The First Lady

Bestselling author Weber (So You Call Yourself a Man ) serves up another scintillating slice of church politics as a Queens preacher is forced to decide who will be his church's new first lady after his wife dies. Bishop T.K. Wilson's wife, Charlene, is on her deathbed with pancreatic cancer, and with the help of her best friend, she drafts five letters—one to each of the four women she feels could be contenders for the title of First Lady of Jamaica Ministries—and one to her husband encouraging him to move on after her death and marry someone who can help him lead the church. Per Charlene's request, the letters are delivered after she dies, setting into motion a catty, gossipy page-turner as the chosen four vie for T.K.'s proposal. But who will win: Marlene, a recovering addict and mother of T.K.'s illegitimate child; Savannah, a deacon's daughter who is struggling to make a name as a gospel singer; Monique, "the first lady of plastic surgery and implants"; or Lisa Mae, a wily and sometimes cutthroat widow? Weber keeps the pacing brisk and loads the narrative with enough surprise turns to keep readers guessing to the end. (Jan.)