CBR3 #48: The Darlings - Cristina Alger

I picked up an ARC of this book from the giveaway shelf at work.

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.- Amazon

I picked up this book from the giveaway shelf because the description on the back of the book called it a fictional account of Too Big To Fail, which I read in August. Alger captures events surrounding the supposed suicide of a hedge fund manager and the fallout of a possible SEC investigation all over the course of one week.  That week just happens to be around Thanksgiving, which gives an interesting family & holiday twist.

Alger explores the desire of being loyal to family versus looking our for yourself as the main characters realize that their whole family might be taken down with an investigation and scandal.  While I did feel like I've read/seen parts of the plot before (i.e. an Law & Order episode), I was curious to see what the final outcome would be.

Paul and Merrill were likeable and accessible characters even though they were part of NYC elites society.  Nice debut novel and it captures the essence of the financial world in turmoil and an unsteady economy very well.