The Rome Affair [Mass Market Paperback]

Isn't the whole point of female friendship to be nurturing accomplices? To keep inconvenient secrets and forgive the cause--no matter what--so each friend can carry on the messy business of life less burdened by guilt or self-doubt?

The Rome Affair starts from that comfy premise. Then unravels it--and a likable heroine's life--with the methodical ardor of a kitten pawing a ball of twine.

Simply put, it's a Hitchcock-worthy tale with a chilling payoff.

Rachel Blakely, self-possessed Chicago sales executive, embarks on a business trip to Rome taking her childhood friend Kit, all flaming red hair and wild theatricality. Kit's failed acting career leads Rachel to pay for her ticket. But Kit pays her back with emotional support. Rachel has been struggling mightily to forgive her husband Nick, a dedicated surgeon, for a year-old, two-night affair with a stranger he confessed with heartfelt remorse. Kit props her up. She's the only person in Rachel's life who supports her decision to forgive him.

Once in the Eternal City, certainties become less so. Rachel shoulders the blame for a disastrous sales meeting. Then she can't locate Nick by phone at home or office. She harbors dark thoughts that her husband couldn't wait to cheat on her again. Her self-discipline collapses when she's swept away by a portrait painter masterful in the masculino arts.

But Nick, it turns out, hasn't been unfaithful at all. How will Rachel reconcile her own two-night stand?

Rachel vows that what happened in Rome must stay in Rome. Kit agrees. Especially when Nick's social ambitions propel them into a glitzy new role as couple du jour in Chicago's philanthropic set. Only Kit is less dependable than Rachel had been led to expect, with surprises that just keep on coming.

This was my first from Laura Caldwell, a suspense novelist and trial lawyer who applies both skill sets to play delicious mind games. Like any good trial lawyer, she saves her best surprise for last. In my own case, until 4AM with booklight blazing.

Ms. Caldwell knows a lot about people--from the privileged who grin like timber wolves from the society pages to pariahs suffering the humiliations of the criminal justice system. And her writing benefits from a taut, precise style that crackles with emotional intensity. This is not, as some of her previous books were described, a "chicklit" that would turn off male readers--like me.

Trust me on this one. What are friends for?

After deciding to give her philandering husband another chance at their marriage, Rachel takes a trip with her best pal Kit to Rome for a sales meeting. When she has difficulty reaching Nick, she assumes the worst and has a one night stand with a sexy Italian artist.

When she returns, not only was Nick not fooling around - he was setting up their basement as a studio for Rachel. Guilt consumes her, but unlike Nick, she decides not to come clean about her own infidelity. When Kit suddenly needs money for her mother's expensive chemo treatments, she blackmails Rachel with her knowledge of Rachel's "Rome affair," which sets a disastrous course of action with deadly consequences, as Nick and Rachel find that their relationship will be put to the ultimate test.

Caldwell's latest suspense novel is a nail biter that will have you on the edge of your seat - with a great twist and surprise (but ambiguous) ending.

Laura Caldwell has done it again! This fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller is riveting until the very end!

Rachel and Nick Blakely are an up-and-coming high-society couple with their share of troubles. Struggling to forgive him for an affair, Rachel falls into an affair of her own while on a business trip to Rome. This one night of passion is the beginning of a complete unraveling of Rachel's life. With twists and turns throughout, I could not put this novel down.

The Rome Affair is a tightly woven psychological mystery. How much can a marriage endure? What secrets should be kept only between friends? How far will you go to hide your own secrets? This novel explores all these questions and more, keeping you reading until the very last page. My only concern is that the ending, while exciting, can possibly be surmised based on the teasers on the back of the book cover. Even guessing the ending, however, doesn't dampen the thrill ride of this novel.

Armchair Interviews says: Laura Caldwell has successfully stepped out of her usual "chick-lit" genre and secured a place for herself in the mystery and thrillers.

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