THE DARLINGS by Cristina Alger

THE DARLINGS 

A sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences.

Now that he's married to Merrill Darling, daughter of billionaire financier Carter Darling, attorney Paul Ross has grown accustomed to New York society and all of its luxuries: a Park Avenue apartment, weekends in the Hamptons, bespoke suits. When Paul loses his job, Carter offers him the chance to head the legal team at his hedge fund. Thrilled with his good fortune in the midst of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression, Paul accepts the position.

But Paul's luck is about to shift: a tragic event catapults the Darling family into the media spotlight, a regulatory investigation, and a red-hot scandal with enormous implications for everyone involved. 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?

Cristina Alger's glittering debut novel interweaves the narratives of the Darling family, two eager SEC attorneys, and a team of journalists all racing to uncover-or cover up-the truth. With echoes of a fictional Too Big to Fail and the novels of Dominick Dunne, The Darlings offers an irresistible glimpse into the highest echelons of New York society-a world seldom seen by outsiders-and a fast-paced thriller of epic proportions.

Thoughts

The Darlings is a thought-provoking novel about the 2008 financial crisis. Christina is a talented author that manages to get into the thoughts and hearts of the readers. As a banker that worked in NY, Christina definitely knows what she is writing about. I literally could not put this novel down.  It pulled me into the story and got me wishing for a happy ending. The Darlings definitely deserves the praise it has accredited. As far as the website says, soon it will be made into a TV series (*crossing fingers*) that I can sit back and enjoy. The Darlings is a LA Times bestseller and after reading it; I totally understand why.

This novel has an interesting family dynamic that is just indescribable. Carter, the patriarch, has two important things in his life: honor and family. Ines Darling, his wife, is the epitome of a power wife, and refuses to let the scandal tear her family down. By far, my favorite character has to be Merrill; she’s the down-to-earth oldest daughter that honors family and loyalty above all. With the accompaniment of Merrill’s husband, Paul Ross, and the others in the Darling family; the novel becomes an inside look at what the crisis could have been like for an wealthy New York family.

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*******Note for all e-book users...Do not panic!!! This is scheduled for e-book release on the 16th of this month!!*****

The Author

Cristina Alger

Graduated from Harvard College in 2002 and from New York University School of Law in 2007.  She has worked as an analyst at Goldman, Sachs, & Co. and as an attorney at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale, & Dorr.  She lives in New York City, where she was born and raised.The Darlings is her first novel and she is currently working on her next book

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising*