"I like my storylines to be current, because that's the kind of book that would interest me.. . . I love Lake News because it is timely and because it makes a statement close to my heart." With the above statement, Barbara Delinsky underscores a strong preference to focus on hot-button issues in her writing. This particular novel represents her foray into the raging debate over how we define what is public and relevant and what should remain private and protected.

The line between public and private has become blurred as the media seek to satisfy the increasingly voyeuristic appetites of their audience. Movie stars, musicians, TV personalities, politicians—anyone with a public profile—is fair game whenever there is a hint of sexual scandal, drug abuse, or even petty family squabbles. The right to know seems to have become all-encompassing, with apparently nothing being sacred...