Hungry Women

A first novel set in Los Angeles, this confident divertissement follows four modern women in their 30s whose stories are skillfully intertwined because their informal gourmet club meets twice a month in a restaurant for dinner and serious gossip. Trina, a high-powered PR staffer for a political candidate, learns what motivates and repels her employer's opponent--and herself--when the campaign turns dirty. Diva, a singer with a weakness for disastrous affairs, takes control of her life by becoming a vegetarian and pursuing a stable, rewarding relationship and new career. Dixie, a level-headed police officer, works undercover in high school to smoke out a local drug ring in a routine operation that turns deadly serious. Barcelona, an English professor who writes science fiction, disentangles herself from the debris of an old love affair and ``goes Hollywood'' when a famous actress sees a possible vehicle in one of her novels. The engaging characters meet life's challenges with humor in a fast-paced and rewarding piece of popular fiction. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates. ( Apr. )