From Publishers Weekly
Cassie Sales is 50, dumpy and bored, and she's the rather spiritless heroine of this new novel by Glass (Burning Time). Cassie's jet-setting international wine-dealer husband, Mitch, hasn't had sex with her in years; to reignite their failing marriage, Cassie resolves to take advantage of Mitch's business-trip absence and buy herself a face-lift. She has the surgery, but Mitch arrives home unexpectedly, takes one look at her frighteningly bruised face and collapses with a near-fatal stroke. He lies in a coma as Cassie slowly learns that he's been cheating on her for years and is about to end their marriage and leave her broke. What should be a comic romp starts off as a plod, weighed down by the musings of the earnest and pathetic Cassie. The novel picks up halfway through, when the point of view shifts to that of Mona, Mitch's manipulative 36-year-old mistress. She's a shallow but vigorous conniver whom Glass describes with obvious relish ("Mona was a very practical girl whose bible was The Art of War.... She analyzed it daily and applied the strategy of the Seven Military Classics to human relations"). Glass's portrait of Mitch, "a very dependent man parading as an independent one," is also sharp and believable. But secondary characters, such as Cassie's slapstick Aunt Edith or her bratty children, Marsha and Teddy, are less successful. There are bright spots, but readers of Glass's far better mystery series featuring NYPD detective April Woo should skip this one. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Glass sets aside her popular mystery series featuring April Woo and plunges full speed into comedic suspense-with great results. Cassandra Sales is a 50-year-old Long Island housewife, fairly content in life until her workaholic wine importer husband, Mitch, suffers a stroke and languishes in a coma. Cassandra soon discovers that much of her husband's business dealings were shady and highly illegal. To make matters worse, Mona Simpson, an employee, has not only been having an affair with Mitch but has also racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, using credit cards issued in Cassandra's name. And soon the IRS comes knocking on Cassandra's door. Glass's story moves along at a snappy clip, highlighted by hysterical one-liners and slightly over-the-top characterizations. Of course, it doesn't take too much to figure out that the whole financial mishmash is going to work out in the end with the help of a particularly attractive and helpful IRS agent, who has the unlikely name of Charles Schwab. Still, readers will enjoy the plot twists and humorous circumstances leading to the final pages, where everyone gets just about what they deserve. For fans of Susan Isaacs and Olivia Goldsmith and those who like their fiction light and entertaining, Glass's new title is a winner. For all public libraries.Margaret Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., MI Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Cassie Sales is going through a rough patch: first, she decides to get a face-lift; then her husband returns unexpectedly from a business trip, sees her scarred and swollen face, and collapses; and then, while her husband lies deep in a coma, Cassie learns he's been cheating on her. He has, in fact, created an entirely new life for himself and was about to leave her--but not before bilking her out of a substantial sum of money. What will Cassie do now? Imagine a slightly more subdued version of Peter Lefcourt's riotous novels, and you'll have a good grasp of the author's tone. One slight quibble: Cassie's two constantly squabbling children, who are essential to the novel in a few different ways, are a little over the top. This novel represents a departure for the author, best known for her popular mysteries series featuring NYPD detective April Woo, and fans may find themselves, at first, in unfamiliar territory. But Glass' storytelling skills will soon have them feeling entirely at home. A very entertaining black comedy. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“For fans of Susan Isaacs and Olivia Goldsmith . . . A winner.”
–Library Journal

“[Glass] displays the same wit and steady hand [as] Susan Isaacs, cleverly capturing the style and pretensions of life in the New York suburbs.”
–Orlando Sentinel

“In her wryly humorous and richly textured novel, Leslie Glass reminds us that sometimes life is a minefield that can only be traversed . . . Over His Dead Body.”
–JUDY FITZWATER, author of Dying to Get Her Man

“Scabrously funny...a romantic comedy in basic black."
–Kirkus Reviews

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Cassandra Sales is a woman with a gift for nurturing things - her husband, the successful wine importer; her two adult children; the fabulous flowers in her garden. After twenty-six years of marriage, however, Cassie's husband, Mitch, is spending more time skipping abroad than remaining at home with her. Tired of being a modest Long Island housewife who can't even remember what it's like to be kissed, Cassie has a face-lift to recapture her youthful allure. The surprise for her husband goes awry when Mitch returns home early from a business trip. When he sees the post-op horror show, he collapses on the spot. The resulting coma may spare Mitch from the tax audit he's facing, but Cassie is forced to step in and research the facts of her own life. What she discovers about Mitch and the family business shocks her to the core: her "loving" husband was preparing to divorce her, swindle her out of tons of money, and run off with another woman. As Cassie recuperates, she realizes what she's after is revenge. Big-time. But she soon learns that the road to retribution can lead to unforeseen and often deadly complications.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Cassie Sales is 50, dumpy and bored, and she's the rather spiritless heroine of this new novel by Glass (Burning Time). Cassie's jet-setting international wine-dealer husband, Mitch, hasn't had sex with her in years; to reignite their failing marriage, Cassie resolves to take advantage of Mitch's business-trip absence and buy herself a face-lift. She has the surgery, but Mitch arrives home unexpectedly, takes one look at her frighteningly bruised face and collapses with a near-fatal stroke. He lies in a coma as Cassie slowly learns that he's been cheating on her for years and is about to end their marriage and leave her broke. What should be a comic romp starts off as a plod, weighed down by the musings of the earnest and pathetic Cassie. The novel picks up halfway through, when the point of view shifts to that of Mona, Mitch's manipulative 36-year-old mistress. She's a shallow but vigorous conniver whom Glass describes with obvious relish ("Mona was a very practical girl whose bible was The Art of War.... She analyzed it daily and applied the strategy of the Seven Military Classics to human relations"). Glass's portrait of Mitch, "a very dependent man parading as an independent one," is also sharp and believable. But secondary characters, such as Cassie's slapstick Aunt Edith or her bratty children, Marsha and Teddy, are less successful. There are bright spots, but readers of Glass's far better mystery series featuring NYPD detective April Woo should skip this one. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Glass sets aside her popular mystery series featuring April Woo and plunges full speed into comedic suspense-with great results. Cassandra Sales is a 50-year-old Long Island housewife, fairly content in life until her workaholic wine importer husband, Mitch, suffers a stroke and languishes in a coma. Cassandra soon discovers that much of her husband's business dealings were shady and highly illegal. To make matters worse, Mona Simpson, an employee, has not only been having an affair with Mitch but has also racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, using credit cards issued in Cassandra's name. And soon the IRS comes knocking on Cassandra's door. Glass's story moves along at a snappy clip, highlighted by hysterical one-liners and slightly over-the-top characterizations. Of course, it doesn't take too much to figure out that the whole financial mishmash is going to work out in the end with the help of a particularly attractive and helpful IRS agent, who has the unlikely name of Charles Schwab. Still, readers will enjoy the plot twists and humorous circumstances leading to the final pages, where everyone gets just about what they deserve. For fans of Susan Isaacs and Olivia Goldsmith and those who like their fiction light and entertaining, Glass's new title is a winner. For all public libraries.-Margaret Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., MI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews