From Publishers Weekly
The prologue to Ginsberg's third novel, a series of e-mails relating to Diana Jones, a 17-year-old mom who goes missing during the destructive San Diego fires of October 2007, sets up expectations for a gritty, nail-biting thriller, but the author opts instead for a sketchy, domestic drama that focuses on how Diana's disappearance affects those she leaves behind. In July 2007, pregnant biracial Diana surprises her biological father, Joe Montana (no relation to the football player), by showing up at his house in San Diego. Joe's wife, Allison, whom Joe never told about Diana, feels betrayed because she aborted a child she wanted but Joe didn't. As Joe strives to be a good father to Diana, he slips into an affair with a sexy new neighbor, Jessalyn Martin. Meanwhile, neighbors Dick and Dorothy Werner deal with their addict son Kevin's attraction to Diana. Ginsberg (The Grift) examines her characters' lives with microscopic zeal, but Diana remains a disappointing enigma. (Nov.) (c)
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From
Fans of Desperate Housewives will enjoy Ginsbergโs engaging, if somewhat predictable, mix of domestic drama and psychological suspense. When Diana, a very pregnant teenager, shows up at her biological father Joeโs door in San Diego, the gossip mill among residents of snooty Fuller Court starts churning immediately. Joeโs wife, Allison, has a complete meltdownโdrinking, sleeping all day, and (gasp) not even doing her hair. Joe had never uttered a word about having a child; now Allison wonders what else heโs kept mum. Prudish neighbors Dick Werner and his wife, Dorothy, positively salivate over the scandal. To their chagrin, the Wernersโ son, Kevin, has fallen for Dianaโand her newborn baby, Zoe, too. Lesbian neighbors Sam and Gloria and a sexy former reality-TV star named Jessalyn become entangled in the chaos when Diana goes missing during the areaโs worst-ever wildfires. Everyone is a suspect here; even seemingly upstanding citizens have closets bulging with skeletons. Ginsberg (The Grift, 2008) serves up deliciously flawed characters. A good read for a lazy day at the beach. --Allison Block