In this engaging novel from Jones (The Snowbirds
; Sadie-in-Waiting
), an unlikely gaggle of women are drawn together by the Five Acres of Fabulous Finds Flea Market and become friends. Narrator Odessa and her friend Maxine are both pastors' wives of a certain age, and both love to meddle in other ladies' love lives. They set up the voluptuous Bernadette with a single pastor who's just moved to town, and they intervene when they suspect that another woman's boyfriend may be abusing her. In their spare time, they also try to figure out what's gone wrong between 40-something Jan, who still has the figure of a co-ed, and her taciturn husband. Along the way, Odessa realizes that her own marriage isn't perfect. An innovative, chatty opening chapter will hook readers. Jones has a sure hand with dialogue, and she is often laugh-out-loud funny. The novel's not flawless—though the characters are charming, the plot is a little thin, and some of the awkward, overt references to scripture and faith ("Ecclesiastes reminds us there is a time to be silent and a time to speak") could be cut. Still, fans of Robin Jones Gunn and Neta Jackson will enjoy Odessa and Maxine's adventures, as faith-based chick lit reaches a mature crowd. (Nov. 28)
