RESTITUTION by Rose Edmunds @RoseEdmunds

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, but I bought it anyway!  My review of Book 2, Exposure, here.

Genre: Thriller/financial.

In this third book in the Crazy Amy series, Amy travels to Prague to help 84 year old George Smithies recover a Picasso painting last seen in 1939, and help him find his way through the maze of Czech art restitution law.  The situation is a complex one, as there is mystery surrounding family ties, and right of ownership is not straightforward.  Amy and George meet up with Beresford, an art historian to whom Amy takes an immediate dislike, and her old 'frenemy', Mel.  It soon transpires that Amy and George are not the only ones interested in the painting, which puts Amy in great danger.

The amount of research that has gone into this book is evident, with much about the history and culture of the Czech Republic that I found most interesting; I like novels that teach me about other countries.

Amy is oddly likable, even though she shouldn't be; she's snobbish and judgemental with a hell of a chip on her shoulder (and I couldn't forgive her for dragging poor, reluctant George out for a walk on their first night in freezing cold Prague!), but there's something about the way she's so honest about herself that makes her endearing.  Her emotional dilemmas, even just the seemingly trivial ones like whether or not she ought to sleep with a man who attracts her and how to get rid of the excess five pounds around her middle, make her seem very real.  

...though maybe not always so self-aware: ' "..Amy, did anyone ever suggest you might have a problem with alcohol?"  "Yes", I snapped, "the idiots at the Priory".'    I love that!  Her bitchy-aside-a-minute relationship with chavvy gold digger Mel is beautifully illustrated in its oneupmanship; I think observation about people's motivations and insecurities is a real strength of this author, and I'd love to see more of it in future books. 

Still battling through the difficulties caused by her psychological problems, Amy makes some candid statements: 'Everyone pretends there's no stigma against mental health issues, like everyone pretends there's no sexism or racism.  But it's still bubbling away beneath the surface and ... people will find a cogent, lawful reason for denying me a job ... That's the way it is'

I liked that this novel was less overtly fast-paced than the previous one, with more 'downtime'.  It's cleverly structured, and I'm sure it will be appreciated by readers who like to immerse themselves in thrillers with complicated plots, and anyone with an interest in said plot's subject matter, ie, the restitution of valuable works of art.

'We'll be there you bitcoin, came the {text message} reply, bitcoin presumably being the predictive text substitute for bitch'. 😅😆

EXPOSURE by Rose Edmunds @RoseEdmunds #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: It was a submission to Rosie Amber's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

This is the standalone sequel to Concealment, which I read two years ago; I have the worst memory in the world, so Exposure read as a one-off to me.  Thus, I can confirm that you don't need to read Concealment first, though of course it's always helpful ~ and I think it might be equally as interesting to read it afterwards....

I'd describe this novel as half way between a financial and a psychological thriller.  Occasionally the financial terminology went over my head, but it's written in such a way that I got the gist.  One thing I did like very much was the way the novel was structured; there are lots of point of view and situation changes at just the right time, it's extremely well-edited, with plenty of dangling, suspenseful threads at the ends of chapters to make you think, "I wonder what's going to happen there....?"  The whole novel is dialogue-driven; there is little narrative, and the pace never lets up.  Murder, deception, financial fraud, international skullduggery, toxic relationships ~ it has all the ingredients of a popular page-turner.

Rose Edmunds' Amy shows clever characterisation; she is bound to cause definite reactions amongst those who read her.  The daughter of a hoarder, she grew up with all sorts of psychological problems that led her to being exceptionally ambitious and obsessed with the material, and the outward show of success.  In the last book, circumstances came together to make all this come crashing down, and Exposure deals with the new, more self-aware Amy who is still trying to deal with the remnants of the old.  She's not particularly likeable; she knows it's nasty and superficial of her to judge a female colleage on being (horrors!) 20 lbs overweight and wearing the 'wrong' clothes, but she can't help it.  She's unsympathetic to the woman whose husband was in love with her - she tries to overcome the self-destructive within her, but always struggles.  Her complex character makes for some interesting relationship dynamics, indeed, and we learn more about her backstory in this book, too. 

My favourite character was financial blogger Toby Marchpole ~ I was most interested in his wife, an old schoolfriend of Amy's, and their marriage.  I also enjoyed Amy's observations about the dreadful Pedley, her boss for part of the book (when she goes undercover.... I'll leave you to find out about that!).

It's a well thought out plot, and I'm sure readers of smart, fast-paced contemporary thrillers will enjoy it very much ~ there's certainly no opportunity to get bored!
 

CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds

4.5 out of 5 stars

Financial thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's book review team 

When I was about 20% of the way through this novel I described it to someone else as 'immaculate', which is an odd way to describe a book, but it seemed fitting, and still does.  Concealment is flawlessly presented, so well structured, formatted and edited; not so much as a spare half sentence, anywhere!  As someone who hates wading through waffle, I so appreciated that.

Now, I have no knowledge of or interest in high finance, so please note my high star rating and understand that, therefore, it must be extremely good!  It is.  In the first 7% there is a fair bit of explanation about tax shenanigans, and I feared that, despite the fact that it's so sharp and well written, I might not enjoy it so much, simply because I would have to concentrate very hard to understand it.  But if you're a financial dum-dum like me, please don't be put off - it still begins at a cracking pace and soon delves further into the action, the people, the motivations.

This is a murder whodunnit, and protagonist Amy Robinson is determined to find out the answers.  Along the way, though, she has to deal with the repercussions of her psychologically damaging childhood, and a complex tangle of conspiracy amongst colleagues, clients and people she thought she could trust.  It seems that everyone is against her, and worse, but is she just being paranoid?  I loved the way the suspense was built up - nothing like reading that someone will be dead in a few days to keep you reading!

I thought the relationships throughout the book were expertly, and often amusingly, painted.  The characters are all well defined and clear and the writing style made me connect with Amy immediately and root for her throughout, especially as the other characters were all so delightfully unlikeable - some wonderful baddies!  Rose Edmunds has portrayed the slimy boss Ed Smithies, the self-serving best friend Lisa (I hated her!), the two-faced ex-husband Greg and troubled, chauvinistic Ryan so well.  Amy's own descent into psychological hell is fabulously well done, and I found the parts that looked back into her childhood absolutely fascinating. 

If you are particularly fond of financial thrillers you will LOVE this, and if, like me, you don't know your share options from your allocations of divisional overheads (I haven't got a clue what any of that means), you will still enjoy it very much—I read it over a period of two days because (cliché alert!).... I couldn't put it down!

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE

 

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds

4 out of 5 stars

Cancer cure conspiracy thriller, high finance

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 31 October 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

I was pretty impressed with this; the plot is very well put together, with few of the traits so often to be found in a debut novel. I was interested in the subject matter anyway, ie, a conspiracy to prevent the widespread knowledge about a cure for cancer, much of which I am sure goes on. It was obvious that Ms Edmunds is well versed in the ways of the high-flying financial world, too. The whole story was very convincing.

A clever plot is nothing without great characters, of course, and although I found some of them a little one dimensional, one of the two main characters, Hugo, a reluctant and atypical city boy, was marvellously portrayed, and carried the whole book, making it more than just a thriller. He was very likeable and I found myself pleased when I got to more 'Hugo bits'.

If you like stories with plenty going on and no superfluous detail, especially those about the world of high finance, I'd say this should be right up your street. Well done, Ms Edmunds!


CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE