Customer Reviews

A Woman Betrayed

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have long believed that to bring out a book which was originally available only in mass-market paperback as a hardback was a way to rip-off consumers who think it is a new book from one of their favorite authors instead of an older one (think Sandra Brown, Linda Howard). Usually these books are not up to snuff, the author having grown as a writer in the intervening years. A WOMAN BETRAYED is an exception to this. Written in 1991, it is a bit dated as it mentions nothing of the technological gains of the following ten years we have come to take for granted such as the internet, caller ID, and cell phones. But the story itself is compelling and just as good as anything Delinsky has written in recent years.

As a wife, mother of two, and business owner, Laura Frye seems to have it all but finds her life crumbling down around her when her CPA husband of 20 years fails to come home from work one evening. At first Laura believes it has to be either foul play or that Jeffrey has had an accident of some sort, but when she discovers the IRS has been investigating Jeff for tax fraud, it becomes all to clear that he left on his own accord. As a part of the investigation, Laura's assets are frozen. How is she going to make mortgage payments or college tuition payments for her son let alone pay her employees at the restaurant she owns?

Things get worse before they get better with a new revelation that Jeff was having an affair, her son being arrested, and Jeff's brother Christian, Laura's early love, returning. There's also Laura's interfering mother who doesn't think Laura can do anything right, and the local newspaper who continues to try Jeff's case via editorials and front page headlines.

If you have enjoyed Barbara Delinsky's later novels such as A WOMAN'S PLACE, COAST ROAD, LAKE NEWS, and THE VINEYARD, you are sure to also enjoy A WOMAN BETRAYED. This is highly recommended as a book difficult to put down once started. The devastating effects Jeff's actions have on his wife, children, mother, brother, business partner, and friend are well-documented. Surprises revealing motivation for not only Jeff but other minor characters keep the reader turning pages. In addition, the reader is treated to the budding romance between Tack Jones, the IRS agent investigating the case and Laura's best friend and attorney, Daphne. Delinsky has done a wonderful job of bringing this vast array of characters to life via the pages of this book. Being a fan of Barbara Delinsky since 1992, I wonder how I missed this book the first time around but am glad I finally found it. This is a must-read for fans of Barbara Delinsky.

This is the story of what happens to a family when the husband/father one day fails to come home from work. Worried sick, Laura imagines the worst. Turns out it could be worse than an accident or kidnapping: her husband of 20 years, Jeff, actually willingly walked away; the IRS, who had been investigating him, then freezes all her assets and she has no money or credit history of her own. Sure, eventually the love of her life comes back to her rescue, but this book carefully analyzes the relationship between lovers, friends, parents and children. Sometimes it's highly predictable, but it certainly beats the usual damsel in distress, one note soap opera. There's even one additional couple in the story. My only regret was that the kids, who were so much present throughout the book, are barely mentioned at the very end.

After reading "Lake News," I scanned the reviews of other books by Barbara Delinsky and picked this book from the list. This is a well developed plot with some interesting twists and turns. It is easy to run away from problems, but what of the people left behind who have to contend with them and clean up the mess. When Laura's husband disappears without a trace (even the IRS and FBI can't find him), her life starts to unravel as she adds up the bills, encounters tax problems and frozen assets, and discovers that she has no personal credit rating. After 20 years of marriage, she finds she never really knew her husband, and was unaware of the real source of some of his income. Various things are dredged up from the past including the emotional abuse that some people endured as children. As Laura struggles to maintain her own career and business while dealing with her family, an old friendship is lost but an old love is rekindled. It is a difficult book to put down when you get involved in the plot.

A WOMAN BETRAYED
AUTHOR: Barbara Delinsky
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: Laura Frye has the perfect life or so she believes. One day, her husband of 20 years, doesn't come home. Laura, of course, believes the worst; something terrible has happened to Jeff. With her two children to think of, a business to take care of and the household to keep going, Laura is shocked beyond understanding when the FBI showed up at her door.

Embezzlement and deceit are the charges the FBI is bringing against Jeff. Then to make matters worse, her son is accused of rape. With her assets frozen and her business manager suspected of having an affair with Jeff, Laura is about to lose her mind. Then Christian, a lover from the past and the estranged brother of the man she married, comes back into her life. Was he here to help or cause her more heartache?

With the strong determination Laura has always shown and with Christian's help, Laura begins to heal and answer questions that have been with her for 20 years. A Woman Betrayed" has twists and turns the reader never expects. This is good reading and a wonderful romantic ending.

It's not very often that I get so caught up in a story that I have dreams about it. But this time it happened. I got very little else done during the time I was reading this novel. I could not put it down. And then at night I'd have dreams about the main characters----Laura and Christian especially. I am a true romantic.He was her "knight in shining armor"------came to her rescue. But the way Ms. Delinsky told the story, it was done in such a way that you were unable to put the book down, unable to go to sleep at night, unable to stop thinking about the story----the betrayal, the hurt, the strength in a woman---so many facets of this story. I truly loved the book. I hated to see it end, even though I can now get work done---finally. It's a story that will stay with me forever. This was a novel. However, it's a story that has been true in real life. And for many of us, escaping "real life" is also a dream at times. Maybe we don't want to escape a crime---but to just get away, start over somewhere else, as someone else. But reading this lets us know the mess and hurt that it leaves in the wake. And that will haunt many forever.I'll never forget it.

Since they married over two decades ago, everyone who knows Jeff and Laura Frye thought they were the poster chidlren for perfect marriages. However, one day Jeff fails to return home. Laura's first inclination is that her husband is hurt from an accident. Starting to worry, she wonders if Jeff is dead. When she hears nothing further either from him or authorities, she concludes he purposely vanished to evade the IRS who wanted him arrested for years of scamming money.

Laura's perfect life quickly collapses as the IRS freezes the Frye assets. Laura's first love and Jeff's brother Christian returns to provide her with the emotional support she desperately needs during this crisis. Soon, this couple decides that they remain in love and want to start a life together, but both needs to see Jeff one last time before moving onto something new and hopefully better.

Barbara Delinsky wrote this appealing novel over ten years ago, but the plot remains as fresh and fascinating as when it was first released. The protagonists touch the hearts and souls of the audience as Ms. Delinsky shows why she always lands on the New York Times bestseller list.

Harriet Klausner

Laura Frye thought she had the perfect life. Until one night her husband Jeff didn't come home. Laura is sure there has been some terrible accident that has prevented Jeff's homecoming. He would never disappear on purpose. As if the disappearance isn't enough, six days later the IRS is knocking on her door to inform her Jeff is being investigated for tax fraud. The man she thought she knew isn't the man she knew at all. And the bad news doesn't end there...but you'll have to read the book to find out what happens next!

A Woman Betrayed was an absolute fabulous book. The book gets going on the first page and doesn't stop until the end. The reader begins to wonder just how much this one woman can take and how much she'll have to endure. The book is written in such a way that everything that happens to Laura and her family is believeable. Ms. Delinsky did her homework well before writing this book. Every event falls into place in a long (and I do mean long) line of betrayal. The storyline of Daphne, Laura's lawyer friend, and Tack, the IRS agent, added to the story too. Their storyline ties in with the rest of the story effortlessly.

I can't say enough about this book. I just couldn't read it fast enough. I had to know what happened. This book will bring out all the emotions--sadness, anger, hurt, and maybe a little happiness at the end. This is a book to keep and read again!

I really enjoy the writing style of Barbara Delinsky. Barbara combines a twist of romance with suspense. She keeps the pages turning. This was the first book I read of her work and I continued to buy other books and read them. Good book - you can't go wrong reading anything of Barabara's work. Start with this one though...you will not be sorry.

This is the first novel by Barbara Delinsky that I have read and I must say that I am impressed!

This tale of suspense centers around Laura as she finds her perfect world shattered when her husband disappears. After many years of a marriage that she thought was blissful, she begins to question her life and those around her. For instance, did her husband, Jeff, meet with foul play or could he possibly have orchestrated his own disappearance? Are her friends really loyal? Is Laura, herself, as capable as she once thought?

As the story progresses, the web of intrigue begins to unravel, starting with the whereabouts of her husband, what he has been up to (I will leave that a secret for you to find out) and what role his brother, Christian, plays in Laura's life.

The story is about illusions and that they are just that-illusions.

I have been a Barbara Delinsky fan for years but this one held me like no other one has before. The combination of characters and story theme, I think, is fantastic. I definitely hope she writes more that can be this realistic and entertaining. Try it, you'll like it!