Double Wedding

Seeing a big future for himself in Washington, Assistant Navy Secretary Bret Lewis plots to kill his wife, Sarah, and marry a congresswoman in this initially entertaining but ultimately disappointing yarn. Bret blackmails a Navy captain to obtain explosives he plans to detonate at a reaffirmation of the vows spoken 20 years earlier at the double wedding of the Lewises and their dearest friends, Shel and Ramy Jordan. Sarah, who has learned that Bret is romancing the congresswoman, finds the proposed ceremony quite weird. So does Shel, who reveals that Bret is also having an affair with Ramy. In an apparent twist, the wrong victim is killed--thus setting up Sarah for an expert frame. Bret's next step backfires as Katz ( Open House ) unveils one last surprise, one which does not offset the absurdity of the situation. Bret's reasons for turning to murder instead of a lawyer to rid himself of Sarah are implausible, and his one-dimensionality makes him a singularly uninteresting protagonist. Literary Guild selection; first serial to Cosmopolitan; film rights to Castle Rock Entertainment. (May)