At the start of Barrett’s very funny second novel (after 2007’s The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Bathroom
), Madeline Piatro, a powerhouse marketing whiz, vows to kill her ex-fiancé, Carlton Connors, the sexy but selfish son of an equally self-absorbed millionaire. Soon after meeting as students in the University of Texas (Austin) M.B.A. program, Maddy and Carlton move in together. She falls for his sappy “I intend to marry you” proposal, helps him graduate and creates Organics 4 Kids, a lunch program for parents on the go that his father bankrolls. Four years later, the unfaithful and deceitful Carlton dumps and fires Maddy after the company built on her program takes off. Maddy recognizes her part in the debacle, but Carlton is such a jerk, readers can’t resist cheering her on as she experiments with poisoned brownies and retribution spells. Help comes from an unlikely source, a memorable hit man who provides a juicy cherry on the top of a creamy, dreamy revenge treat. (Feb.)
