From the bestselling author of "The Carousel" and "Daybreak" comes a stirring, timely story of adultery and its impact on the American family.Margaret and Adam Crane seem to have a near perfect life--she's a teacher, he's a computer executive, and together they are lovingly raising their own children and Margaret's orphaned niece. Then one day the phone rings--and suddenly everything changes forever as a woman from Adam's university days reappears in his life, and an old affair reignites. At the same time, there are problems in Adam's workplace--a possible takeover and downsizing. The reverberations from these two circumstances will touch many lives and bring with them changes that no one could have predicted.In "Promises," Belva Plain--as only she can do--depicts the fraying fabric of family life in the wake of extramarital affairs, while at the same time celebrating the importance of strong and nurturing family values. Dramatic, compelling, and always exciting, Belva Plain's storytelling talents confirm her standing as the foremost chronicler of family life today.About the Author: Belva Plain captured readers' hearts with her first novel, Evergreen, which Delacorte published more than 30 years ago. It topped the New York Times best-seller list for 41 weeks and aired as an NBC-TV miniseries. In total, more than 20 of her books have been New York Times best sellers. Before becoming a novelist, Belva Plain wrote short stories for many major magazines, but taking care of a husband and three children did not give her the time to concentrate on the novel she had always wanted to write. When she looked back and said she didn't have the time, she felt as though she had been making excuses. In retrospect, she said, "I didn't make the time." But, she reminded us, during the era that she was raising her family, women were supposed to concentrate only on their children. Today 30 million copies of her books are in print. A Barnard College graduate who majored in history, Belva Plain enjoyed a wonderful marriage of more than 40 years to Irving Plain, an ophthalmologist. Widowed for more than 25 years, Ms. Plain continued to reside in New Jersey, where she and her husband had raised their family and which was still home to her nearby children and grandchildren until her death in October 2010.