I found this book really gripping - and found out at the end in the Author's Note that several of the characters were based on real people which made the story all the more interesting.
In 1947 Charlie St. Clair is an unmarried 19 year old American girl en route to Switzerland with her mother to receive an illegal abortion. Her upper class parents have convinced her she is a whore who must take care of the "Little Problem". But Charlie has other ideas. Reeling from the suicide of her brother after his wartime experiences she is desperate to find her French cousin, Rose, who was her best friend in childhood but who nobody has heard from since 1943.
Charlie breaks away from her mother in Southampton and finds herself on the doorstep of Eve Gardiner who is the last government employee who wrote a report about the search for Rose when she was reported missing. Eve is an angry old drunk with misshapen hands who greets Charlie with a loaded gun. After Charlie pleads her case she allows her to stay on her sofa provided she is gone by the morning. Charlie falls asleep and is awakened by Finn, a Scottish ex-con, ex-soldier who is now working as Eve's "hands" since she cannot do a lot with her own. Finn convinces Charlie to stay with promises Eve will not even remember her threats from the prior night. She does, and shares her story with Finn too.
Eventually the unlikely trio set out to France to find Rose. In alternating chapters we go back to the first world war where we discover that Eve was in fact a British spy posted in France - part of the Alice Network. The Alice Network was named for its leader who was code named Alice (but went by Lili) and became one of Eve's best friends. While Eve is entirely fictional, Alice and the Alice Network actually existed in World War I, becoming one of the most successful spy networks of that war.
Through these alternating chapters we hear of Eve's horrific story and how she went from being a spy to an angry drunk. We also learn why she has an ulterior motive in joining Charlie's search for Rose - she has her own search to conduct in order to deal with some demons from her past. Finn also struggles with PTSD from his wartime experiences. As such, the trio bond and become close despite their immense differences.
In the end we learn with Charlie what has happened to Rose and we hear the end of Eve's wartime story. Though all the characters are damaged, they are likeable and therefore I found their version of a happy ending quite satisfying.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Our Little Racket by Angelica Baker
I didn't love this book at first, but by the end I really wanted to find out what happened. Bob D'Amico was a self made man, the CEO of an investment bank, living in luxury with his wife, daughter and twin sons in Greenwich, Connecticut. Bob's life begins to unravel when his bank is forced into bankruptcy and he is accused of illegal acts which contributed to the company's downfall.
The interesting twist in this book is that the story is told entirely from the perspective of five women who were impacted by Bob's behaviour: his wife, Isabel; his daughter, Madison; Isabel's friend Mina; Madison's friend, Amanda and the family nanny, Lily.
Isabel came from an established, moneyed WASP family. Her parents, now dead, never really approved of her marriage or her husband's showy life. Isabel vacillates between support for Bob and disgust at his behaviour. She is shunned by her former "friends" and spends countless hours with her father's advisors trying to figure out how he'd have extricated himself from a similar mess.
Madison spends the most time with Bob following his downfall as she tries hard to understand his job so she can defend him. She is also shunned by some former friends and adopted by new ones who seem to want to use her to obtain information about her father. Her relationship with Amanda is particularly strained as Amanda's father is a financial columnist who has never liked Bob and now spends his time writing scathing articles about him. Madison's life is further complicated by the demands of being a typical teenager, albeit in atypical circumstances, and having her first boyfriend.
Lily has been with the family for years in a job which was supposed to be just a stepping stone to something better. She feels fiercely loyal to the children and is highly critical of how both parents are taking care of their needs in a time of crisis. She is also under pressure from her boyfriend, who is an aspiring journalist, to use her inside position to tell "the story".
The action all comes to head at a fundraiser about a year after the bank's initial downfall when the family makes its first foray back into Greenwich society. It is an interesting, though not entirely unpredictable, result when all of the parties come together in one place and Bob is confronted by former employees and friends.
The very last chapter was an epilogue that jumped ahead several years. It was an interesting synopsis of where everyone ended up and I would have liked a little more detail.
The interesting twist in this book is that the story is told entirely from the perspective of five women who were impacted by Bob's behaviour: his wife, Isabel; his daughter, Madison; Isabel's friend Mina; Madison's friend, Amanda and the family nanny, Lily.
Isabel came from an established, moneyed WASP family. Her parents, now dead, never really approved of her marriage or her husband's showy life. Isabel vacillates between support for Bob and disgust at his behaviour. She is shunned by her former "friends" and spends countless hours with her father's advisors trying to figure out how he'd have extricated himself from a similar mess.
Madison spends the most time with Bob following his downfall as she tries hard to understand his job so she can defend him. She is also shunned by some former friends and adopted by new ones who seem to want to use her to obtain information about her father. Her relationship with Amanda is particularly strained as Amanda's father is a financial columnist who has never liked Bob and now spends his time writing scathing articles about him. Madison's life is further complicated by the demands of being a typical teenager, albeit in atypical circumstances, and having her first boyfriend.
Lily has been with the family for years in a job which was supposed to be just a stepping stone to something better. She feels fiercely loyal to the children and is highly critical of how both parents are taking care of their needs in a time of crisis. She is also under pressure from her boyfriend, who is an aspiring journalist, to use her inside position to tell "the story".
The action all comes to head at a fundraiser about a year after the bank's initial downfall when the family makes its first foray back into Greenwich society. It is an interesting, though not entirely unpredictable, result when all of the parties come together in one place and Bob is confronted by former employees and friends.
The very last chapter was an epilogue that jumped ahead several years. It was an interesting synopsis of where everyone ended up and I would have liked a little more detail.
Monday, June 19, 2017
The Party by Robyn Harding
This book expertly illustrates how "trying to fit in" and "having it all" can go terribly wrong. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan a small sweet 16 sleepover for their daughter Hannah. Kim, who is extremely controlling and prides herself on her mothering, reads the riot act about alcohol, drugs and boys - then has a glass of wine and an Ambient and hears nothing else before Hannah awakes her in tears, blood on her hands.
Jeff is extremely unhappy in his marriage because he feels Kim is treating him like one of the children after a transgression about a year before. Behind Kim's back he buys Hannah and her friends a bottle of champagne to share at the party.
Hannah is trying desperately to get in with the popular girls, Lauren and Ronni. So will do anything to impress them - including asking her other less popular friends to make sure they act like mature "mean girls" too.
Not unexpectedly things get out of control at the party and Ronni is severely injured. Her single mother is angry and wants to blame someone so sues Jeff and Kim for three million dollars - money they would only have if they liquidate every asset they accumulated in building the comfortable life they so cherish.
The remainder of the book deals with the aftermath of the party and the lawsuit. It brings to light secrets of many of the people involved and shows the tensions between family members, friends and even co-workers. I particularly liked the ending which seemed to show growth on the part of the parents, but that Hannah, who during the lawsuit was actually more mature than the adults involved, was still vulnerable to peer pressure.
Jeff is extremely unhappy in his marriage because he feels Kim is treating him like one of the children after a transgression about a year before. Behind Kim's back he buys Hannah and her friends a bottle of champagne to share at the party.
Hannah is trying desperately to get in with the popular girls, Lauren and Ronni. So will do anything to impress them - including asking her other less popular friends to make sure they act like mature "mean girls" too.
Not unexpectedly things get out of control at the party and Ronni is severely injured. Her single mother is angry and wants to blame someone so sues Jeff and Kim for three million dollars - money they would only have if they liquidate every asset they accumulated in building the comfortable life they so cherish.
The remainder of the book deals with the aftermath of the party and the lawsuit. It brings to light secrets of many of the people involved and shows the tensions between family members, friends and even co-workers. I particularly liked the ending which seemed to show growth on the part of the parents, but that Hannah, who during the lawsuit was actually more mature than the adults involved, was still vulnerable to peer pressure.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Secrets in Summer by Nancy Thayer
I know summer has arrived when I get to read the newest novels by my favourite beach read authors. Nancy Thayer's newest was not her best, but I still enjoyed returning to Nantucket for a summer of beaches, secrets, love and flings.
Darcy Cotterill is a 30 year old children's librarian living in her late grandmother's house on Nantucket. She had a difficult childhood - abandoned by her father and transferred from one flaky relative to another as her mother pursued a string of men. Eventually at age 10 she ended up with her paternal grandmother Penny in the house in Nantucket where she first felt a sense of security and was able to fully indulge her love of books.
In her early twenties, just shy of completing her degree in library science, Darcy married Boyz, a handsome high flying real estate agent who, together with his close and boisterous family, swept her off her feet. It wasn't long before Boyz and Darcy realized they were completely incompatible and Boyz left her for Autumn, an older woman with a daughter, Willow.
Darcy is out in her garden one summer when she learns that Boyz, Autumn and Willow have rented the home behind her for the summer.
In the remainder of the book we read about the complex relationship Darcy develops with 14 year old Willow, her elderly summer neighbour and her grandson, the neighbour on the other side whose husband has an affair with Autumn and Darcy's lawyer turned carpenter boyfriend, Nash. Though it is called the summer of secrets, none of the narrative is terribly surprising. But that's what makes it a relaxing poolside read.
Darcy Cotterill is a 30 year old children's librarian living in her late grandmother's house on Nantucket. She had a difficult childhood - abandoned by her father and transferred from one flaky relative to another as her mother pursued a string of men. Eventually at age 10 she ended up with her paternal grandmother Penny in the house in Nantucket where she first felt a sense of security and was able to fully indulge her love of books.
In her early twenties, just shy of completing her degree in library science, Darcy married Boyz, a handsome high flying real estate agent who, together with his close and boisterous family, swept her off her feet. It wasn't long before Boyz and Darcy realized they were completely incompatible and Boyz left her for Autumn, an older woman with a daughter, Willow.
Darcy is out in her garden one summer when she learns that Boyz, Autumn and Willow have rented the home behind her for the summer.
In the remainder of the book we read about the complex relationship Darcy develops with 14 year old Willow, her elderly summer neighbour and her grandson, the neighbour on the other side whose husband has an affair with Autumn and Darcy's lawyer turned carpenter boyfriend, Nash. Though it is called the summer of secrets, none of the narrative is terribly surprising. But that's what makes it a relaxing poolside read.
Blue Trust by Stevie Cameron
This is an old book which I happened to come across and decided it looked interesting. It tells the rather tragic story of Bruce and Lynne Verchere. While it is written in a rather sensationalistic journalism style, the story is for the most part compelling. At times I felt it got bogged down in name dropping and I lost track of who people were, but then the index at the end came in handy for looking back at when a person was first introduced.
Bruce Verchere was a "brilliant" tax lawyer in the late 1980s. I put the brilliant in quotations as I think many might argue his clever tax planning strategies were too clever and crossed the line. He formed a law firm in Montreal and tried very hard to get rich and to fit in with the well-to-do Westmount crowd. His wife was the one who really made the money though. She was a software expert ahead of her time, particularly for a woman. And aided by a relationship she nurtured with IBM she developed and sold law firm management software. Eventually she was able to sell the company for the kind of money Bruce needed to fuel his extravagant lifestyle.
Where Lynne was not so smart, was in trusting her husband's assurances that he was moving her money around for tax and estate planning purposes. In fact he was robbing her blind - to fuel his relationships with other women and to sate his appetite for the finer things in life (homes, planes, yachts...). Everything came to head when he fell in love with the daughter of his famous client, Arthur Hailey. Hailey didn't approve of the relationship as he feared Verchere was after his fortune too, but his daughter was in love and eventually became pregnant with twins.
At this time Verchere's wife clued into the money situation and threatened serious legal consequences unless Bruce left his mistress and returned to her. He did - abandoning Diane with no money of her own and pregnant with twins. Verchere wasn't able to last long with his wife and shot himself in the head on the day the twins were born.
This is an interesting story of greed, deception, naiveté and other human failings and how they can get in the way. It wasn't a fantastic book, more like a long newspaper article, but it had its moments.
Bruce Verchere was a "brilliant" tax lawyer in the late 1980s. I put the brilliant in quotations as I think many might argue his clever tax planning strategies were too clever and crossed the line. He formed a law firm in Montreal and tried very hard to get rich and to fit in with the well-to-do Westmount crowd. His wife was the one who really made the money though. She was a software expert ahead of her time, particularly for a woman. And aided by a relationship she nurtured with IBM she developed and sold law firm management software. Eventually she was able to sell the company for the kind of money Bruce needed to fuel his extravagant lifestyle.
Where Lynne was not so smart, was in trusting her husband's assurances that he was moving her money around for tax and estate planning purposes. In fact he was robbing her blind - to fuel his relationships with other women and to sate his appetite for the finer things in life (homes, planes, yachts...). Everything came to head when he fell in love with the daughter of his famous client, Arthur Hailey. Hailey didn't approve of the relationship as he feared Verchere was after his fortune too, but his daughter was in love and eventually became pregnant with twins.
At this time Verchere's wife clued into the money situation and threatened serious legal consequences unless Bruce left his mistress and returned to her. He did - abandoning Diane with no money of her own and pregnant with twins. Verchere wasn't able to last long with his wife and shot himself in the head on the day the twins were born.
This is an interesting story of greed, deception, naiveté and other human failings and how they can get in the way. It wasn't a fantastic book, more like a long newspaper article, but it had its moments.
Monday, June 5, 2017
War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen
When I returned the last book I read, Dying for Christmas, I didn't have any other books on hand and one by the same author was available so I decided to pick it up. You should note that the "Tammy" Cohen who wrote Dying for Christmas, is the same person as "Tamar" Cohen who wrote War of the Wives. In fact I enjoyed this book much more. While it had the same unexpected plot twists, it was not nearly as dark which is more my style.
Selina has been married to Simon Busfield for 28 years; they have three children, Felix, Flora and Josh. While Simon spends half his time traveling, Selina keeps busy running her family's lives, decorating her home, exercising and doing charity work. It is only when she is advised in the middle of the night that Simon has been found drowned in the Thames that she discovers her whole marriage was a sham. Lottie shows up at his funeral, with her daughter Sadie in tow, claiming to have been married to Simon for 17 years. Sadie is his daughter. It turns out that rather than traveling on business half his life, Simon was instead spending it with his other family.
The remainder of the book deals with how the women cope with the enormous betrayal and re-examine their lives in light of the new information. Interestingly they turn to each other at times - as in fact the other woman is the only one who can fully understand how she feels. We also see how the children cope with the news of their new half siblings - some better than others. And we slowly learn of the other secrets Simon had - affairs, money problems, shady business dealings and blackmail. Finally the mystery of his death is also solved.
I don't want to give away any more of the plot, but I really liked this book. It is well written, well paced and the characters are fascinating. I recommend this one over her other book if you are only choosing to read one.
Selina has been married to Simon Busfield for 28 years; they have three children, Felix, Flora and Josh. While Simon spends half his time traveling, Selina keeps busy running her family's lives, decorating her home, exercising and doing charity work. It is only when she is advised in the middle of the night that Simon has been found drowned in the Thames that she discovers her whole marriage was a sham. Lottie shows up at his funeral, with her daughter Sadie in tow, claiming to have been married to Simon for 17 years. Sadie is his daughter. It turns out that rather than traveling on business half his life, Simon was instead spending it with his other family.
The remainder of the book deals with how the women cope with the enormous betrayal and re-examine their lives in light of the new information. Interestingly they turn to each other at times - as in fact the other woman is the only one who can fully understand how she feels. We also see how the children cope with the news of their new half siblings - some better than others. And we slowly learn of the other secrets Simon had - affairs, money problems, shady business dealings and blackmail. Finally the mystery of his death is also solved.
I don't want to give away any more of the plot, but I really liked this book. It is well written, well paced and the characters are fascinating. I recommend this one over her other book if you are only choosing to read one.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Dying for Christmas by Tammy Cohen
Though this book is not my usual style, it came highly recommended by an acquaintance so I decided to give it a try. It is a psychological thriller, or maybe best described as a character study. It reminded me most of Gone Girl the way all my assumptions were turned around in the second half. In some ways I thought it was better written as the twists were even more unpredictable. That being said, it should not surprise you that my review will be brief so I do not ruin the suspense for anyone who decides to read this.
The story revolves around Jessica Gould who is kidnapped by Dominic Lacey on Christmas Eve. Dominic intends to keep her prisoner for the twelve days of Christmas and gives her one bizarre gift after another every day. The gifts give us insight into Dominic's dark past - in fact it is almost a lesson in how to make and detect a psychopath. However, Jessica is so weird (she hears voices, seemingly blacks out and forgets large parts of her days...) that it was hard for me to develop as much sympathy for her as I probably should have.
The action alternates between Dominic and Jessica's story and that of Kim, the police officer assigned to the missing person's case when Jessica's family reports her mysterious disappearance. Kim is struggling with her own issues as she tries to advance in the force at the expense of her marriage and family. I found these interludes a welcome break from the dark descriptions of what occurred in Dominic's "prison". It is through Kim that we also learn more about Jessica's boyfriends, parents, brothers and nieces and nephews. These characters give us more insight into her and her past and show why she was likely somewhat vulnerable to Dominic's charms.
By the end we get a clear picture of all of the characters and what transpired in the days leading up to the kidnapping - and it was all believable though very surprising. I wouldn't read this unless you have the stomach for some rather dark descriptive passages.
The story revolves around Jessica Gould who is kidnapped by Dominic Lacey on Christmas Eve. Dominic intends to keep her prisoner for the twelve days of Christmas and gives her one bizarre gift after another every day. The gifts give us insight into Dominic's dark past - in fact it is almost a lesson in how to make and detect a psychopath. However, Jessica is so weird (she hears voices, seemingly blacks out and forgets large parts of her days...) that it was hard for me to develop as much sympathy for her as I probably should have.
The action alternates between Dominic and Jessica's story and that of Kim, the police officer assigned to the missing person's case when Jessica's family reports her mysterious disappearance. Kim is struggling with her own issues as she tries to advance in the force at the expense of her marriage and family. I found these interludes a welcome break from the dark descriptions of what occurred in Dominic's "prison". It is through Kim that we also learn more about Jessica's boyfriends, parents, brothers and nieces and nephews. These characters give us more insight into her and her past and show why she was likely somewhat vulnerable to Dominic's charms.
By the end we get a clear picture of all of the characters and what transpired in the days leading up to the kidnapping - and it was all believable though very surprising. I wouldn't read this unless you have the stomach for some rather dark descriptive passages.
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