Housewives in Morgenroth’s smashing, Stepfordesque mystery. At the heart of the novel is Manhattan bookshop clerk Sofie, whose father’s death has left her wealthy and in need of a change of pace. Her husband suggests moving to posh Greenwich, Conn., where she falls in with a group of bored, bitchy and smart housewives who gossip, drink too much and occasionally cat around with each other’s husbands. When young trophy wife Julia is found swinging from a tree in her front yard, the obvious conclusion is suicide—but both cops and neighbors suspect murder, and mystery addict Sofie sets out to do a little sleuthing. Morgenroth (Saved) places Sofie precisely in her contrasting urban and suburban settings with elegant prose, from “a tangle of dark grey branches” in Central Park to maple leaves that “drifted down—a bright autumn red—leaving a carpet on the ground like a huge pool of blood.” The character development and local color are so strong that this would be a hit even without the dazzling surprise ending.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kate Morgenroth is the author of the bestselling Plume book, They Did It With Love, two thrillers, Kill me First and Saved, and three YA novels, Jude, Framed, and Echo. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Plume (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452288975
• ISBN-13: 978-0452288973
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great whodunnit book, January 20, 2008

By 

Ami (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Did It with Love (Paperback)

Set in Greenwich Connecticut, this is a great whodunnit story about a couple who leave Manhattan for the suburbs. The main character Sofie joins one of the book clubs (which seem to war with each other -- the mom book club doesn't get along with Sofie's mystery book club) and begins to find out that every thing is not as it seems in this secretive town.

When one of the members is found dead there is suspicion to go around. What's most interesting are the vivid desciptions of the women throughout this novel and also the social hierarchy that is so clearly laid out (worth as determined by one's husband's job or the house you live in). The mystery is laid out wonderfully and this is a fun read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real page turner!, April 9, 2008

By 

Shelly Prost (Cary, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Did It with Love (Paperback)

This was a very well written and compelling novel. The characters were amusing and engaging and the plot moved forward at a nice clip. It's the first "page turner" I have read in awhile. Plus a surprise ending.....Definitely recommend!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars twisted couples with a murder thrown in, June 22, 2008

By 

A. Starkey "Nana" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: They Did It with Love (Paperback)

After Sophie's father died and left her a huge estate, Sophie and her husband decided to move from Manhattan to Greenish, Conn. In order to fit in, Sophie joins a neighborhood mystery bookclub. The book twists and turns around the 5 women and their husbands who are in the bookclub.

After a couple of bookclub meetings, one of the women is found dead. Initially thought to be suicide, it soon becomes clear they were dealing with a Homocide.

Alex, the husband of the dead women was the only suspect, but claimed adamantly he was innocent. Sofie, who had owned a mystery bookstore in New York, was known as an amateur sleuth and contacted by Alex to help prove he was innocent.

Sophie plays detective, and works with the "real" detectives who are trying to prove Alex's guilt. Suspecions raise, and skeletons are brought out closets of these couples.

The author did an excellent job of keeping the readers attention while intertwining the lives of the 10 people involved. Readers see inside the lives of the "rich and non-famous," and are given a surprised ending.

I belive this book would be enjoyable for both men and women, and was a wonderful read for our bookclub. It is multi-layered which helped the discussion flow.