The Girl From Home

February 8, 2016
Manhattan hedge fund manager Jonathan Caine has it all—a multimillion-dollar condo, a trophy wife, and a summer rental in the Hamptons—in this gripping thriller from Mitzner (Losing Faith). When Caine’s part in a scandalous securities-fraud causes him to lose all the trappings of the good life, he returns to his hometown of East Carlisle, N.J., to care for his sick father and attend his 25th high school reunion. Caine quickly sparks an affair with former prom queen Jackie Williams, who has been living a nightmare with her drunk and abusive husband, Rick, while trying to protect her two children from him. The question becomes how much Caine has reformed, and how far he is willing to go to protect the person he cares for most. An unlikable character throughout much of the book, Caine manages to prove redemption is possible by the end. This inside look at underhanded Wall Street dealings dramatically explores the things that matter most. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group.

February 15, 2016
A Wall Streeter on the way up digs himself a huge hole in attorney Mitzner's (Losing Faith, 2015, etc.) latest offering. Jonathan Caine's a player. He's a success at the hedge fund where he manages millions for some of the world's wealthiest men, and he's got everything a guy could want: a gorgeous apartment, a $15 million annual bonus, and a trophy wife who never leaves the place without looking like the bankroll it costs to maintain her. But when Jonathan makes some ill-advised moves contingent on the Russian ruble remaining at a certain level and all of that goes sideways, he finds himself looking at an investigation into his business dealings and an employer that wants him out the door. Wife Natasha fails to be sympathetic; in fact, she's more concerned that the money's run out and shows him the door. So Jonathan--who's not exactly been a model son and brother--returns to the little town where he grew up and moves into his dad's house. Dad's in a nearby nursing home, suffering from dementia and other byproducts of old age, and Jonathan slowly rebuilds his relationship with both him and his sister, Amy, who is the polar opposite of her brother. But when he attends a high school reunion and comes face to face with the girl every boy in school wanted, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly triangle that could end very badly if he's not careful. The first part of the novel is deep wading for readers who aren't tapped into Wall Street and understand little, if anything, about how hedge funds work. But once it moves to Jonathan's hometown, it picks up speed. An engrossing little gem that starts slow and gets better.

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