Social Crimes

Rating:
Summary: Life Among the Rich and Famous Can Be Deadly!
Review: In the tradition of Edith Wharton, and with a clever and witty look at New York society, Jane Stanton Hitchcock presents a fast paced read with her newest book, Social Crimes.
This is the third book I've read by Ms. Hitchcock and this is her best book so far. With an almost tongue in cheek approach, the author presents less than sterling characters in a plot readers will long remember.

Jo Slater is living a life beyond her wildest dreams. A former restaurant hostess from the Midwest, Jo is now married to an enormously wealthy older man. She has become a true society lady owning an estate in the Hamptons, a fabulous apartment in Manhattan and a collection of priceless art and antiques, which includes a necklace owned by Josephine Bonaparte. But Jo is about to suffer a fall from grace when she befriends a French Countess whose background is quite mysterious. When Countess Monique has nowhere to stay for the remainder of the summer, Jo graciously offers her their guesthouse. And while Jo and Monique become fast friends, and Jo reveals a bit too much about herself, Monique is soon to prove to be quite the manipulator at Jo's expense.
All too soon, Jo is living on the other side of great wealth and society life, while Monique is now one of New York society's latest society ladies. After a period of disbelief as to what has happened to her, Jo moves into high gear and learns that revenge can have a higher price than she thought possible.

Like The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, Ms. Hitchcock has a fine eye and ear for depicting life among the very wealthy. One reads this book with a chuckle and realizes at the end that position and wealth can be fleeting at the best of times.

Rating:
Summary: Social Crimes
Review: Jo Slater is a very wealthy, very powerful socialite. She serves on the board of one of New York's most prestigious museum, she owns one of the worlds most impressive collection of eighteenth century furniture, she throws the best parties and has friends in all of the right places. Jo worked very hard to get to where she was, as she was not born into this life. However, it the blink of an eye all that Jo had worked so hard to attain was ripped away from her upon her husbands death. That is thanks in part to the beautiful French Countess Monique de Passay who began an affair with Lucius Slater, Jo's husband of over twenty years, a little over a year before Lucius' death. Lucius' will leaves all of his assets split between the Countess and his son leaving Jo virtually penniless and in a lot of debt. After years of obsessing over revenge, Jo finally devises a plan to bring down the Countess and regain her standing in society.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel of New York's socially elite and how quickly it can all be taken away. "SOCIAL CRIMES" is a very enjoyable book that will have you rooting for Jo all the way.

Rating:
Summary: Sex, lies, murder...The perfect beach read.
Review: Jo Slater is one of New York's elite. She runs in the social circles of the ultra rich, but life in the fast lane comes to an abrupt stop when her husband dies mysteriously and leaves all his money to Monique de
Passy, a French countess with more than her share of surprises up her sleeve.

As Jo is left penniless, with no home or job she does what any other socialite would do...begin questioning everything you thought you knew about the man you married. Jo's search for answers will take her down a road filled with secrets, lies, and murder and at the end of the road is the countess.

Determined to put her life back together, and destroy the woman who destroyed her, Jo sets out to uncover the shameful secrets lurking behind the glitz and glamour of New York high society, but what she discovers is that some people will stop at nothing...even murder if the price is right.

'Social Crimes' has it all; great plot, fast pace, sex, lies, secrets, and murder...what more could you want in a beach book. This highly readable expose of the ultra rich disguised as a murder mystery scores on all levels for not only being original, intelligent, and funny, but also very entertaining. Jane Stanton Hitchcock has written a wonderful novel of money, and murder, one that will have all of New York's upper crust wondering who the characters are based on.

Dive into 'Social Crimes' you will not be disappointed.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the beach -- if you don't mind staying up late!
Review: This is a very witty, fun, light read. It doesn't take itself seriously, but the plot is riveting enough that you may find that you can not put this book down. A definite guilty pleasure!