When Susan Bentham wins the lottery, she looks to take control of her life and overcome her unhappy marriage, but she and her erstwhile husband are soon caught up in a deadly game of murder. Reprint. PW.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
There's hardly a splash of blood in this engaging English suspense novel; instead, there is the frisson of suspense as delicious, dark fantasies of revenge are conceived and spun out. For 25 years, Jeff and Susan Bentham have stuck to the chilly, loveless marriage they entered as teens, she playing dull homebody to the worldly lawyer who always has a bit on the side. But the pendulum swings towards Susan when she wins 1 million in the pools and sets out to redress the slights of a quarter-century. Gradually, anonymously, she strips her husband of all he holds dear: the semi-detached home she detests, his name, his work, even his best friend. Puttering about with his latest mistress in the butter-soft luxury of his new Rolls-Royce, Jeff barely notices at first, but the noose tightens uncomfortably soon enough. Gears grind too slowly in spots and Chaplin--a pseudonym for mystery author Jill McGown ( Murder Movie )--trowels on repetitious cliches: when Susan's masochistic affair wtih Jeff's friend Rob reaches a sophomoric sizzle, she repeatedly likens herself to a moth drawn to flame. These flaws aside, Chaplin winches up the tension notch by tender notch to a gallows-humor finale in which the tables are triumphantly turned.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Marital revenge fuels psychological thriller,
By
This review is from: Hostage to Fortune: Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)
The vicissitudes of sudden wealth inspire British author Chaplin's "Hostage to Fortune," featuring Susan and Jeff Bentham, a British couple who richly deserve each other. Susan, beaten down by 25 years of mousy marriage, has won the football pools, 1.5 million pounds.
Coolly calculating, she sets a plan in motion to revenge herself on her self-absorbed husband, gradually stripping him of his independence while building her own. The story begins with the pre-climactic moment and then jumps back to the beginning of the year, tracing events forward. It's no hardship to watch Jeff, a smug sort, enveloped strand by strand in Susan's web. But he's not going to be acted upon forever and eventually conceives a plan of his own. The plot evolves around how well - and how little - married couples know and understand one another. Chaplin's nuances of character are nicely placed and the pace draws the reader in with quiet, chilling suspense. Portsmouth Herald
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book had alot of suspense it was real good to me,
By A Customer
This review is from: Hostage to Fortune (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a reader from South Carolina I enjoy reading. To me this book was good so I think you should check it out.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
