The Secret Desires of a Soccer Mom
by Robyn Harding
Published by Ballantine Books
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Reviewed by Erica Marston
Inspired by her friend Karen's new-found passion for living when she begins having an affair, suburban housewife Paige Atwell decides it's time to make over her own boring life. But when the newly pregnant Karen is found dead in her garage, Paige ditches her revamped fitness routine and becomes obsessed with solving her friend's murder.
The Secret Desires of a Soccer Mom, while entertaining, is often ridiculous to the point of making the reader cringe. The previously aimless mother of two shamelessly harasses the grieving widower, dons a padded bra and hooker boots to do her investigative work, and manages to beguile her friend's lover and a police detective, both of whom end up falling in love with her.
The plot and characters of Robyn Harding's second novel are suspiciously reminiscent of ABC's Desperate Housewives and the style is overly dramatic, but the story does manage to hold its own, is never dull, and keeps the reader guessing until the very end.
Armchair Interviews says: An easy summer read.