cover image The Supper Club

The Supper Club

Sophie King, . . Hodder UK, $9.95 (470pp) ISBN 978-0-340-93540-8

Secret affairs, marriage problems, difficult children and shattered dreams are not typical polite dinner party conversation topics, but in British author King's delicious new page-turner, no subject is too taboo or intimate for discussion among old friends gathered for a monthly dinner. King (Second Time Lucky ) introduces four female characters as different as the recipes they choose. Lucy Summers is recently widowed; Patsy Jones stole a married man; Jenny Macdonald wants to find someone; and Chrissie Richards's marriage is falling apart. Their secrets unfold as the meals progress from August's “Lamb baked with apricot and prunes” to February's “Prawns in lime and ginger” (recipes not included). At times the suspense is marred by predictability and unresolved plot elements, but the characters are sympathetic, and readers will cheer them to the last course. (July)