Kathleen Connor King, one of Houston’s most beloved socialites, is hiding a secret: she’s poor. Not "let’s keep the Bentley for one more year, darling" poor, but poor poor. She buys her clothes from the Goodwill, and not just because she likes the vintage look. Even though Kathleen works hard to keep her poverty a secret, the reason she’s poor is a noble one. Besides, her boyfriend Dylan is rich enough for the both of them - or so she thinks, until Dylan’s father dies and he finds out that he’s in the poorhouse right next to her. Together they cook up a scheme to strike it rich in Texas, land of the oil well. But in order to make it big, they’ve got to get past some shady characters, including a poker champ and a Vegas mobster.

Don't Let It Be True is a lot of fun. Kathleen and Dylan are great together, and Barrett has created a cast of quirky but fully believable characters. My only complaint is that while reading, I found myself questioning where the story was going. At times the plot seems to meander toward an ending that is unclear. I’m not complaining that I couldn’t see the ending coming from a mile away; my complaint is that at times the characters behave and have conversations that don’t seem to advance the plot. In the end, these sidebars helped to endear the characters to me, but looking back I would have preferred a more tightly plotted novel.

Overall, however, I very much enjoyed Don't Let It Be True. While it isn’t my favorite Barrett novel, I still look forward to her next offering.