The Hunting Wives

Lifestyle journalist Sophie O’Neill, the narrator of this nail-biting thriller from Cobb (Big Woods), leaves a successful job in bustling Evanston, Ill., wishing to “slow down” with her architect husband and preschooler son in small town Mapleton, Tex. Soon, a bored Sophie seeks the company of oil-rich Margot Banks, the force behind an exclusive conspiratorial clique of four wives, a group of dysfunctional friends heavily lubricated with a steady diet of martinis and mojitos. Friday nights light up with their private skeet shooting club, followed by barhopping. The flirting women have only two rules: first names only, and don’t go all the way. But rules are meant to be broken. Fueled by alcohol, rage, jealousy, unhappy marriages, and blind lust, the women indulge in adultery and raunchy sex. It’s Texas, so keep an eye out for hunky football players, and when a teenage cheerleader ends up dead, Sophie becomes the prime suspect. Wild plot twists keep the pages turning up to the unexpected ending. This romp is a guilty pleasure. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (May)