The Banker's Wife

On an early morning in November, a couple boards a private plane bound for Geneva, flying into a storm. Soon after, it simply drops off the radar, and its wreckage is later uncovered in the Alps. Among the disappeared is Matthew Lerner, a banking insider at Swiss United, a powerful offshore bank. His young widow, Annabel, is left grappling with the secrets he left behind, including an encrypted laptop and a shady client list. As she begins a desperate search for answers, she determines that Matthew's death was no accident, and that she is now in the crosshairs of his powerful enemies.

Meanwhile, ambitious society journalist Marina Tourneau has finally landed at the top. Now that she's engaged to Grant Ellis, she will stop writing about powerful families and finally be a part of one. Her entry into the upper echelons of New York's social scene is more appealing than any article could ever be, but, after the death of her mentor, she agrees to dig into one more story. While looking into Swiss United, Marina uncovers information that implicates some of the most powerful men in the financial world, including some who are too close to home. The story could also be the answer to Annabel's heartbreaking search—if Marina chooses to publish it.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a thriller that wasn't classified as a domestic thriller.  I used to love these type of books and I have no idea why I never pick them up anymore, but after finishing The Banker's Wife I won't wait that long again.  This book was a really interesting setup and felt pretty true to life.  The whole scandal is based around off shore banks and what role they play.  The narrative was pretty much split between Marina and Annabel.  Often times a dual narrative can have a character you really care about and the other you are not nearly as invested in, but I was completely tied in to both of their stories and how they connected.  Sometimes there were parts that I'd have to read a couple times to understand, but for the most part the book flowed really well.  This was such a welcomed change and I started seeking out similar reads when I finished the last page.     

          * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

The Other Woman

 

Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet. But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.

Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.

The Other Woman is an addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie.

 The Other Woman was exactly the type of thriller book that I love to pick up.  While I thought I had everything figured out, the whole thing snuck up on me and smacked me right in the head!  Emily, the main character, was likeable, but at times I didn't understand her decisions.  Although, after further reflection, I feel like she was just desperate to find her true love.  Adam, her fiance, was a great character because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to rot for him or not.  I wasn't sure if he was an amazing or delusional fiance.  And finally, his mom, Pammie (which, by the way, I have never been bothered too much by a character's name, but her name just rubbed me the wrong way every time I read it) was weird, borderline creepy.  This novel did not disappoint!

        * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Lies She Told

Liza Jones has thirty days to write the thriller that could put her back on the bestseller list. In the meantime, she’s struggling to start a family with her husband, who is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. With stresses weighing down in both her professional and her personal life, Liza escapes into writing her latest heroine.

Beth is a new mother who suspects her husband is cheating on her while she’s home alone providing for their newborn. Angry and betrayed, Beth sets out to catch him in the act and make him pay for shattering the illusion of their perfect life. But before she realizes it, she’s tossing the body of her husband’s mistress into the river.

Then the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur. Nick’s body is dragged from the Hudson and Liza’s husband is arrested for his murder. Before her deadline is up, Liza will have to face up up to the truths about the people around her, including herself. If she doesn’t, the end of her heroine’s story could be the end of her own.

I have struggled lately to find thrillers that seem believable, hold my attention and keep me guessing, this book did all three.  It's difficult to say too much without giving anything away, but I felt totally engrossed in Liza and Beth, the main character in Liza's story.  I love when a story can really tow the line between fact and fiction and this novel did just that.  I am beyond happy that I found another great thriller to recommend!

          * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

The Address

After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she’d make of herself. But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility—no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America, where a person can rise above one’s station. The opportunity to be the female manager of The Dakota, which promises to be the greatest apartment house in the world. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in The Dakota with his wife and three young children.

In 1985, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities. Fresh out of rehab, the former party girl and interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless. Two generations ago, Bailey’s grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden. But the absence of a genetic connection means Bailey won’t see a dime of the Camden family’s substantial estate. Instead, her “cousin” Melinda—Camden’s biological great-granddaughter—will inherit almost everything. So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda’s vision. The renovation will take away all the character and history of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in...and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a madwoman named Sara Smythe, a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island.

One hundred years apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages—for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the free-flowing drinks and cocaine in the nightclubs of New York City—and take refuge and solace in the Upper West Side’s gilded fortress. But a building with a history as rich—and often tragic—as The Dakota’s can’t hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers in its basement could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden—and the woman who killed him—on its head.

This is one of those stories that I wish I could read again for the first time.  I thought all of the characters had great dimension and sucked me right in.  The star of the story is of course The Dakota, which I immediately read more about as soon as I finished.  I have drove past the building before when visiting New York City, but I definitely will be making a stop next time to view the gorgeous details that were described.  Fiona Davis weaved a masterful story that kept me engaged from page one and never faltered.  I would highly recommend historical fiction fans to check it out and I will definitely be on the lookout for more titles by Fiona Davis.     

      * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *