The Hot Flash Club Chills Out

July 3, 2006
In their fourth outing (after Hot Flash Holidays), Thayer's menopausal quintet are in dire need of downtime. Marilyn wants to plan her wedding to Ian, but is too busy keeping together a hectic household. Faye's yearlong relationship with older Aubrey fizzles instead of sparks. Timid Polly wants a commitment from Hugh, but he's busy tending to his ex-wife's dramas. Intense Alice needs to relax for the sake of her troubled heart, but she helps care for her baby granddaughter, whose parents can't stop fighting. Romantically inept Shirley's finally found a guy her friends approve of, but he's terminally boring. Luckily, a business associate of Shirley's has offered up her home on Nantucket for the summer. The catch is that some antiques have disappeared, so the ladies will have to keep an eye out. And, of course, the house may be haunted. Once on Nantucket, Faye's reawakened passion for painting replaces her desire for Aubrey, and a charming stranger piques Shirley's interest. Thayer mixes in some local intrigue, but, as with the ghost subplot, lets the tension unspool by dedicating swaths of pages to fluffy, repetitive chatter. Thayer is at her best when detailing her characters' rich inner lives; thankfully there is plenty of that, too.