IT ALL BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE chat: This utterly original novel invites you to "eavesdrop" on the electronic correspondence between two people who have just met online: Bev, a tough-minded book editor who has been logging on for years, and Max, a restless advertising copywriter who boldly strikes up a conversation. With each e-mail exchange, two people who are at first faceless come vibrantly alive through their sometimes serious, frequently funny, and always believable messages to each other. As Bev becomes less inhibited, Max becomes more fascinated, and their relationship grows more intense-- until an unforeseen event changes the rules of the game forever. Intimate, compelling, and unpredictable, "Chat" gives a fresh twist to the thrill of romantic adventure.