By KATIE O’LAUGHLIN Special to the Palisadian-Post Four housewives, bored or otherwise dissatisfied with their privileged lives, make a pact to each have a yearlong extramarital affair. Husbands are off-limit and the friends agree to confide only in each other, on the theory that dalliances cause trouble only when word leaks out. However, a local gossip learns about the pact and ends up dead! All of the characters stand to benefit from his death, so who did it? Sounds crazy, I know, but this very story, ‘The Infidelity Pact,’ by Carrie Karasyov (Broadway Books, $22.95) is set in Pacific Palisades. The author co-wrote two other bestsellers, ‘The Right Address’ and ‘Wolves in Chic Clothing,’ and even did a book signing with co-author Jill Kargman at my store, Village Books. Karasyov spent several years living in Santa Monica, but recently moved back to her native New York. We only learned about the book through the grapevine and were surprised that the author didn’t schedule a book signing in the Palisades. After reading the book, we wonder if the characters are based on real Palisadians (hope not!) and that is why the author was reluctant to appear here. (I feel like a gossip columnist myself as I write this!) Anyway, here are the Pacific Palisades references: Page 1: ‘It was the second Saturday in January, and Eliza and Declan Gallahue were hosting one of their small but chic cocktail parties at their small but chic house on Via de la Paz.’ Page 14: ‘On an overcast Wednesday night in July, approximately eight months before Anson’s death, Eliza, Victoria, Helen, and LeeLee had gathered at the Pearl Dragon for Girls’ Night Out. ‘ The Pearl Dragon was mostly a sushi restaurant, but it also had the only full bar in the Palisades. This meant that on summer nights there was usually a throng of college-age students clad in miniskirts (females) and baseball hats (males) hanging out in the bar, trying to pick up members of the opposite sex. Eliza and her gang stayed toward the back, attempting to pay little attention to the pheromones flying in the front, distracting themselves with spicy tuna rolls, shrimp tempura, and baked cod. The four best friends saw each other often, but it was mostly on the fly, when they were picking up or dropping off their children at classes, grabbing coffee at Starbucks, or doing shoulder stands in yoga class.’ Pages 22-23: ‘There was some gossiping about the people who had bought that ugly monstrosity on Embury Street. ‘ Some had outgrown their ‘Mommy & Me’ classes at Happy Child, others were ready for soccer.’ Page 31: ‘Helen turned her Lincoln Navigator onto Sunset and confidently guided it toward her house, which was located on one of the prime streets in the poshest section of the Palisades, known as The Riviera. When she had met Wesley, Helen was living in a small, run-down Hacienda apartment in Hollywood and could never have imagined that one day she’d reside in an enormous, modern white structure with walls of glass that showcased stunning 360-degree views of the city and the ocean. The onetime apprentice of an exceedingly famous architect, who unlike his mentor never achieved fame, had designed the house. ‘ And the house itself, like most Los Angeles residences, took up the majority of the property, aggressively cannibalizing the lawn with purely decorative white walls that abruptly dead-ended. Page 40: ‘But when it took Brad a year and a half to find a job, and it turned out that it was in Los Angeles, a place where they had no connections and no friends, and they had to move into a rental on an Alphabet Street north of Sunset in the Palisades, Leelee couldn’t help herself.’ Page 46: ‘The second Girls’ Night Out that Victoria organized took place at Giorgio Baldi, a dimly lit celebrity-laden Italian restaurant right off Pacific Coast Highway but with no view of the ocean.’ Page 61: ‘Before Eliza could reply, Anson Larrabee, an acquaintance who lived in the Palisades, interrupted them. ‘ He was the town gossip, who reigned over the society column in the Palisades Press with his poison pen, and enjoyed lunching with ladies to found out the comings and goings of everyone in the neighborhood.’ Pages 101-102: ‘Victoria had come home late from tennis clinic and was rushing to shower and change before she had to meet some of the mothers from the boys’ school at Terri’s to have a ‘working lunch’ coordinating the silent auction items for the winter benefit.’ Page 132: ‘Victoria lived in a Spanish-style abode on Toyopa Road in the Huntington Palisades, equidistant to Helen’s and Eliza’s houses. When she married Justin she’d made a strong point of telling him she didn’t ‘do houses,’ so the decorating of the residence was turned over to Marcus Harrington, a well-known L.A. designer with an affinity for Eastern art and furnishings.’ Page 140: ”Yes. So where are you rushing off to?” asked Anson. ”I’ve got to pick up a dress at Elyse Walker and then take the boys to karate,” Page 151: ‘He didn’t know quite what to make of her, but he had always held a grudge against her for scheduling her art show at the library on the same day as he was reading a collection of his columns at Village Books.’ Page 204: ‘They were having a cozy dinner at Caffe Delfini at Wesley’s suggestion.’ Page 223: ”This guy in the Palisades, Anson Larrabee. He writes the gossip column. He knows and he hates me, so he’ll do something about it.”’ ”Where does this Anson live?” he asked. ‘ ”In the Palisades. You look it up!” she said, walking to the waiting limousine.’ Page 247: ‘After the five o’clock service, Eliza, Victoria, Helen and Leelee all linked arms and walked together to Vittorio’s, having agreed in advance to forgo the reception held in the community room at the church.’ Wow!! What fun! Even though the premise of the book (the pact) is pretty reprehensible, this is a quick ‘chic lit’ read and it sure is amusing following the characters to such familiar places.
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