While it’s being billed as a financial thriller, Alger does a fine job of making sure her plot can appeal to anyone. Even those who don’t know much about banking and the financial world can follow along without any issues, while those deep in the world of money and wealth should be able to pick up on a number of key points thrown in just for them. A fascinating plot meets fine writing in Cristina Alger’s The Banker’s Wife, which should find its way onto plenty of reading lists this summer.
In this smart, incisive page-turner, Alger takes her precise understanding of the financial world and zooms in on the nebulous business of offshore banking ... The thriller moves swiftly as the desperation and violence escalate, gliding by on clear, competent prose that never gets in the way. Its flaws are forgivable and par for the genre: some brow-raising coincidences; a fast, tidy wind-down crammed with breathless exposition. Alger delivers an addictive dose of suspense and intrigue with a surprisingly believable plot.
Offshore banking creates strange and deadly bedfellows, as American Annabel Lerner, the titular banker's wife of Alger's (The Darlings) third novel ... Readers riding this international financial roller coaster will be kept on edge through its many twists and turns. Highly recommended for fans of fast-paced thrillers in the tradition of John Grisham.
She portrays her moneyed class reliably, neither out to wholly ridicule or glamorize it ... The most fun scenes are the ones in which the women are taking action and in danger ... In between, there is a lot of dialogue explaining offshore bank accounts, the legalities, sanctions. Readers may appreciate the refreshers, but there’s something clunky about it ... Alger shines most when she’s describing places ... I particularly enjoyed Marina’s description of covering parties, especially the exhilaration of being in a room with interesting people, and the way it can feel like 'a big-game hunt' ... But the more intriguing, fresh tale is that of the three women. Invited into the world of wealth, they flirt with all its trappings, even as they are aware of the sacrifices they make to be part of it.
This financial thriller intrigues with its vivid plot and beautiful lead characters ... The author, Cristina Alger, does not get too bogged down by financial jargon ... Although a book about foreign investment bankers may not have universal appeal, there is sufficient conflict and gnashing of teeth to keep the plot moving ... It is also reasonable to give the author extra credit for wrapping up her story with a very pleasing bow.
Alternating chapters give readers each woman’s point of view as their stories run concurrently and eventually come together in a thrilling fashion. Alger perfectly nails her twisty plot, wrapping everything up in a completely satisfying ending. Readers will be eagerly turning the pages of this fast-paced financial thriller.
Alger...has crafted a sharp, compelling thriller. Annabel's and Marina’s investigations stretch from Geneva to New York to London to the Cayman Islands, from mysterious millionaires to morally questionable CEOs ... This brisk, tense page-turner will mesmerize fans of international mysteries.
...an engrossing financial thriller ... Alger presents the world of wealth management in a way that a novice can understand the intricacies but also appeals to the sophisticated reader. This complex tale of how greed can upend innocent lives will resonate with many.
