#1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter’s first contemporary suspense novel: the explosive story of how one woman survives the destruction of her perfect life—and the dubious intentions of three mysterious men... A famous concert pianist married to a wealthy international business tycoon, Elizabeth Carleton is the envy of all—until the night her husband is stabbed in the chest with an ice pick and everything falls apart. Accused of murder, Elizabeth has little hope of being exonerated until a surprise witness appears to give her an airtight alibi. The jury finds her not guilty. The only thing is: She’s never met the man who testified on her behalf.  Free and completely bewildered, Elizabeth must now cope with the financial empire her husband left behind and his family, who want to destroy her. Then three men suddenly appear in her life. Can she trust any of them? Or is one of them a murderer? Dear Reader: False Pretenses was not only my first contemporary suspense novel, but was also my first hardcover, published in October 1988. It came out the following May in paperback. We've given it a stylishly menacing new cover, and I'm happy to say that the novel didn't need any rewriting, just some updating. Meet Elizabeth Carleton, a fascinating woman who is not only a famous concert pianist, but is also married to a wealthy international business tycoon, Timothy Carleton. She is the envy of all until her perfect life falls apart literally in a heartbeat: Timothy Carleton is stabbed in the chest with an ice pick and Elizabeth is accused of his murder. Things rapidly go from bad to worse until a surprise witness appears to give her an airtight alibi. The jury finds her not guilty. The only thing is: She's never met the man who testified on her behalf. What does he want? There is also her late husband's family, who are out to destroy her. On top of everything else, Elizabeth is expected to take over the financial empire her husband left behind. Then three men suddenly appear in her life. Can she trust any of them? Or is one of them a murderer?Catherine Coulter Catherine Coulter is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the FBI Thrillers featuring husband and wife team Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock. She is also the author—with J. T. Ellison—of the Brit in the FBI series. She lives in Sausalito, California. New York Times Bestselling author. Her first contemporary suspense-now repackaged! Beautifully repackaged for her ever-growing legion of fans, this is the explosive story of how one woman must survive the destruction of her perfect life-and the intentions of three mysterious men. Rocky Mounatin News Full of twists and turns that guarantee enjoyment. Author: Coulter, Catherine. Publisher: Berkley Pages: 400 Publication Date: 2000-03-01T00:00:01Z Edition: Revised ed. Binding: Mass Market Paperback MSRP: 8.99 ISBN13: 9780451199683 ISBN: 0451199685 Other ISBN: 9781101190692 Other ISBN Binding: print Language: en_US Quality Rating: 1 "Book cover image may be different than what appears on the actual book."