A Woman Betrayed

by Barbara Delinsky

Book Overview

New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky is known for her evocative, emotionally resonant books. Now, for the first time in hardcover, comes her classic novel A Woman Betrayed , a tale with all the hallmarks of her impressive talent. Laura and Jeff Frye have a happy twenty-year marriage and two terrific kids. With a successful catering business as well, Laura has everything she could ask for. Then Jeff mysteriously disappears, and Laura's...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006621341X
• ISBN13: 9780066213415
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Not my Favorite

A favorite author of mine but this book is not a favorite of hers. I am about half way through and am making myself continue reading.

Romance and twists

A WOMAN BETRAYEDAUTHOR: Barbara DelinskyPUBLISHER: Simon & SchusterREVIEWED BY: Barbara RhoadesBOOK REVIEW: Laura Frye has the perfect life or so she believes. One day, her husband of 20 years, doesn't come home. Laura, of course, believes the worst; something terrible has happened to Jeff. With her two children to think of, a business to take care of and the household to keep going, Laura is shocked beyond understanding when the FBI showed up at her door.Embezzlement and deceit are the charges the FBI is bringing against Jeff. Then to make matters worse, her son is accused of rape. With her assets frozen and her business manager suspected of having an affair with Jeff, Laura is about to lose her mind. Then Christian, a lover from the past and the estranged brother of the man she married, comes back into her life. Was he here to help or cause her more heartache?With the strong determination Laura has always shown and with Christian's help, Laura begins to heal and answer questions that have been with her for 20 years. A Woman Betrayed" has twists and turns the reader never expects. This is good reading and a wonderful romantic ending.

Unable to put the book down!

It's not very often that I get so caught up in a story that I have dreams about it. But this time it happened. I got very little else done during the time I was reading this novel. I could not put it down. And then at night I'd have dreams about the main characters----Laura and Christian especially. I am a true romantic.He was her "knight in shining armor"------came to her rescue. But the way Ms. Delinsky told the story, it was done in such a way that you were unable to put the book down, unable to go to sleep at night, unable to stop thinking about the story----the betrayal, the hurt, the strength in a woman---so many facets of this story. I truly loved the book. I hated to see it end, even though I can now get work done---finally. It's a story that will stay with me forever. This was a novel. However, it's a story that has been true in real life. And for many of us, escaping "real life" is also a dream at times. Maybe we don't want to escape a crime---but to just get away, start over somewhere else, as someone else. But reading this lets us know the mess and hurt that it leaves in the wake. And that will haunt many forever.I'll never forget it.

A must-read for Barbara Delinsky Fans!

I have long believed that to bring out a book which was originally available only in mass-market paperback as a hardback was a way to rip-off consumers who think it is a new book from one of their favorite authors instead of an older one (think Sandra Brown, Linda Howard). Usually these books are not up to snuff, the author having grown as a writer in the intervening years. A WOMAN BETRAYED is an exception to this. Written in 1991, it is a bit dated as it mentions nothing of the technological gains of the following ten years we have come to take for granted such as the internet, caller ID, and cell phones. But the story itself is compelling and just as good as anything Delinsky has written in recent years. As a wife, mother of two, and business owner, Laura Frye seems to have it all but finds her life crumbling down around her when her CPA husband of 20 years fails to come home from work one evening. At first Laura believes it has to be either foul play or that Jeffrey has had an accident of some sort, but when she discovers the IRS has been investigating Jeff for tax fraud, it becomes all to clear that he left on his own accord. As a part of the investigation, Laura's assets are frozen. How is she going to make mortgage payments or college tuition payments for her son let alone pay her employees at the restaurant she owns?Things get worse before they get better with a new revelation that Jeff was having an affair, her son being arrested, and Jeff's brother Christian, Laura's early love, returning. There's also Laura's interfering mother who doesn't think Laura can do anything right, and the local newspaper who continues to try Jeff's case via editorials and front page headlines.If you have enjoyed Barbara Delinsky's later novels such as A WOMAN'S PLACE, COAST ROAD, LAKE NEWS, and THE VINEYARD, you are sure to also enjoy A WOMAN BETRAYED. This is highly recommended as a book difficult to put down once started. The devastating effects Jeff's actions have on his wife, children, mother, brother, business partner, and friend are well-documented. Surprises revealing motivation for not only Jeff but other minor characters keep the reader turning pages. In addition, the reader is treated to the budding romance between Tack Jones, the IRS agent investigating the case and Laura's best friend and attorney, Daphne. Delinsky has done a wonderful job of bringing this vast array of characters to life via the pages of this book. Being a fan of Barbara Delinsky since 1992, I wonder how I missed this book the first time around but am glad I finally found it. This is a must-read for fans of Barbara Delinsky.

A classic that stands the test of time

Since they married over two decades ago, everyone who knows Jeff and Laura Frye thought they were the poster chidlren for perfect marriages. However, one day Jeff fails to return home. Laura's first inclination is that her husband is hurt from an accident. Starting to worry, she wonders if Jeff is dead. When she hears nothing further either from him or authorities, she concludes he purposely vanished to evade the IRS who wanted him arrested for years of scamming money. Laura's perfect life quickly collapses as the IRS freezes the Frye assets. Laura's first love and Jeff's brother Christian returns to provide her with the emotional support she desperately needs during this crisis. Soon, this couple decides that they remain in love and want to start a life together, but both needs to see Jeff one last time before moving onto something new and hopefully better. Barbara Delinsky wrote this appealing novel over ten years ago, but the plot remains as fresh and fascinating as when it was first released. The protagonists touch the hearts and souls of the audience as Ms. Delinsky shows why she always lands on the New York Times bestseller list.Harriet Klausner

Had to write something...

...especially given that the other reviewer hasn't read it. I think it's the books that made you cry as a kid that you remember the most; the ones that come back suddenly with a kind of nostalgic resonance in adulthood for no apparent reason. What does this mean?...buy this book for your kids and read it to them so that they'll read it to their kids. Maybe. As much as I can remember its a book about an (tawney frog mouth?)Owl. I could say also that it's a very Australian and very heartfelt. The illustrations are sketchy and beautiful.