Books like Social Crimes

I bought this in the Denver airport, which pretty much sums up its literary merit, but I have to admit I stayed up late that night to finish it. F-U-N! The premise is pedestrian enough — a wealthy Manhattan socialite discovers her husband was unfaithful — but for our heroine the consequences are particularly dire. Right away she finds herself bumping down every rung of the social ladder until she collapses at the bottom, which, in her case, means dyeing her own hair and buying a pair of sale-priced Hush Puppies. Oh, the shame!! But what makes it such a fun read is that queen bee Jo decides not to take her fate lying down. Instead, she plots revenge. Now in some books the search for revenge destroys the avenger and we’re left with a good moral lesson, but not in this one — and therein lies the charm. Who WOULD take treachery and humiliation lying down? Better people than the ones in this novel, that’s who. Perhaps Jo isn’t the brightest or most effective avenger, but you can overlook her limitations because at least she’s aware of how shallow her former social circle is...and doesn't apologize for wanting to get back in. The prose isn’t anything great, but it’s not dreadful either. Definitely a fun beach read.