Jody A. reviewed on 3/2/2007 + 179 more book reviews

A swank society wedding is halted because the groom has left his millionaire fiancee on the lawn of her Omaha, Neb., manse. He is Joe Bryce (ne Mazcarek, or maybe Smith), a con man of the highest and smoothest order who's made his fortune preying on wealthy, marriageable ladies?made enough, in fact, to live in the Caribbean in the off-swindling season aboard his yacht, Dragonfly. But Joe meets his match in Nimrod's Chapel, Ga., where he contrives an introduction to bestselling romance writer Pamela Abelard. Paralyzed after a hit-and-run accident, the wheelchair-bound Abby is tended by her uncle, Dr. Luke, whose unctuous facade conceals unhealthy secrets. Also on hand are Luke's wife, Charlene, a substance abuser whose finest moment comes when, "naked as a peeled egg," she scrapes $300-a-roll wallpaper off the parlor walls. Among the many richly realized supporting players is a killer who in his downtime paints scenes of Christ. Never letting up on the suspense, Farris piles one Grand Guignol moment on top of another with unerring dexterity, a keen knowledge of human nature and a wicked sense of humor.

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