Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy's marrying—because although she's his girlfriend, she definitely isn't the bride-to-be. Heartbroken, she flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will Lola's retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes?

Not if journalist Grace has anything to do with it. She wants the inside story on the de Courcy engagement and thinks Lola holds the key. Grace knew Paddy a long time ago. But why can't she forget him?

Grace's sister, Marnie, might have the answer but she also has issues with the past. Her family is wonderful but they can't take away memories of her first love: a certain Paddy de Courcy. What will it take for Marnie to be able to move on?

And what of the future Mrs de Courcy... Alicia is determined to be the perfect politician's wife. But does she know the real Paddy de Courcy?

Four very different women. One awfully charming man. And the dark secret that binds them all...

Read the first pages of This Charming Man.

"Marian Keyes is the undisputed Queen of all Irish chick lit. (Even more then dear Maeve Binchy.) Right off, you can tell Keyes is the real thing. Her work was always more like Roddy Doyle's black and funny Rabbit family series than Sex and the City. In fact, if she just mentioned shoes a little less and varied the "eyes darkening with desire" part in the sex bits, she'd be a right little Michael Chabon. Or an Austen. Original, vivid, universal. As a summer read it has my highest recommendation. An edifying, uplifting novel."
—The Globe and Mail

"All the hallmarks of a classic read: characters we care about, and hard-hitting topics such as alcoholism and domestic abuse, tackled with Marian's trademark honesty...full of her usual sincerity and charm."
—Kay Ribeiro, Heat

"A novelist constantly pushing against predictability, a master of character-delineation, who can mix farce and sex with serious social issues. This Charming Man is Dickensian in its scale, plotting and determination to force the reader to grasp some of the grim realities of today's Ireland. Chick-lit it isn't. A great read it is."
—Terry Prone, Irish Independent

"A dazzling dance with the devil...Her skill at creating a feeling of universal anxiety and impermanence, while also keeping the page-turning flow of the novel's various themes, is what makes Keyes shatter-proof."
—Kate Holomquist, Irish Times

"Her storytelling skills never falter...There is no better writer for constructing comic scenes and setting up a punchline...Marian Keyes writes real literature, and her writing is of the highest order. Someone should give this woman a Booker."
—Padraig Kenny, Sunday Tribune