WIFE-IN-LAW (Haywood Smith)

Haywood Smith always draws me in to the slightly off-kilter but almost believable lives of her characters.  She also usually makes me laugh out loud!  Wife-in-Law begins with picture-perfect newlyweds Betsy and Greg Callison moving into a new house in a new development circa 1975.  He is an up and coming accountant and she is the perfect 1950's-style wife, complete with a spotless house, a hot dinner, and fresh make-up ready greet her husband when he returns from work every day.  Betsy is excited to find that new neighbors are moving into the house across the street, that is until she discovers that Kat and Zach seem to be hippies, unmarried, laid back, and, perhaps worst of all, politically liberal.  Still, the couples form a close friendship and their children grow up together with Betsy and Kat becoming best friends despite differences in political  philosophies.  When philandering Greg eventually leaves Betsy for his secretary, her life is thrown into turmoil, but she works through her anger and grief and takes it in stride when Greg returns to the neighborhood after 2 years and marries the recently widowed Kat.  Having fully moved on from Greg's betrayal, Betsy has no problem accepting the situation until she makes a discovery that compels her to become involved in her ex's marriage, with life-changing consequences.  This tongue-in-cheek story of marriage and friendship won't disappoint Smith's loyal readers, and I would suggest that Mary Kay Andrews' fans check it out as well.