For readers of Elin Hilderbrand, Susannah Marren's A Palm Beach Wife is a delicious and irresistible commercial novel set among the high society galas and gossip of Palm Beach. Amid the glamour and galas and parties of Palm Beach, Faith knows that image often counts as much if not more than reality. She glides effortlessly among the highest of the high society so perfectly that you would never suspect she wasn’t born to this. But it wasn’t always so; though she hides it well, Faith has fought hard for the wonderful life she has, for her loving, successful husband, for her daughter’s future. In this town of secrets and gossip and rumors, Faith has kept a desperate grip on everything she holds so dear, built from so little. And yet even she―the only one who knows just how far she has to fall―never suspects from which direction, or how many directions all at once, betrayal will come. Praise for Susannah Marren: "The mystery and intrigue will keep readers holding on until the shocking ending they won’t see coming." ― Publishers Weekly on A Palm Beach Wife “[A] fast-paced first novel.” ― The New York Post on Between the Tides “This contemporary novel…is lovingly tinged with the myth of the selkie…some engaging characters and vivid settings indicate Marren’s promise.”― Booklist on Between the Tides “A page-turning, commanding novel.”―Holly Peterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Manny and The Idea of Him “On the surface, Lainie Smith Morris is completely content with her life in a wealthy suburb of New York City, but her picture-perfect world is shattered by betrayal. Susannah Marren's Between the Tides explores the intricacies of marriage, family, and friendship.” ― Popsugar “The novel is moody and despairing, the writing poetic and abstract, the women cleareyed yet complacent…With characters as unreliable as these, everything is left in question.” ― Kirkus Review on Between the Tides “The hauntingly beautiful prose is what readers will admire most from this debut author. Her way with words is exceptional. The characters are not predictable at all―they’re quite surprising at times―and the actions match the personas of these well-developed stars perfectly. This thrilling tale surrounding the move from the city to suburbia will make you questions your instincts and who your real friends are.” ― RT Reviews Susannah Marren is the author of Between the Tides and A Palm Beach Wife and the pseudonym for Susan Shapiro Barash, who has written over a dozen nonfiction books, including Tripping the Prom Queen , Toxic Friends, and You’re Grounded Forever, But First Let’s Go Shopping . For over twenty years she has taught gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New York City. A Palm Beach Wife By Susannah Marren St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2019 Susan Shapiro Barash All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-19840-2 CHAPTER 1 The black-tie affair, to benefit animal activism, takes place in the Shelteere Museum. Chandeliers hang from the double-vaulted ceilings, illuminating the work of Hopper, Eakins, O'Keeffe. Coiffed and studied, women wear gowns glimmering in taffeta, satin, and jewel-encrusted silk, while men sport their mandatory tuxes. A sense of promise bounces around the salon. It's the first gala of the 2014/2015 season — anything is possible. No one has yet been excluded, shunned by a seating chart, or bewildered yet again at how clannish Palm Beach can be. Together, Faith and Edward Harrison whisk through the galleries, passages filled with guests — charmers, climbers, and interlopers. "We should leave by ten," Edward says quietly to Faith. "We've just gotten here," Faith says. Isn't he the one who likes to stay past midnight? "Faith, Edward!" Neighbors, friends, and clients are gliding toward them. Edward lifts his hand in a gallant wave. "By ten at the latest." "Let's see how it goes." Faith smiles outwardly and waves along with her husband. His hand is on her elbow in too tight a grip. Faith shakes her arm slightly for him to let go. Gamboling into the ballroom, she focuses on the festivities of the night ahead. What could be more critical than the kickoff Rose Ball for keeping count of exes and present wives, mistresses and lovers, stray friends? Who knows better the intricacies and hypocrisies than Faith, owner of Vintage Tales, the famed resale shop on Worth Avenue? Almost every woman at the Shelteere is a client — treated carefully and discreetly. "I make a living keeping women's secrets. I'm better than a shrink or a psychic," Faith likes to tell Edward. The band plays "Moondance" by Van Morrison, selected when the charity wants to be less than stodgy, not quite adventurous. Together, Faith and Edward join those on the dance floor, Edward sidestepping as if it's a dance move, Faith slightly swaying to the lyrics, wishing she d