Best Intentions - by Emily Listfield (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: Atria Books, 2009.

Book Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of Waiting to Surface comes a page-turning novel about four college friends whose reunion reawakens old desires and grudges--with fatal results.

What happens when you think you know the person you love--and you're dead wrong?

Thirty-nine-year-old Lisa Barkley looks over at her sleeping husband, Sam, and can't help but feel that their fifteen-year marriage is in a funk that she isn't able to place. She tells herself that the strain must be due to their mounting financial pressures. With two daughters about to start another year at an elite Upper East Side private school and her own career hitting a wall, the effort of trying to stay afloat in their privileged world is increasingly difficult. But when she listens to Sam's voicemail and hears a whispered phone call from a woman he is to meet that night, she begins to suspect he is having an affair.

Lisa's best friend, Deirdre, claims it can't be true. But how can Lisa fully trust her opinion when Deirdre is mired in her own obsessive affair? When Deirdre's former college flame, Jack, comes to town and the two couples meet to celebrate his fortieth birthday, the stage is set for an explosive series of discoveries with devastating results.

Filled with suspense and provocative questions about the relationships we value most, Best Intentions is a tightly woven drama of love, friendship and betrayal.

Review Quotes

""Best Intentions" examines with wit and seriousness what can happen when old passions and new lives collide." -- Real Simple

"A writerly page-turner... deft pacing keeps the action moving and the reader guessing. Listfield ensures no character is above suspicion, and in the end, no one is without blame." -- "Publishers Weekly"

"In "Best Intentions", past indiscretions give way to fresh deception with devastating consequences." -- "Parade"

"In this gripping page-turner, Lisa suspects that her husband is having an affair with her friend Deirdre. Her hurt turns to shock when Deirdre turns up dead, entangling Lisa in a mystery with no alibi and no one to trust." -- "All You"