Family of Lies

June 1, 2014
Vera Lomax seems like the perfect wife to Kenneth, a pillar of San Francisco's African American community who owns a chain of successful electronics stores. But beneath Vera's well-maintained faade lies a cold heart. Years ago, when she found out that Kenneth was having an affair with his secretary, she paid her off to leave while still pregnant. Years later, Kenneth finds out about his daughter and decides to make things right for teenage Sarah, who grew up in poverty. Vera struggles to bring Sarah under her influence, but independent Sarah refuses to fall into line, and their battle of wills threatens to tear the Lomax family apart for good. Just when readers think that Vera's villainy has reached new lows, she launches another jaw-dropping scheme, not caring whom she hurts in the process. Expect epic fights worthy of a 1980s prime-time soap opera along with torrid sex scenes in this raw, sudsy urban novel from Monroe (Mama Ruby, 2011), a master of the genre. Readers who enjoy watching characters' fortunes rise and fall will relish this tumultuous family.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)