THE REAL ENOUGH HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA:LEIGH DUNLAP'S BLESS YOUR HEART

Bless Your Heart fits the mold of a fine summer thriller. Leigh Dunlap's tale of murder and and bad marriages among the Atlanta's privileged has all the sex, candal, and humor of a sinful potboiler. However it might throw you with its insight.

They discover the bludgeoned body of Anderson Tupper, member of one of the city's elite, on the little league field he coached and had recently had a public incident with one one the mothers. Detective Shay Claypool and her partner Dub catch the case. Most of Shay's investigations take her into Atlants'alower classes plagued by gang violence. However she learns that the housewives of the tony area of town, Buckhead, can be as ruthless as any banger,

The plot moves between two timelines, the murder investigation and the two weeks leading up to the homicide as a way for us to get to know the Buckhead ladies from different perspectives. Kira, who comes off as the sanest, writes a popular YA series and lives in the guest house to stay near her kids as her marriage crumbles. Birdie, the mother who had the incident with Anderson, takes the role of the self righteous one. Amelia is the bitter ex of Anderson's brother. Vanita operates as the driven wife of a former football player. Sutton, the most entertaining character, lives in a toxic marriage with a much older man and side hustles drugs. All are involved with weak menand do their best to keep up appearances and the ill hidden secrets of their lives.

Dunlap brilliantly balances her biting social satire with what could be considered lurid, trashy fun. She deftly portrays the insulated lives of those in Buckhead, What we get to know of greater Atlanta is filtered through those in the neighborhood which the ladies rarely step out of. observations by the working class African American cop Shay are sharp and funny. The sex and scandal finds a common ground with the satire to reduce a polemic vibe.

She applies her original skills as a screenwriter with this debut novel The pace breezes and the structure is tight. Her understanding of plot allows both timelines to build suspense as they converge.

If you like May Cobb's hot and dangerous Texas women, you'll like hanging out with these ripe Georgia peaches. Leigh Dunlap hooks us with their flaws and reela us in as we we get to understand them. She creates a literary negroni, tart, refreshing, and with a kick.