Customer Reviews

Trouble Down The Road

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Bettye Griffin's novel, Trouble Down the Road, Suzanne and Brad Betancourt seem to have it all; they are financially stable and living in a nice, upscale neighborhood. Suzanne has even overcome her fear of living next door to her husband's ex-wife. However, Lisa and Darrell Canfield are not the neighbors they should be worrying about. The Betancourts have neighbors down the road that will soon change the lives of everyone with the tangled web they have woven.

Errol and Micheline Trent seem to have a comfortable marriage until Micheline's hidden secrets start to resurface. Errol tries to decide on what to do with the news about his conniving wife, while Micheline has her eyes set on another and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the prize. Flo and Ernie Hickman have worked hard to become part of the neighborhood circle, but seem to keep falling short. The couple's son, George, is everyone's dream and just might be their ticket, if only he would make better choices in women.

The saying goes, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you," and Suzanne's family members are not getting the clue. They put the "M" in mooching but when family takes it too far will Suzanne be strong enough to make a choice? Will she choose her marriage or her family?

Trouble Down the Road is a page-turner of "No, she didn't" and "You have got to be kidding me." The twists in the story are not over the top even though the reader sees them coming. It has a strong storyline and characters the reader can follow throughout the book. The enjoyment of the read and the ending make you overlook the characters that were getting on your nerves. I recommend this book to those who love suspense and a good drama.

Teresa Beasley
APOOO BookClub

Noted author Bettye Griffin in parthas successfully integrated characters from 2 previous
novels,"No More Trouble", and "The People Next Door" and put them in a provocative
new novel with a lot of twists and turns and DRAMA.
Main characters,Brad and Suzanne Betancourt,Norell and Vic Bellamy, and Micheline
and Errol Trent all have something in common-----TROUBLE.
Brad and Suzanne, married for 16 years are hitting a rough patch in their marriage
due in part to her trifling mother and siblings who expect a free ride on the coat-
tails of the very rich Betancourts.
Norell and her husband Vic Bellamy meet the Betancourts one evening and Suzanne
and Norell have a grand reunion. They were close friends as children and lost contact over years. It will be surprising to see what they have in common.
Micheline and Errol Trent,a younger married couple,join the circle. Brad and
Errol are golfing buddies. Micheline is lusting after Brad just as she lusted after
Vic 3 years ago. Her affair with Vic resulted in a pregnancy in which Micheline
willingly allowed Vic and his wife to adopt the baby but the wife did not know the
identity of the birth mother at that time.
We now know that Micheline is the common factor in both marriages as she had affairs
with both husbands. All in all Suzanne and Norell are both able to come full circle
learning to accept,forgive, and move forward as the truths come tumbling out.
As for TROUBLE more commonly known as Micheline she gets hers but you have to read
this novel to see how it pans out for her. This is one book you will have
TROUBLE putting down.

Suzanne Betancourt wasn't raised with the finer things in her life. But when she marries Bradley "Brad" Betancourt, a successful radiologist, there isn't anything she doesn't love about her wealthy life. She lives in a palatial home, drives luxurious cars, and has two beautiful children. However, Suzanne feels her life is slowly turning into shambles. Her husband's ex- wife and daughter live next door to them, her meddlesome mother and siblings expect Brad to finance them, and to make matters worse, a sexy, voluptuous neighbor is lusting after Brad.

Brad has voiced his concerns many times to Suzanne about placing their marriage second to her rude and obnoxious family. She disregards his ultimatums, pushing him further away, possibly into the arms of another woman.

The overload of drama in TROUBLE DOWN THE ROAD was so engrossing I had to finish it in one day. The well-developed characters are lifelike with their "keeping up with the joneses" syndrome, superior attitudes, greed, and habitual deceit. The melodramatic subplots blend smoothly into the main plot. I enjoy reading Bettye Griffin's mainstream fiction books because she writes about real family life situations. I recommend TROUBLE DOWN THE ROAD for a great summer time read!

Reviewed by Sharon Lewis
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

I love her writing style! Its nice to read about folks who are my age! I love the urban novels but I definitely like to read about people who are similiar in many ways to myself and my peers! This book was interesting from start to finish as always!! Her novel deal with real life issues, things that I can relate to. She is another author that I trust to simply grab one of her books without looking at reviews. There are only a very few that I can say that about. Keep up the good work Ms. G!!!

The quips `you're too close for comfort', and `give me breathing room' is par for for a course in a specific melodrama written by one of the African American's most prolific writers. To wit: How secure would you be living next door to your ex-wife, your mother-in-law is living a few doors down the street, eye candy is in the vicinity just waiting on a chance to jump your bones along with a few other neighbors with ulterior motives? Do you try your best to keep your shirt on in lieu of succumbing to the wiles and wacky ways that temptation would have you privy to? Author Bettye Griffin likes to keep it a communal affair with her new book `Trouble Down the Road', which she manages to successfully melds characters from two of her previous novels, `No More Trouble', and `The People Next Door'. In my opinion, character driven stories works best when there's enough conflict and contrast to allow drama to be pronounced and provocative. On both accounts the author does a credible job. Two close for comfort is only a cliche with good intent, but Ms Griffith manages to turn the heat up a bit allowing intensity to simmer a bit until the fare threatens to boil over! The decision determining who comes to dinner depend on how Bradley and Suzanne Betancourt deal with adversity fueling mayhem and madness.

Talking about plot twists, this story is off the chain! Hold on to your chair as you read, hoping that you don't have trouble keeping up with this large cast of characters and impromptu change of paces. The mayhem is triggered by the fact that Suzanne Betancourt is married to her former boss, radiologist Bradley Betancourt, and, in a bad luck situation gone awry, lives next door to Bradley's ex-wife, Lisa, and her second husband and their children. The plot is given a riveting turn of events when she suspects that Micheline Trent, the vixen wife of Bradley's golfing buddy, wants her man. The authors does a credible job of allowing Micheline to not to get off scott free by giving ample proof that she's harboring ill-will of her own. Adding to the mix is Micheline son who marry's Suzanne's pregnant sister. The madness will prove to be worth your time by the time you get to the coda of this yarn.

Tempted as I am to tell more of this book, I stop here because unlike other reviewers who tell too much, I want you to know that THIS is one of the author's best and should be read by you to see what I see! It could easily be one that others would deem conflicting, but the brilliant ploy here is the fact that Ms Griffin gives her readers a chance to embrace characters segued into a suspenseful story takes skill and a sense of what readers want in a story that keeps you wondering what will happen next. Inasmuch as Ms Griffin manages to pack a punch into the eye of this hurricane, it's a testament to imagery that shouldn't fail. But alas, there are lessons to be learned here -- loyalty, redemption and what it takes to avoid temptation. The Betancourts are better of because of them. If you're a Bettye Griffin fan, she didn't disappoint you...if this happen to be your first novel by her, then you may be compelled to learn more about her and read any of her previous work. I've read several of them and will definitely recommend that you read this one!

Ever heard of the statement, "Keeping Up with the Joneses?" Well, meet Suzanne and Brad Betancourt. Brad is a successful radiologist, and there's no limit as to how much money Suzanne has access too. They have been married 16 years and have two beautiful children. The only hitch in their marriage is Suzanne's meddling family who thinks they have a free ride. Finally, Brad gives Suzanne the ultimatum that it's either him or her family. When a beautiful young neighbor (Micheline) moves in their neighborhood, Suzanne comes to the reality that she needs to make a decision and fast about if she wants to make her marriage work. Trying to salvage her marriage and distance herself from her family, Suzanne decides to go into business with a friend. With her hectic schedule, she is completely alienating her husband and kids. Soon Brad starts to distant himself from his wife and right into the arms of Micheline. With her marriage and family on the line, what will she choose?

Trouble Down the Road starts off with the drama right away. It's one of those books where you have to know what happens at the end. The reason I enjoyed it so much is because even though the books are fiction, Bettye Griffin touches on a lot of real life issues. She develops each of the characters so thoroughly that the reader will most likely identify with one or more of the characters. The storyline of the book was not overdone and each character and their stories blend in so well. I highly recommend Trouble Down The Road.

Reviewed by Jackie for Urban Reviews

This book definitely was a great sequel to 'The People Next Door'. The drama continues with a whole lot more. Suzanne Betancourt is still jealous of her husband's ex-wife and his daughter with her. She is still taking sides with her trifling family over her husband and the outcome may destroy her family. You will not be able to put this book down until the end to find out what happens.

The Betancourts of Jacksonville are among the elite in the community, with their champagne taste and caviar dreams. Living the life they've always dreamed, it couldn't get any better. On the outside looking in it's all peaches and cream. Underneath the surface, dealing with drama from family members and insecurities is placing a strain on Brad and Suzanne's marriage, which may lead to infidelity.

"Trouble Down the Road" was a good read. There were plenty of issues and drama that comes along with having that all mighty dollar. I enjoyed it. It will amaze you some of the actions that were taking place in this novel. Nice summer read that will pass the time.

Reviewed by: Tange
3.5 stars