Laura Rider's Masterpiece is about three self-centered people. Laura has fantasies of becoming an author. She is married to Charlie although she won't have sex with him anymore. When Laura meets Jenna, a small-town radio personality, she is star-struck and decides she must write about romance. Charlie meets Jenna and at Laura's urging they have an affair, making Laura pleased to have a subject for her writing. The dialog tends toward shallow and silly, just like bored people really talk—just like people in the throes of a new romance really talk.

Charlie is childlike and malleable, and a few times I thought that maybe he was supposed to be an idiot in the classical sense of the word. He believes he was once taken to a spaceship by the Silver People and reminded me of the tortured child who will turn into the serial killer in any number of books and movies. I kept waiting for Laura to stroke his cheek and tell him that Momma knows best before she put her cigarette out on his leg. He calls her "Mrs. Rider"—creepy.  Laura is manipulative and soulless, but lazy. She is a sociopath who has finally had a victim fall into her lap. Laura convinces Charlie to start an email relationship with Jenna (with her help), and as things progress Laura becomes the sole author of the messages under Charlie's name. Charlie and Jenna keep up the physical side of the relationship while Laura and Jenna keep up the mental side. The Riders contemplate which person Jenna is really in love with and have a good laugh over that one.

I didn't like this book, because I don't like to read about cruelty, and I'm not fond of suspense novels. There was really only one way this could end, and I just sat back in horror as each creative building block was stacked. Laura says it best,"...life has its secret and black places. But that's not what I want to see in a book or movie...I like books where people get what they deserve." Neither Laura nor Charlie get what they deserve, but I don't think they allow Iron Maidens anymore.