A USA Today Bestseller“Immersive, satisfying, tense–and timely: This is probably happening for real right now.”–Lee Child“First-rate…Slick, heart-hammering entertainment.”–The New York Times Book ReviewOn 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 … radar, and its wreckage is later uncovered in the Alps. Among the disappeared is Matthew Werner, 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 a few who are too close to home. The story could also be the answer to Annabel’s heartbreaking search–if Marina chooses to publish it.
The Banker’s Wife is both a high-stakes thriller and an inside look at the personal lives in the intriguing world of finance, introducing Cristina Alger as a powerful new voice in the genre.
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An interesting page turning story with so much intrigue. A must read if you enjoy suspenseful novels as it doesn’t disappoint!
Excellent read!
This book kept me reading and I was unable to rest until I knew the end. I loved every second of this great adventure of crooked politicians, criminal international financiers, and courageous women who are more than up to the challenge to save their own lives and fight to make our world a better place. I recommend it for anyone who wants a story that is well-written, bold, and fly by the seat of your pants exciting. I can’t wait to see what Cristina Alger writes next!
This action packed novel has multiple story lines with plenty of twists and heart stopping moments. The two heroines are resourceful and follow their hearts regardless of what they must overcome. You won’t want to stop reading even after you get to the last page.
This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend. Excellent and tough to put down.
A little rushed at the end, but a very enjoyable read overall.
I remember Dana Perino commenting about having read this book over a weekend and liking it. That is why I read it. I agree with Dana that it was a good read and held my interest.
An enjoyable read!!
Held my interest while reading it, but 4 months later I cannot remember any details. So it’s a 3-star, enjoyable but not memorable. Of course, that means I can read it again and probably enjoy it all over. Is this beginning alzheimers?
Great story with many subplots, a page turner, and action packed!
Good read
Reading currently.
Loved it
I enjoyed the mystery of this book. It was a great one to listen to.
The Banker’s Wife was fast paced, twisted, and suspenseful! From page one on, something was happening and somebody was watching or involved. Annabel is living with her husband Matthew in Geneva. Matthew is working for a top bank there. When Matthew dies in a plane crash, Annabel finds out that there is a deceptive world at the bank. She quickly realizes that maybe Matthew’s death wasn’t an accident and feels that something is being kept from her. At the same time, there is a journalist who has stumbled upon secretive information leaked from an anonymous source. As more data is leaked, everyone realizes exactly how big this is. Everything becomes more tense as more and more is revealed. Who can be trusted? Who is telling the truth? Who is hiding something?
I really enjoyed this book. The subject of offshore banking and it’s dangerous owners made for a thrilling and engaging plot. I always loved movies about investigated journalism. The idea of following a thread, a tip and in the end, unraveling a huge plot that brings massive repercussions has always fascinated me.
The Banker’s Wife delivered a fascinating story that made me think and wonder how close to reality this thriller was. How much money is really hidden away in offshore banking. Who is protecting whom, and who are the bad guys.
Whenever a thriller is as close to reality as possible I’m enthralled by it. Just the possibilities keep me thinking. And who wouldn’t kill for such huge sums of money.
Investigated reporting is a job that is crucial and immensely necessary in this day and age. The stories that came out just this year alone, and the following fallouts changed the status quo for many.
So, yes, I absolutely enjoyed this book.
The writing was crisp, engaging, and interesting. The plot moved smoothly even though the many POVs had me sometimes confused, the story on its own kept me glued to my phone. The narration was great, I can’t complain about the performance at all.
The Banker’s Wife was a solid mystery/thriller that would make a wonderful movie.
Two (or Three?) Strong Women Protagonists Make this Story Work
With the title, The Banker’s Wife, you would expect the individual in that role (Annabel, wife to banker Matthew Werner) to play a major role. And she did. But she knew little of her husband’s work and his oft-notorious clients. So, she became our view into the dangerous world of offshore banking, where everyone from dishonest politicians to brutal dictators hid their money. Although intelligent and obviously brave, Annabel spent much of the book running for her life. Annabel’s co-protagonist is a journalist, Marina, drawn into the situation by colleague and largely unaware of Annabel and her husband. In terms of a solution, Marina was more the instrumental. But I suppose ‘the journalist to a banking whistle-blower’ doesn’t make for a very catchy title. In any case, much of the book alternated chapters written from these two women’s perspectives.
But there is a third woman who appears later in the book, Zoe. After little more than a few cameos at the start, she emerges as a prime mover in the plot – with her own chapters. And while it would have been good to read more about her, author Alger reveals her characters’ true colors deliberately, maintaining suspense and forming the twists that keep you guessing. As for Zoe, you’ll just have to wait to see the role she plays, as well as many of the other characters.
In general, the risks taken by the women seemed natural, given their situations. Only occasionally did one, often Annabel, follow a path that seemed clearly ill-advised, breaking somewhat from character for the sake of drama. A more prevalent issue, however, was the accumulation of implausibility as layers of the deception onion were peeled back. For example, by the end, the bank to the morally corrupt, Swiss United, had too many spies, knew too much about actions inside shell companies, and employed blackmail too frequently to feel real. And the role of law enforcement? When you consider what they did (or didn’t do) in hindsight, you’ll be saying, ‘surely not.’
Overall, The Banker’s Wife is a solid, financial thriller, keeping the reader guessing about who is really wearing the white hats. Several aspects of the story, however, feel a bit contrived in light of all of the final reveals.
This story could come from the front pages of our newspaper and it’s totally realistic. Keeps your attention and is not just another cookie-cutter book. Try it you will not be disappointed.
Not what I expected. The author was well acquainted with the financials services as it pertains to money laundering and the role of the Swiss banker.
It takes just a matter of a few hours to read this book about international banks–and the billionaires who hide their money in them!