Don't Let It Be True

January 26, 2009
Peeking into the misfortunes of formerly rich heirs of Houston’s oil barons, Barrett discovers a mixed Birkin bag of rueful romance and tongue-in-cheek mayhem. The golden Gucci crowd doesn’t know that their fave society girl, Kat Connor King, no longer possesses the funds befitting the last heiress of a Texas dynasty. Kat may still run the King Foundation, own a ranch and host Houston’s most successful charity fund-raiser every year, but after she emptied her trust fund to finance the building of the Pediatric Cancer Center, she’s broke. The money trouble extends to her love life, as well: she lives in a luxurious high-rise with former Enron lawyer Dylan Grant, whose recently deceased father gambled away his son’s inheritance. Even if the Cinderella factor’s a bit too pat, Barrett’s wit makes watching these down-on-their-luck bluebloods reclaim their fortunes a fun little diversion.

Starred review from March 1, 2009
Although Kathleen Connor Kings family is wealthy, she has purposely descended into genteel poverty. Every penny of Kathleens sizable trust has gone into her foundation, which funds medical care for seriously ill children who otherwise wouldnt be able to afford it. However, this starving philanthropist needs to keep up the facade of wealth with her rich friends and associates, because she relies on them to make huge donations at her annual fund-raising event. Dylan Grant has loved Kathleen since grade school, when she punched him hard. Now they live together in an upscale Houston high-rise. Dylan learns that dear old departed dad lost the entire family fortune in a poker game. To make matters worse, Dylans brother, Wyatt, has moved to Las Vegas and owes half a million dollars in gambling debts to a mobster. Barrett portrays the Texas oil elite with a nice balance of pathos and humor as fully dimensional characters, unexpected plot twists, and clever dialogue make for a hard-to-put-down novel. The author of last years This Is How It Happened (Not a Love Story) has once again proven to be a master storyteller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)