I was totally wooed by the cover of The Darlings, the debut novel by lawyer-turned-author, Cristina Alger – refined, cool New York at its very best.

The Darlings is described as a ‘sophisticated page-turner’ – a new genre perhaps? It could also be described as a financial thriller, although that doesn’t do much to sell the book, does it?! It’s much more glamorous than that.

The story is about a wealthy New York family, the Darlings, who are embroiled in a financial scandal with enormous consequences. The story is told from various points-of-view, including billionaire financier and patriarch, Carter Darling, his daughter, Merrill and his son-in-law, Paul Ross. Since joining the Darling family, Paul has grown accustomed to New York society and all of its luxuries: a Park Avenue apartment, weekends in the Hamptons, bespoke suits. But a tragic event catapults the family into the legal and media spotlight and suddenly Paul must decide where his loyalties lie – will he save himself while betraying his wife and in-laws or protect the family business at all costs?

“Paul firmly believed, or he had up until then, that the only way to be a part of a family as powerful as the Darlings was never to take anything from them. Otherwise, they owned you.” Continue reading →