Red Light Wives (PubDim Scan--No 10/1/10 Issue)

Christine Thurman and her husband, Jesse Ray, built a business worth millions and were once deeply in love. But lately J.R. has become obsessed with his empire and Christine feels taken for granted. . .until Wade Eddie Fisher, a bad boy with good looks from Christine's past, comes back to town. Even though Wade is penniless and undependable, he reignites something deep within Christine. Before long she's immersed in a sultry affair, and has devised a plan so risky that it promises to deliver all she could possibly want--or shatter the lives of everyone close to her...

"With its sexual triangle and triplecrossing plot, Deliver Me From Evil is modern noir." --Akron Beacon Journal

Mama Ruby's known for taking things that aren't rightfully hers, like her best friend's stillborn infant, who she brought back to life and christened Maureen. She's also rumored to have done away with her husband. Some fear her, others try their best to avoid her. But Mama Ruby doesn't pay them any mind. Not when she's got the one gift God gave her--her precious baby girl.

"Monroe's literary canvas is painted with verve and humor and passion." --Christian Science Monitor

But growing up with a mama like Ruby is enough to make any half-sane girl wish for something--anything--else. And when Maureen gets the chance to explore the "real" world, you can bet she's going to take it. . .and run like hell.

With a lovely home and family, Annette Goode finally has it all. Heaven knows she paid her dues--from an abusive childhood to a rocky start as an adult. Annette's friend Rhoda knows too, for Rhoda has been both her savior and her greatest fear. Their relationship has survived some serious shake-ups. But now that things are good, someone apparently thinks they're a little too good. . .

When Annette receives an anonymous--and menacing--birthday gift, it's just the beginning of a slew of hostile letters, vicious phone calls, and vile packages from a female who is obviously disguising her voice. Comforted by Rhoda and Rhoda's teenage daughter, Jade, Annette hopes the problem will somehow disappear. But when the threats extend to her child, Annette realizes the situation is dire. For soon her tormentor reveals exactly what she wants--and how it could destroy everything Annette has built. . .

"Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston." --Publishers Weekly

When Trudy Bell lands a job at a travel agency, she feels like a new woman. And her friendly personality soon wins her the adoration of her colleagueswith one exception. Ann Oliver, the only other African American employee, a high-level manager who despises Trudys low-income background. But no one is going to ruin Trudys new life. In fact, shes found a way to make it even better. As a secretary, Trudy has easy access to company credit cards. Including Anns…

Before long Trudys leading a double-lifeAnns lifecomplete with a secret apartment where she entertains the men she meets at upscale bars. But their worlds collide the night Trudy brings home the wrong manone who has an angry score to settle. With Ann. Now, unless Trudy can convince him shes not the woman hes after, she may pay the highest price of all…

Growing up, Annette Goode thought all men were as low-down as the father who abandoned her, including the boarder who abused her for years and the men she slept with to earn the money she needed to run away from her life. Now, after decades of heartache and severing ties with her dangerously unstable friend Rhoda, Annette's real life has started to take shape. . .

But her dark past won't let her go. When an old secret scares away her fiancé, Annette settles with Pee Wee Davis, her on-again, off-again sweetheart since childhood. Then her ex-friend Rhoda suddenly walks back into her life, forcing Annette to decide what she should believe--and what she can forgive--as she tries to salvage the one relationship she just can't seem to let go. . .

"Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston." --Publishers Weekly

Even though her life has its ups and downs, Annette Goode Davis feels lucky to have a family who loves her and friends she can count on. Most of all, Annette is grateful that her husband Pee Wee took her back after he discovered she was having an affair. Now, she's determined to do whatever it takes to make her marriage work. The trouble is, while Pee Wee agreed to give Annette another chance, she's not sure his heart is really in it.

Annette goes out of her way to keep Pee Wee as happy as pie, but it never seems to be enough. Rhoda is quick to point out that Annette got herself into this mess; now she has to be patient until Pee Wee forgives her. But time may be running out.

Her suspicions are confirmed when Pee Wee moves out--and in with his new lady. Annette takes the news hard and so does her daughter Charlotte, who seems hell-bent on keeping her mother on edge by hanging out with a wild new crowd.

Annette isn't going to let her family go without a fight. But she also knows she must prepare for the worst--because one lesson she's learned all too well is that when life kicks you in the teeth, you have to come out swinging.

Dolores Reese spent her childhood in foster care, like Floyd Watson, a local boy who intrigues her from the moment they meet. When one bad decision sends an innocent Floyd to prison for life, Dolores promises to stick by him. But while Floyds world stands still, Doloress horizons open up in exciting new ways. Paul Dunne is an accomplished businessman who promises her the kind of future shes always wantedthe kind she once imagined having with Floyd. But when Floyd is suddenly freed on new evidence, Dolores is torn and must make a fateful decision. And if she isnt careful, Dolores just might find out what happens when love, dishonesty, and dangerous jealousy collide

.Monroe serves up a tasty dish of murder, deception, lust, and just deserts.

At the heart of the story is Annette Goode, a shy, awkward girl who keeps a terrible secret. Mr. Boatwright, the boarder her hardworking mother has taken in, abuses her daily. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food.

But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Rhoda, who is everything Annette is not--gorgeous, slim, and worldly--welcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father; her lovely, fragile, "Muh'Dear;" her brooding, dangerous brother Jock; and her colorful white relatives--half-crazy Uncle Johnny; sultry Aunt Lola; and scary, surly Granny Goose.

With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms into a woman. But after her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same.

"A moving tale of the intricacies of friendship, the awful devastation of silence, and the renewing spirit of survival."--Ebony

Gorgeous, successful executive Teri Stewart spends her days working for L.A.'s hottest record company--and her nights all alone. Her best friend Nicole is determined to find Teri a man, but she hasn't had much luck...because Teri wants more than Mr. Maybe. She's holding out for Mr. Right and won't settle for anything less. Just when Teri is ready to give up, a man from her past returns to reignite their romance. With his sultry smile and easy-going charm, radio DJ Harrison Starr is one-of-a kind--and Teri can't deny she's fallen hard for him again.

In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her sorrows to herself. She's too busy dealing with the dramas of troubled friends like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But that doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men, and trying to drag Carmen along.

It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups--only that they can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, all-too-fine Chester Sheffield keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously share. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper, and that's something Carmen just can't do. Ever since a foolish teenage prank of Carmen's landed Burl in a wheelchair, she's been trying to make it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does. And although the women's friendship stays solid, greater challenges await.

On a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth. Now she has two choices--a life on the lam, or a return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place Carmen can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.

"A highly satisfying page turner--and one that will stand out." --Publishers Weekly

"Warm, energetic, and charming."--The Houston Post

"Magnificent, funny, and terrifying."--The San Francisco Chronicle

"There is an electricity, an excitement, and a vitality to this novel that makes it unique. . .[Mary Monroe is] a remarkable talent." --Chicago Sun-Times

"Powerful and impressive with fascinating characters."--Wisconsin Journal

"Supremely rich in language and blessed with a genuine originality." --Financial Times