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Readers & Writers Ink Reviews

JUST TRUST ME 
By Judy Markey
Contemporary women's fiction
August 2004
Mira
ISBN 0-7783-2062-6

Kate Lerner, a Chicago radio talk show host, receives a brief missive from her deadbeat ex-husband, the man who walked out on her and their son when Danny was just a toddler. She's not a heard a word from Richard, nor seen a penny in support, in the 15 years he's been gone. She's raising two children and working two jobs and is still unable to catch up on her finances. Suddenly, he sends her a short message: "I'm dying. I'm very rich. I have an extremely interesting offer for you."

Kate's twin sister said she had to at least investigate the possibilities. After all, there wasn't only Danny to consider, but Sarah Rose, Kate's daughter from her second marriage, who had astronomical medical bills that weren't going to go away any time soon. Even David, the new man in her life, encouraged her to at least see what the offer might be.
 
However, when Kate contacts Richard, she's appalled at his proposition. He offers financial considerations that will cover not only Danny's college expenses, but the bulk of Sarah's medical expenses. All she has to do is agree to spend a week in Rome with her ex-husband.

Kate is appalled at the idea. Not just the idea of a week with her ex, but the possibility he might expect sex as part of the deal. Waffling between refusal on principle and acceptance, based on practicalities, she has no idea what to do. David suggests they throw the situation out to their listeners. Kate is amazed to discover that every woman has her price and that the majority would accept the offer, if it meant a positive difference to the future of their children.

Kate accepts Richard's offer, but tells her children she's going to Rome on business. With that one small lie, her life begins to unravel. Richard is gracious and, at the same time, demanding. She finally loses patience and is packed to leave, when he has a heart attack and she saves his life. She then feels she must stay, until she has someone else there to care for him during his recovery. When she returns home, her teen-age son discovers a note from Richard and realizes his mother has been with the man who deserted them so many years ago and whom he's never met. The typically tenuous parent-child relationship of the teen years hits rock bottom and Danny moves out of the house. Weeks later, he's arrested by FBI for fraud.

Because Kate left Rome early, she doesn't feel she deserves the monetary reward Richard offered. Now, she's without financial benefit, without her son, without hope, in many ways. It will take more than money to right the wrongs that seem to have resulted from one little lie. Can Kate find the means to bring Danny home, clear his name and define a future for those she holds dear?

JUST TRUST ME is a character-driven book, outlining the decisions one woman must make regarding not only her own future, but that of her children and the man she now loves. Judy Markey takes the reader into both the mind and heart of an individual who wants to do all the right things, but decides she must do a "wrong" thing for the right reasons and then figure out how to deal with the aftermath.

 -- Reviewed by DanaRae Pomeroy
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