Claire Canton and her husband Chris are currently experiencing some tough times in their marriage. Chris, a hard working go-getter, had been downsized from his job due to the bad economy. This led to depression and a lack of intimacy with Claire. He shut himself off from her and their two children, while existing in a continual state of denial and disbelief. After a year of unemployment and running through most of their money and benefits, Chris has finally landed a job; but it is a job that will have him travelling a great deal of the time, and a stretched marriage deteriorates a little further. The love is still there, but the lack of closeness and loss of communication is taking its toll on them; and Claire is lonely with Chris working out of town so often.

When Claire is pulled over in a routine traffic stop by police officer Daniel Rush, she doesn't think much of it. They make small talk, and she promises to get the mechanical issue fixed. She has been discussing with her neighbors the issue of cars speeding through their residential neighborhood, and when she spies Daniel at a Fourth of July event, she broaches the subject with him. After he helps get the speed limit sign for her neighborhood, conversation leads to his discovery that she is a graphic designer who works on commission. He knows of a small job for the police department, and one thing leads to another. As she is working on the graphics job, they become friendly.

The friendship blossoms, and Claire feels alive again. She finally has someone to have meals with, to discuss issues that she can no longer broach with her husband, and someone who is attentive to her needs. For Daniel's part, he is lonely after his divorce from a woman who looks incredibly similar to Claire. His marriage had imploded after a devastating tragedy tore it apart. As Claire and Daniel's relationship progresses, this affair of the senses becomes highly improper, and comes dangerously close to the point where it can possibly destroy Claire's marriage. All the while, her husband Chris spends lonely nights on the road, overworked and missing his family desperately; oblivious to the amount of time his wife is spending in a friendship with another man.

COVET is the second book by author Tracey Garvis-Graves, after her widely acclaimed debut novel 'On The Island'. This book is quite different in tone, and pushes the envelope in another direction; that of a marriage in danger of crumbling due to a highly improper extra-marital relationship. The story is told in first person, and the point of view switches between Claire, Chris, and Daniel; with Claire holding the largest portion of story time. This is an insightful, intriguing look into a marriage that has gone into a holding pattern, and the devastating effects of a wife bringing a male friend into the mix.

Book Summary

Tracey Garvis Graves, the New York Times bestselling author of On the Island, returns.

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?

Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.

Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.

Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.