Breaking News by Fern Michaels

This delightful read surrounds several Charleston women "of a certain age" who are the closest of friends: Bernice, the long-time housekeeper; Toots, (a.k.a. Theresa), who becomes Bernice's caregiver and has married and buried several husbands; Mavis, a former English teacher who suffered from OCD and with the help of her friends lost 100 pounds and regained her confidence; Sophia, a devout Catholic and self-proclaimed psychic who chose not to leave her abusive husband and was instrumental in finding her friend's kidnapped daughter; and Ida, who launches a cosmetics line and allows her friends to try her products and model results. They have an undeniable bond that allows them to be true to who they are. The author’s descriptions allow you to envision the setting and clearly picture the characters, and Michaels delivers a humorous read even during the tensest part of the story, when a kidnapping occurs. And for at least one of the characters, romance is also on the horizon.

This is the fifth book in the Godmothers series. I felt it could stand alone on its own, since enough background information was given along the way to keep me up to date. I would like to go back and read the first four to actually get a better feeling of the characters and their history. It's a light, humorous read that is sometimes compared to shows like Golden Girls. The narrator, Natalie Ross, gave an excellent delivery of the book, so pick up the audiobook if you can.