For All She Knows

With less emphasis on romance than the rest of the series, Beck’s emotional third Potomac Point novel (after Truth of the Matter) centers on a tragic accident and the divide it creates between best friends Grace Phillips and Mimi Gillette. As their small New England community holds a budget debate that would affect both women’s sons, Grace discovers that some boys at school have started to harass her son, Carter. Mimi hopes to help by asking her son, Rowan, to stick up for Carter with his friends. So when she sees Carter at her door to hang out with Rowan, she feels hopeful, leaving the boys to it while she heads out on a date. But in her absence, the teens throw a party that goes horribly awry. Carter is injured, and in the aftermath both Grace and Mimi must balance doing what they think is right and protecting their families. Both women’s love stories take a backseat as Beck uses their alternating perspectives to explore the nuances of their falling-out. Women’s fiction readers and series fans will be pleased with this story of friendship, family, and forgiveness. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.)