Mystery and skulduggery in an upscale Colorado subdivision. A vandal is disrupting the peaceful facade of Cottonwood Estates, spray-painting graffiti, bashing carved pumpkins, and breaking a window in a private home. This miscreant is an emblem of what lies beneath this family-friendly community--secrets, lies, betrayals, and worse. The story focuses on three members of the Cottonwood Book Club: Annie Perley, who has a complicated past and a teenage daughter suddenly acting strangely; Jen Pagano, who's put her career on hold to deal with her violence-prone 13-year-old son; and Lena Meeker, a new book-club recruit who's older, wealthier, and lonelier than the others. Something terrible happened in Cottonwood 15 years ago, and Lena was directly involved (exactly how, we don't know). Author Heller interrupts the present-day narrative with occasional flashbacks that provide clues about who did what to whom. Overall, the novel is intended as frothy fun with serious undertones. There are some clever digs at suburbia--for example, Annie's worried musings about her kids: "Should Hank and Laurel be composing oboe concertos? Why haven't they written cookbooks for charity?" And the book club's selections are amusingly eclectic, from Lolita to something called The Spicy Hot Marriage. As for drama, Jen's anguish over son Abe--who may or may not be the vandal--seems authentic. But much of the book is overly familiar. The characters are hard to differentiate at first, and it's hard to care about them. The plot twists often seem arbitrary, if not unbelievable. Too many of the characters "feel a bitter taste in their throat"--or words to that effect--in tense moments. And the big reveals at the end may leave readers a bit puzzled. Not as entertaining or absorbing as it means to be. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In this entertaining psychological thriller from Heller (The Never Never Sisters), Lena Meeker, a resident of upscale Cottonwood Estates, has been a virtual recluse ever since the fatal alcohol-fueled car crash that occurred shortly after one of her signature soirées 15 years earlier. Now, neighbor Annie Perley, who's not much older than Lena's grown daughter, Rachel, who fled home as a teen after the tragedy, starts making persistent overtures of friendship, including pressing Lena to attend a meeting of the spirited monthly book club that serves as the local moms' social lifeline. It turns out that Annie, a middle school guidance counselor hitting turbulence with her own teenage daughter, harbors a surprising hidden agenda for wanting to connect with Lena--albeit one arguably less shocking than the secrets her new friend has allowed to imprison her for so many years. Readers will relate to these appealing women, who toss off one-liners even as they wrestle with such issues as teen substance abuse, bullying, and workaholic spouses. This is perfect for Liane Moriarty fans--as well as potential book club catnip. Agent: Allison Hunter, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Oct.)

Cottonwood Estates is a great place to live--excellent schools, lovely homes, safe streets, a range of activities for both kids and adults, and a strong sense of community. A group of six Cottonwood women have organized a book club, where gossip and "girl talk" is just as important as discussing literary merit. But all is not as idyllic as it seems in Cottonwood Estates. Some of the book-club women have secrets--some of them very dark indeed--that are revealed tantalizing bit by tantalizing bit during the story. Each time readers think they know what's going on, there's another provocative twist, another piece of the puzzle revealed. Not one of these characters is quite the way she appears to others, and the secrets they felt they'd left behind have a way of emerging at the most unexpected times. With its imaginative plot, charismatic characters, and wealth of dramatic revelations, this addictive tale is one of those novels that demands to be gobbled up in a single sitting. Great for book clubs (whose members may or may not have their own secrets) and for domestic-thriller lovers in general.