Two secret lovers. One long night. A luxe hotel in the heart of Manhattan. What could go wrong?

If you ask Nick Holloway, nothing—because nothing ever goes wrong for Nick. A successful lawyer, loving husband, and doting father, he’s one of the world’s chosen. If he has aching regrets, lost chances, well, he also has Jenny Parrish, who makes disappointment a bit easier to bear.

For Jenny, life seems almost too perfect. She has two lovely sons, a devoted if hapless husband, a soaring career . . . and Nick, who gives her laughter and pleasure. Guilt too, of course—the nagging fear that it could all come crashing down.

Not tonight, though. Tonight is different. After six years of an hour here, another there, Nick and Jenny are spending an entire night together.

And it’s glorious. Ravishing sex, witty banter . . . until a fire alarm goes off. And another. The warnings are easily ignored—until they aren’t.

As the reality of their situation becomes apparent, six years of secrets and lies come spilling out. Stripped away of their defenses, they are forced to be honest—with each other, with themselves—about how they ended up in this room and whether their casual affair is as uncomplicated as it seems.

A propulsive meditation on whether it’s possible to live an authentic life, and whether we can ever show our true selves, with an ending that will leave listeners breathless, Eliza Kennedy’s Lucky Night is a literary triumph.