Julie's Review: Girls Like Us

Author: Cristina Alger
Series: None
Publication Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: Putnam Books
Pages: 288
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  Mystery
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line:
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Summary: FBI Agent Nell Flynn hasn't been home in ten years. Nell and her father, Homicide Detective Martin Flynn, have never had much of a relationship. And Suffolk County will always be awash in memories of her mother, Marisol, who was brutally murdered when Nell was just seven. When Martin Flynn dies in a motorcycle accident, Nell returns to the house she grew up in so that she can spread her father's ashes and close his estate. At the behest of her father's partner, Detective Lee Davis, Nell becomes involved in an investigation into the murders of two young women in Suffolk County. The further Nell digs, the more likely it seems to her that her father should be the prime suspect--and that his friends on the police force are covering his tracks. Plagued by doubts about her mother's murder--and her own role in exonerating her father in that case--Nell can't help but ask questions about who killed Ria Ruiz and Adriana Marques and why. But she may not like the answers she finds--not just about those she loves, but about herself. ~amazon.com

Review: Ah, complicated families that don't talk for years but are yet in similar lines or work make for great novels and Cristina Alger's Girls Like Us is no different. Nell and Martin have been estranged for the better part of 10 years besides the quick calls around birthdays and holidays, so when he dies in a motorcycle accident she returns home to her childhood home which was anything but happy.

As she asked to get involved with 2 local missing girls cases things don't start to look good for her dad's reputation after his death. In fact it looks like he might have been involved in the crime of those 2 girls. As Nell digs deeper into the cases that are seemingly linked she only becomes more suspicious of the local police force.

As she gets closer to the truth, she ask for help from her co-workers at the FBI. The case is quickly bigger than they think and has it's tenticals everywhere. The deeper she goes the more her life is in danger.

What I liked about Nell is that she was vulnerable while still being capable and strong. She has issues but doesn't let them set her back. She's smart and great at her job.

For fans of Meg Gardiner's books you will definitely want to read Cristina Alger's novels.

Julie's Review: The Banker's Wife

Author: Cristina Alger
Series: None
Publication Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: G.P. Putnam
Pages: 352
Obtained: Great Thoughts,Great Readers Book Salon
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: 3 strong heroines in one book
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Summary: On 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 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. ~amazon.com  

Review: Wow! Ms. Alger wrote a fantastic novel about what it takes to survive when you are being hunted for something your husband might have done. We all know that off-shore accounts are a bit suspect but she really brings the seedy underside to life in her novel. We meet Annabel and Marina both who will be sucked into this web of deceit but in very different ways. As the book kept picking up speed, I was hoping our multiple heroines would be able to come out on the other side of this with their lives intact. Each of them had so much tragedy and sorrow in such a short period of time that I wanted them to be o.k.

There are definitely some twists and turn throughout the book but none that seemed unrealistic or non-plausible. Especially given the fact that you are dealing with a business that exists on dirty or not completely legal money.

What I loved is we had three strong but different heroines in Annabel, Marina and Zoe. I loved that this story weaved their lives together probably in ways they would have preferred not to have happen in some ways. Each of them brought a different aspect to the story and definitely added unique perspectives. I wasn't expecting Zoe's to be so interesting and intricate to everything.

The Banker's Wife  truly sucked me in from the first line and didn't let go. It is definitely a book to take to the beach or pool with you this summer but I read it anywhere I could just to see what was going to happen next.


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Julie's Review: This Was Not the Plan

Author: Cristina Alger
Series: None
Publication Date: October 18, 2016 (paperback)
Publisher: Touchstone
Pages: 368
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A story about priorities and discovering you can do something else in life
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Summary: Charlie Goldwyn’s life hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Widowerhood at thirty-three and twelve-hour workdays have left a gap in his relationship with his quirky five-year-old son, Caleb, whose obsession with natural disasters and penchant for girls’ clothing have made him something of a loner at his preschool. The only thing Charlie has going for him is his job at a prestigious law firm, where he is finally close to becoming a partner. But when a slight lapse in judgment at an office party leaves him humiliatingly unemployed, stuck at home with Caleb for the summer, and forced to face his own estranged father, Charlie starts to realize that there’s more to fatherhood than financially providing for his son, and more to being a son than overtaking his father’s successes. ~amazon.com

Review: This Was Not the Plan is a story about how your plans can go awry in the blink of an eye and how life sometimes has other plans for you. Charlie had a job he loved, a wife he loved and a life he enjoyed living. Until the bottom fell out when is wife died but that was 2 years ago and Charlie still hasn't learned to cope. He was already working 80 hours and now with his wife gone and his sister raising his son, Caleb; he just works all the time, literally.

Well things are about to change for Charlie and Caleb and those around him when Charlie suddenly finds him with a lot of free time. He's not quite sure what to do with himself for the hours that Caleb is in school. He doesn't know how to relax. He needs his job to breathe.

Caleb is adorable in the way that a 5 years old can be but I almost felt that he was a little too cute. It's not that I didn't enjoy him or think that it was fantastic that he embraced who he was but 5 can be a very aggravating age and I didn't think that it was captured. I also thought it was a little too seamless for Charlie becoming a full time dad. His sister Zadie has been Caleb's caretaker since he works long hours and I just didn't think it was realistic that he moved from workaholic to easing into dad mode. I kind of figured there would be a few more flubs.

I enjoyed Charlie joining the SAD group because it was something completely out of his comfort zone but it also allowed Caleb to hang out and make some friends. I did like the addition of Elise to the mix of friend but I appreciated that Ms. Alger didn't make into something too quickly.

I think we all need to step back at times and assess where we are at in life. Maybe it's not life changing or career changing like Charlie but little changes can make a huge difference, even if it's just your outlook on life.

Overall, I enjoyed reading about Charlie and Caleb and I look forward to reading what else Ms. Alger writes.



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