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Facade
"A sex-filled murder mystery."
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Kate, Jessie, Sarah, Christine. Four women connected by briliance, talent, and secrets in the wealth, luxury, and privilege of Palm Beach. The knot of lies and deceptions perpetrated over the years now gets tangled tighter and tighter, threatening to strangle them all. Each has a hidden agenda, each has something to hide, and each thrives under a facade of decency. Until they collide, with men and with each other, in a world where lust dominates love, reality crushes dreams, and money reigns supreme. And facades must be maintained at all cost....
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Kate, Jessie, Sarah, Christine. Four women connected by briliance, talent, and secrets in the wealth, luxury, and privilege of Palm Beach. The knot of lies and deceptions perpetrated over the years now gets tangled tighter and tighter, threatening to strangle them all. Each has a hidden agenda, each has something to hide, and each thrives under a facade of decency. Until they collide, with men and with each other, in a world where lust dominates love, reality crushes dreams, and money reigns supreme. And facades must be maintained at all cost....
- GenresFiction
340 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 9, 2017
I picked up this book at a restaurant where you get three used books with your meal! Set in the 1980-1990s, I remember reading many books like this in the past. Everyone is beautiful, well off, well dressed and happy in beautiful Palm Beach or is that just a façade? The story discussed 4 women who become friends and starts with a visit to their fortune teller. She foresees a death, but whom? As the women rise socially, they cover up their feelings well. Twist ending as to the real murderer! A fast read and guilty pleasure type of book.
March 25, 2021
I found this book really terrible. Admittedly, I am not the author's target audience, but it read like amateur, disorganized trash to me.
I could spend ages picking apart the specifics of what's wrong with the book, but the mere thought of doing so exhausts me.
There are no satisfying arcs for any of the characters. Motivations are muddled and often contradictory. Revelations which could have been consequential and meaningful are squandered.
I was often confused by the timeline of events, as months or even years will pass in the span of a single paragraph, while certain chapters flow directly into one another with no change of scene or perspective.
It doesn't even seem like a professional editor looked at this thing before publishing: I found more than a couple errors, including misplaced quotation marks, and the misspelling of an important character's name (Maria is referred to as Marie).
Beyond technical errors and bad composition, the subject matter is disgusting. While one can write a very meaningful story about wealth, affluence, and the modern trappings of high society, it has to be at least somewhat self-aware. This author paints her awful, greedy, socialite characters with no sense of irony, and merely uses the backdrop of wealth-drenched Palm Beach as pretty scenery. There's no social commentary, no satire, no criticism or admission that wealth is toxic and greed leads to destruction. As I said, the characters go through no meaningful arcs, they simply inhabit this shallow world, bereft of perspective. The female characters, although independently wealthy and capable of taking care of themselves, spend the novel desperately seeking strong, powerful, wealthy men to come along and solve all of their problems. Never does it occur to these women that they possess the power to dictate the terms of their own lives.
I have to stop typing now, because I'll just keep ranting. Suffice it to say that the only enjoyment I got out of this book was throwing it across the room after finishing the final chapter.
I could spend ages picking apart the specifics of what's wrong with the book, but the mere thought of doing so exhausts me.
There are no satisfying arcs for any of the characters. Motivations are muddled and often contradictory. Revelations which could have been consequential and meaningful are squandered.
I was often confused by the timeline of events, as months or even years will pass in the span of a single paragraph, while certain chapters flow directly into one another with no change of scene or perspective.
It doesn't even seem like a professional editor looked at this thing before publishing: I found more than a couple errors, including misplaced quotation marks, and the misspelling of an important character's name (Maria is referred to as Marie).
Beyond technical errors and bad composition, the subject matter is disgusting. While one can write a very meaningful story about wealth, affluence, and the modern trappings of high society, it has to be at least somewhat self-aware. This author paints her awful, greedy, socialite characters with no sense of irony, and merely uses the backdrop of wealth-drenched Palm Beach as pretty scenery. There's no social commentary, no satire, no criticism or admission that wealth is toxic and greed leads to destruction. As I said, the characters go through no meaningful arcs, they simply inhabit this shallow world, bereft of perspective. The female characters, although independently wealthy and capable of taking care of themselves, spend the novel desperately seeking strong, powerful, wealthy men to come along and solve all of their problems. Never does it occur to these women that they possess the power to dictate the terms of their own lives.
I have to stop typing now, because I'll just keep ranting. Suffice it to say that the only enjoyment I got out of this book was throwing it across the room after finishing the final chapter.
April 18, 2018
This book should have been a lot longer than it was. Christine was my favorite out of the four women, and it was a tie between Sarah and Kate being my least favorites. The book was really short, and I felt like it ended when it first began. I also felt like there could have been a lot more conversation and drama than there was.
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February 16, 2022 Wow was this one a ride!!! Set in Palm Beach, Kate, Jessie, Sarah and Christine their lives get tangled with each other and their secrets, which wife is having an affair with the others. Lots of twists and turns. A murder at the end and the murder is a big surprise. Good read
November 8, 2020
Intriguing! So much deception, and the ending totally surprised me. This one was a true page turner for me.
February 29, 2016
Palm Beach in the 1980's where sex and sin prevail. Four women, each with a hidden agenda, try to survive in a highly competive social society. Kate, a gossip columnist and author, Jessie, the perfect wife and mother, Sarah, wild and young, and Christine, savvy, sophisticated business woman come together as friends. I found the plot weak and without depth.
January 4, 2011
Maria the cardreader sees impending tragedy for one of her "girls". Totally trashy girls have plenty of secrets, many of which affect another of the girls. Ambition, money, and prestige are the driving forces for them. Not for the high-minded.
May 18, 2011
This book was really good! I loved seeing how the women's lives slowly started to interweave. And I was held captivated as their lives unfolded. The ending was the best because I wasn't expecting it at all! Fantastic!
February 8, 2011
Quick re-read
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August 29, 2013Read 3/01
October 31, 2014
No redeeming value whatsoever. Just what I needed.
I think Kate wrote it.
I think Kate wrote it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews