The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro

First Line: “The ad appeared in the “Stage” in the second week of September, when the Edinburgh Festival was officially over and real life made its unpleasant appearance again in the collective consciousness of the large number of unemployed young actors who populate the London area.”

Out-of-work actor and genial upper-crust slouch Hughie Venables-Smythe takes on the job of for-hire flirt to tempt doldrum-driven housewives in this clever send-up that takes the reader on plenty of twists and turns through London’s social strata. Tessaro’s campy fare turns London on its head, skewering the upper echelon of society while rooting for the underdog. Tessaro does a commendable job of quilting together plots and twists with agile facility.

The novel delves into the bigger notion of relationships and how these can be intertwined and how, ultimately, relationships are essential–even worth taking a chance on–whether or not they ultimately pan out.

For:  Anyone looking for a clever, well put-together escapist novel. – Jenny Gardiner