Lang Eldridge, the protagonist in "Making Arrangements," is a cancer-surviving baby boomer whose 'perfect arrangements' go awry after her fit husband drops dead instead of her. A loner, her life has revolved around her husband and her granddaughter, and close friendships between women are something she doesn't quite understand. How do they become so familiar with each other, knowing where the spices are kept in each other's kitchens?

Prepared for her own death, Lang has arranged every detail of her husband's life without her, from her decadent caramel cakes with thick creamy icing...