Under the Influence

*New York Times *bestselling author Joyce Maynard returns with a complex and relentlessly gripping novel about emotional seduction and betrayal. 

When Helen meets Swift and Ava Havilland at an art gallery opening, her life is at an all-time low. A DUI conviction caused her to lose her driver’s license and custody of her eight-year-old son, Oliver. She’s got a dead-end job and spends most evenings at AA meetings. The Havillands change all that.

Ava and Swift are wealthy, charismatic philanthropists—passionate animal lovers and passionate lovers of each other, it seems. And though Ava specializes in rescuing dogs, this time she decides to rescue Helen. The Havillands quickly become the center of Helen’s world, as she takes on jobs for them and joins their glamorous inner circle. Even Oliver has fallen under Swift’s spell; the lonely boy looks up to the man who treats Ollie like a second son.

Then tragedy strikes: a devastating accident at the Havillands’ lake house witnessed by Ollie. Now Helen and Oliver must pay up for her friends’ generosity. Or pay dearly if they refuse.