BEHAVING BADLY (Isabel Wolff)

Anyone who thinks that chick-lit is primarily mindless fluff needs to have another think!  Behaving Badly is a wonderful story with several layers of plot that keep the reader engaged throughout the novel.  Miranda Sweet is a veterinarian turned animal behaviorist who is recovering from a recent traumatic (not in the usual way) break-up with her actor fiancé.  During a session with a client she notices a picture of the woman's familiar-looking husband, an up and coming member of Parliament.  Eventually she realizes that MP James Mulholland is Jimmy Smith, with whom she shares a radical and possibly criminal past.  Weighed down by guilt for 16 years, she seeks out the victim of her youthful mistake intending to confess and take the consequences, but "Jimmy" has other ideas that might destroy her life and career.  Wolff manages to combine an endearing heroine, political intrigue, and romantic suspense with thoroughly fascinating glimpses into various animal behaviors. This novel is a must read for anyone who is looking for something fun that will keep them interested from start to finish.