Betrayal

April 18, 2011
Bestseller Michaels (Déjà Vu) mixes love and vengeance in this fast-paced but somewhat old-fashioned romantic thriller. Alex and Kate Rocket enjoy a rock-solid marriage and a simple life, with wealthy Alex raising golden retrievers and Kate throwing pottery and teaching cooking classes. In contrast, Alex's best friend, Don Winter, and his family struggle to maintain their expensive lifestyle and tolerate one another. When 12-year-old Sara Winter falsely accuses Alex of molesting her, the resulting trial changes the Rockets' lives forever, and Kate sets out to ruin the Winters. Hardly anyone has a cellphone, and Kate blithely "hacks" the computers of banking conglomerates, but the characters are far more believable than the trappings of their story, and a gentle touch of romance will keep readers going through an otherwise brutal recitation of human failings.

June 1, 2011
Sadly childless but otherwise blissfully happy, Alex and Kate are looking forward to two weeks with the children of friends at their beautiful home in North Carolina. When Emily and Sara arrive, it is clear that something is very wrong with Sara. The couple is relieved when the girls leave, only to have their lives upended when Sara accuses Alex of molesting her. An arrest and extradition to Florida, followed by an inept trial, seem to seal Alex's fate. Kate finds a better lawyer and prepares to discredit Sara and her family, only to have further tragedy strike. The last third of the book features Kate several years later on her quest to avenge what happened to Alex. Key secondary characters, including Sara's mother, Debbie, and lawyer Coleman, bring surprising plot twists. Suspense and secrets will keep readers turning pages in this romantic suspense stand-alone from best-selling author Michaels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)