19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for Barbara Delinsky Fans!, November 24, 2001
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than a romance novel, April 9, 1999
By A Customer
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.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sometimes men decamp, June 14, 2000
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.
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