Brilliant [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Marne Davis Kellogg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2003

Meet Kick Keswick, an elegant and self-possessed American who has been at London's venerable Ballantine & Company Auctioneer, Ltd., for over thirty years. She is an expert on paintings, furniture, and objets d'art, and so far has lived a perfectly happy life with things on her mind other than love. She adores her elegant, cozy London flat, her books, her music, her delicious meals, and her jewels. Kick doesn't need a man in her life messing things up. But when American industrialist, scoundrel, and womanizer Owen Brace grabs the faltering Ballantine & Company in a corporate takeover, he turns Kick's world upside down, opening her eyes to large-scale love, romance, and sensuous pleasure.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

American Kick Keswick has been working for the esteemed auction house of Ballantine and Company for more than 30 years, a position that came by way of Oklahoma and a lengthy juvenile record. She met Ballantine's owner, Sir Cramner, while visiting London as a teenager and was his mistress until he died. Her expertise in antiquities and jewelry propelled her to executive secretary, and she expects to retire comfortably on a trust fund and the money she makes with her secret life--until the new owner, Owen Brace, blows in. Owen is a larger-than-life, brash American industrialist with lots of plans and an overactive sex life. Kick becomes enamored of her new boss and decides to stick around, but gets more than even she bargained for. Owen brings romance and great sex, but Kick's larcenous habit is nothing compared with what he contrives. Kellogg's sophisticated and lavishly fun tale of greed and daring in the high-stakes auction house world presents a full-figured, tough, and atypical heroine readers will cheer for. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Great wines, elegant villains, remarkable sex and a surprise ending—what more could any reader ask for?” –Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage and The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine.

“Marne Davis Kellogg’s portrait of a world of opulence and decadence is so vivid she must be an insider. Enjoy the guilty pleasures of Brilliant. I did.” –Harry Smith, CBS, Anchor, “The Early Show”

“Marne Davis Kellogg has written an elegant and luscious suspense novel, filled with intriguing twists and turns. As always, Ms. Kellogg’s characters are funny, sexy, interesting, and quirky. Great summer reading. Brilliant is, in a word, brilliant.” –Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country

“Here’s a heroine who loves diamonds, great food, and great ways to get revenge. What more could any woman want? Brilliant is a delicious novel you’ll devour like the most scrumptious meal. I loved Kick Keswick—I wouldn’t want to mess with her but I would enjoy hanging out with her.” –Janet Evanovich, author of To The Nines

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 444 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; 1 edition (December 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587245434
• ISBN-13: 978-1587245435
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,139,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars D, Flawless!!!, September 30, 2004

By 

Leigh A. Taft (Mobile, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brilliant (Kick Keswick Mysteries #1) (Hardcover)

I LOVED this book! It was literally difficult to put down & one that you hate to finish. I found Kellogg's descriptions so delightful to read. From the way she made a simple omelette to her minute steps in replicating jewelry- it was great fun! Kick's sass was refreshing to see & I liked the fact that she still was a "lady" throughout her escapades.

I saw where another reviewer was bugged by the fact that she had so much power at the auction house, yet was still bringing the boys tea. Ballantine is old-school England! She was smart enough to know that did not demean her. She knew how to play the men. I am sure she could've moved up, too, but hmmm.... wouldn't that have made her "other job" more dangerous? I think she had the best of both worlds here & knew it.

Kudos to Kellogg for her good research job in writing this book. She definitely knew her stuff.

A great book here. Do not pass it up! Can't wait to read "Priceless", her sequel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rather fanciful but a fun, suspenseful read, October 8, 2005

By 

Barbara L. Pinzka "Book Friend" (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brilliant (Mass Market Paperback)

(Please read the plot summary.) I enjoyed the book mostly for the vivid informatioon it provided about the world of the great London auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby's, and the business of top-level auctions. Then we move on to the rags-to-riches story of a fictional, but major, auction house's top-level employee, the heroine Kick (what a name! Rock Hudson's niece?) Keswick, and her obsession with precious stones and luxury jewelry, which leads to her night job as a mistress jewel thief of unparallel skill.

The auction house is bought out by a brash American, and wheels start spinning, with Kick caught in more than a few. The Plot starts moving quickly, with more turns and reverses than a maze. There's the predictable (Kick has an affair with the brash American) and the unexpected (a pact between the auction house and the last Russian royals). And all of the time she leads a life of luxury, described in mouth-watering, eye-pleasing detail.

It's silly but it's a fun read, far more sophisticated than recent cozies, which is the closest genre in which I could place it. My only serious quibble is that the book contains a fair number of typographical errors and simple grammatical errors. At this price level, that's unforgiveable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting and likeable heroine, September 13, 2004

By 

Diana (Emporia, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brilliant (Kick Keswick Mysteries #1) (Hardcover)

Kick Keswick is an unapologetic, fascinating creature whose thoughts drive this book. She successfully draws the reader into the world of high-brow auction houses as well as her own, shadier realm. The descriptions of jewelry that grace Kick's life are sumptuous. Her characters are interesting and complex - the kind you love and hate at the same time. Even though I cheated and read the epilogue before I was half way through the book, I was still amazed out how masterfully Marne Davis Kellogg kept me guessing as to how the plot was going to work out. The reader really learns the importance of "the value of discretion and the virtue of keeping [one's] mouth shut and the essential nature of confidentiality and trustworthiness," to quote Kick's own narrative.