Review Right from page one, readers will understand the kind of world that Ash Land by Matt Harry is set in. With a first sentence that reads "No one knows how to stop the Ash", we understand that humanity is at the mercy of the environment in which they all live. And it is not… Continue reading Ash Land by Matt Harry
As someone who has never read a “Wall Street thriller” before, The Lies We Trade by Kristine Delano is a great toe in the water. We meet the main character, Meredith at the height of her career. We are led to believe she is at the top of the world. But then we get insight into her domestic life and discover that her marriage is on the rocks due to her commitment to her job. We understand these circumstances – struggling to choose between one’s career and personal life. Sure, Meredith is making leaps, especially as a woman, in her industry. But her role as wife and mother has taken a hit. Which makes her eventual situation that much more complicated.
The author takes us through the corruption, suspects, and how it all connects to her family’s current situation. I thought I was on to something at some point, but then realized I was the victim of effective misdirection. After that, I couldn’t be certain about anyone’s motives in The Lies We Trade. The pacing was okay; however, there’s a good amount of financial jargon that went over my head. Those moments disrupted the flow a bit.
As far as the characters go, readers will recognize the misogyny from Meredith’s coworkers and the corruption that is all too tempting on Wall Street. Plus Meredith’s daughter Erika got on my nerves – although I suspect that was typical behavior of a teenage girl who’s enduring her particular situation. In any case, readers who enjoy financial thrillers will like The Lies We Trade.
Kristine Delano joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her experience in the finance industry and plans for the future. Keep an ear out and pick up a copy of The Lies We Trade, available now.
A high-powered Wall Street career, a beautiful family in a quiet suburban neighborhood―she seems to have everything. Which means she has everything to lose.
Meredith Hansel should be having the best week of her life. After establishing herself as a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, she’s in the national spotlight for the innovative funds she created. But as Meredith prepares to celebrate, the plates she’s kept spinning for years begin to crash: Her strained marriage reaches a breaking point. Her conscientious teenage daughter acts out under mysterious pressures. Someone vandalizes her home with disturbing graffiti. And Betsey, her most trusted ally at the financial firm, goes rogue, and Meredith is forced to sign a restraining order against her.
Then her worlds collide when she receives a thumb drive and a cryptic note from Betsey threatening to reveal a secret that could have devastating effects on Meredith’s family . . . unless she can figure out what Betsey wants and deliver it in time.
As Meredith begins to dig into the data, however, she begins to suspect that it’s no coincidence her life is crumbling. That maybe what’s happening to her family is connected to what’s boiling beneath the surface at her investment company. Soon Meredith realizes there’s only one way to avoid taking the fall, and it all hinges on Betsey’s true motives. Was she really threatening Meredith or trying to warn her?
At the risk of sounding pretentious, don’t judge this book by its cover. The Meaning of the Murder by Walter B. Levis is suspenseful, thought-provoking, and a poignant reminder of how one fatal mistake has rippling effects that last a lifetime.
