It Might Have Been What He Said    by Eden Collinsworth Order:  USA  Can Arcade, 2006 (2006) Hardcover     Reviewed by Lisa Respers France It Might Have Been What He Said is one of those books that begs for a towel and some sunscreen. Not that it's mindless and a so called easy read, but rather it pulls you in from page one and compels you to discover how and why everything goes wrong. Publishing house president Isabel Simpson is a woman who falls hopelessly in love with James Willoughby, a talented travel writer who grew up long on charm and blue blood, but short on cash. It's an attraction that makes sense even though you figure that with her quick wit, spot on character summations, and intelligence, Isabel would be smarter than to attach herself to someone one character describes as 'A man far too dependent on women to power himself through life.' Almost as equally surprising, James falls for her too and before you can say prenup, they marry. But despite a seemingly perfect marriage and an almost too precocious wonder child of a son, the couple implodes. The novel begins with Isabel explaining to her therapist that she tried to kill her husband and the rest of the book unravels why. This is a smart, snappily written story that belies the fact that Collinsworth is a first time novelist. A former president and publisher of Arbor House Book Publishing Company, Collinsworth clearly understands the world her main character inhabits. Yet more than that, she understands matters of the heart, and getting where she is going with this story is more than half the fun. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews