“A sexy, deliciously dark journey.”– Los Angeles TimesA CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of 2020An exhilarating new novel from a global superstar–a sexy, over-the-top psychological thriller that tells the story of the scorned wife of a billionaire and her delicious plot to get her revenge and bring him to his knees.Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school. Jack, the … him to his knees.
Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school. Jack, the perpetual golden boy, grew up wealthy, unlike Faye, who has worked hard to bury a dark past. When Jack needs help launching a new company, Faye leaves school to support him, waitressing by day and working as his strategist by night. With the business soaring, Faye and Jack have a baby, and Faye finds herself at home, caring for their daughter, wealthier than she ever imagined, but more and more removed from the excitement of the business world. And none of the perks of wealth make up for the fact that Jack has begun to treat her coldly, undermining her intelligence and forgetting all she sacrificed for his success. When Faye discovers that he’s having an affair, the polished façade of their life cracks wide open. Faye is alone, emotionally shattered, and financially devastated–but hell hath no fury like a woman with a violent past bent on vengeance. Jack is about to get exactly what he deserves–and so much more. In this splashy, electrifying story of sex, betrayal, and secrets, a woman’s revenge is a brutal but beautiful thing.
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A sexy, sensational novel with intoxicating vengeance and an unexpected tenderness — The Golden Cage is tensely and skillfully drawn.
It’s about time that Americans get to savor the delicious twists and bad behavior that mark a Camilla Läckberg thriller. The Golden Cage is a wonderful, take-no-prisoners mashup of Gone Girl, Billions, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
THE GOLDEN CAGE is a twisting, brutal tale of betrayal and revenge. Lackberg paints a vivid portrait of a dark and complicated anti-heroine who is both the abused and abuser, victim and victimizer. A chilling, timely read sure to thrill her international legion of fans!
5* Revenge is Sweet Stars
This was a cleverly written psychological suspense. From the first page I was intrigued and fascinated where this story would lead, and I was not disappointed, I was addicted! The story is full of twists and turns, fierce love and betrayal and friendships that would last a lifetime. There are some very likeable characters as well as some who you will despise! If you are in the mood for sweet seductive revenge where women power rules, then do not hesitate to read this thrilling book. I loved it!
This was my first book read by this wonderful and talented author and will certainly not be my last.
This book starts out w in your face action. The female characters are smart and calculating. Love that! Was so completely satisfied w the ending. The sequel has been released but I’m reluctant to read it for fear it’ll disturb my memories of this original. Excellent!
I HIGHLY recommend this read! I can assure you I lost lots of sleep this week, staying up too late reading this one! After reading the overview of this book, I was curious, but I assumed it was a typical story of a scorned woman and how she rebuilt herself. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Our star Faye met and fell in love with Jack back in college. Faye quit college to help Jack build a new business, and she was the genius behind the business plan and its success. Faye is thrilled to be pregnant with their first child, and she stops working to become a full time mother. Money is no object so she’s enjoying her new life. Until she isn’t. Jack is now treating her differently, abusively in fact, and then she discovers his affairs. We soon learn Faye is way more than what she was portrayed the first half of the book. Faye’s well-planned revenge is incredible and a super tense and horrific thing. I cannot write more here as I simply refuse to give anything away.
An homage to Fay Weldon and a twisted tale of revenge. Terrific beach read.
Not up to her other series but entertaining in a psycho way. It got slow in parts but I overall didn’t mind the story.
Ummmm WHAT! Full disclosure, it had been awhile since I read the synopsis of The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg so I completely forgot this was going to be a revenge book, and some revenge it was! This is going to be a must read for any woman scorned or victims of abuse, and even though it starts out with a weaker Faye, she sure doesn’t stay weak for long. About the midway point is when things start getting REALLY good, and I LOVED IT SO MUCH! The book flipped back and forth between two time periods for the most part, before adding a third towards the end. This was such a genius way to build suspense and help us get to know Faye and her past better which I obviously loved.
At first I was reading The Golden Cage rather slowly, but even so I was still completely sucked into the story and Faye’s world. Jack has got to be one of the worst male characters ever, and it made him so easy to hate which means revenge felt even sweeter. Once Faye started plotting her revenge, I literally couldn’t put the book down, so I ended up finishing most of it in one day. There is also some focus on female relationships, and it ends up being a bit of a tear-jerker which I wasn’t expecting but appreciated.
I am incredibly excited that The Golden Cage is the first book of a series, and I could see how Läckberg was setting things up for the book, or books, to follow. It is clear that Faye has a very dark past and after the shocking ending you just want to know more about her. Fortunately, there aren’t really any cliffhangers, but it left me wanting more which was great. There is also a decent amount of both sex and abuse in the book but it was executed in a way that didn’t feel overdone or unwarranted so that was a plus. I have other books by this author on my shelf so while I’m impatiently waiting for more Faye, I will be reading those. Such a well-written and clever book, thank you Läckberg for the perfect revenge novel and start to a new series!
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Wow, did I enjoy this book. This is the first one by this author and I loved it. I will definitely be picking up more. This book is a slow burn with many, many micro conflicts that keeps pressure on the text that pulled me along while the main plot line developed. At the same time the author continually layered in motivation after motivation. This book does not shy away from sex or vulgar language, but it is not gratuitous, so it works very well. Amazing character building.
I highly recommend for readers of psychological thrillers.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson Series
I wasn’t sure I’d like this. In fact, I feared it would be a Medea-type tale of revenge and I would loathe it, but I ended up loving it. I got sucked into the story of how he done her wrong but by golly, she fixed his wagon! I read the ending late at night, long past my bedtime, and while I found parts of it improbable, overall it had me riveted.
Any woman who’s been dissed, put down, insulted, made to feel inadequate by men will appreciate this story. That’s all I’m going to say on it, except that I felt quite satisfied by the end.
Entertaining, but a little predictable.
I expected something much more exciting than what I got. For me the book was dull and plodding. Too much time was spent in the past. The evolution of the lead female character into a financial weapon was hard to accept.
Faye is a woman who transformed herself into a millionaires wife. Taut, lean body with an insatiable sexual appetite. The perfect wife & mother but it was not enough for her greedy husband. Faye even helped her husband build his million dollar empire but alas as powerful successful men usually do he cheated on Faye. The difference is Faye is not a woman to take that lying down.
This book is definitely different than any book I’ve read. One because it is set in Sweden and two the main character is not a woman to be messed with. I fell in move with main character Faye because instead of falling into misery and depression over her failed marriage. She got revenge in ways most women wish they could when their man does them wrong. You need to go out and buy this book!!!!!!!
I don’t usually read psychological thrillers, but got seduced into this one by the blurb. I get a lot of emails from book vendors. This one is a dark book by a Scandinavian author. I should have known it would draw me in and have twists and turns that would keep me reading all day. Faye arrives in Stockholm ready to reinvent herself. What happened in her home town? We are left guessing. She marries the man of her dreams and this smart woman helps him begin building his empire. Too bad he’s a pig. Oh, just wait. He’ll be sorry he didn’t deserve her. It’s a riveting read. Enjoy.
Suspenseful
I received the digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
It’s hard to know where to begin after reading The Golden Cage. It is a wonderful hard to put down book with a strong female protagonist although it might not appear that way initially. The story alternates between the present and the past providing insight into the main character’s personality, motives and ambition.
The story begins with a brief description of the ending which involves police telling her that her ex-husband has been accused of killing their 7 year old daughter, Julienne. This is where the author grabs your attention because the story then unfolds with a less dramatic fashion.
Faye Adelheim lives the luxurious life that most could imagine in their dreams. When she met Jack Adelheim at the School of Economics she was instantly drawn to his charisma and confidence. She was a top student when she left school to help support Jack and his friend Henrik Bergendahl become successful entrepreneurs of Compare. She had been instrumental in their success which she had hoped someday to receive recognition. Instead, she passively took satisfaction in being a mother to their daughter, Julienne.
Faye loved the life they had built amongst their affluent community. It was a far stretch from where she originated and to which she never wanted to return. She sacrificed a lot to reinvent herself from her traumatic childhood. She vowed to do anything she needed to keep her past hidden including never opening the letters from her father in prison. She found it easier to explain she was orphaned when her parents died in a car crash. After marrying Jack, it felt like her life was complete until Jack becomes more domineering and demeaning to Faye.
Craving the love and attention she never received as a child, Faye held strongly to her desire to ensure her husband was happy. Although she had helped build the business Compare which Jack and Henrik ran the shares holders had her sign a prenuptial agreement. She never worried since she never imagined what would eventually happen.
Fortunately, Faye always maintained a close friendship from her time at the School of Economics. Chris Nudahl was her adventurous and outrageous friend who would always tell her the raw blunt truth. They continued to strengthen their friendship much to Jack’s dismay. Chris is the type of friend everyone needs who will always have your back and always provide laughter when life goes astray.
This is a wild story of family, friendship, betrayal and revenge. It portrays women who come to recognize their importance and value. I must say that as the story progressed my deep sense regarding a mystery was spot on! I had hoped all along as it would just be the icing on the cake!
Camilla Lackberg is a master of psychological suspense: she grabbed me by the throat with this sharply written, wildly entertaining tale of wealth, power and revenge and kept me up straight through the night. The Golden Cage may be my first exposure to Europe’s “Queen of Crime” but it certainly won’t be my last. I’m a Läckberg fan for life.
I don’t know what I did more of as I read this book: gasp, pant, or squeal with delight. I’d not read any of Camilla Läckberg’s books before this one, but now that I’ve tasted her storytelling, I need to go grab her backlist.
Läckberg uses both first- and third-person narration through Faye, with one reflecting one part of her life and the other a different one. This choice intrigued me, particularly the point where first-person stops. It’s a purposeful, interesting choice from Läckberg.
Faye both compels and repels. You will feel desperate to protect her at times and desperately afraid of her at others. When Läckberg reveals a dark moment in Faye’s past, you sense immediately that this experience shaped her in ways she has yet to discover herself.
Läckberg takes a pro-women position, and she does so in a way that even the most reluctant reader becomes a convert. It isn’t that women are all-good and men are awful so much as men have been allowed to mistreat, disrespect, and diminish women by women themselves. Läckberg further shows how acceptance of this causes some women to do the same to each other. From the moment we meet Faye, we know she’s smarter than everyone around her. As Läckberg reveals her strength, only to have men try to shred it, you know that when Faye does regain her sense of self, she will be a formidable force, one who will bring her foes–particularly the men–to reckoning.
When you read this book, plan to set aside time. You won’t want to stop once you start. Läckberg’s twisting, turning, and heated story demands that you not look away. What will Faye do? How will her past inform her present?
Read this book. If you are in a book club, this is a fantastic choice because Läckberg gives you all kinds of things to unpack and discuss. And please let me know what you think of Faye.
This book has it all: revenge, jealousy, hidden secrets and characters that you love to hate.
But even Faye who is not the nicest you cant help but cheer her on at times !
The Golden Cage is dark, twisty and the pages will turn themselves as you just have to find out what happens to Faye.
Its a departure from Camilla Lackberg’s regular books but I enjoyed it just as much , she knows how to keep you guessing.
Don’t want to say too much and give away the story so just put it on your TBR pile, you will be glad you did !
Thanks to NetGalley, Knoph Doubleday Publishing Group for a twisted read !