In NYC, Marina is engaged to Grant who is the son of a billionaire who is about to run for president. She is a reporter at Press magazine. Her boss Duncan is obsessed with tracking the offshore account of a Ponzi scheme criminal. Annabel is married to Matthew. They live in Geneva where Matthew, a former tax lawyer, works as a private banker at a Swiss bank. Duncan and Matthew wind up dead and Marina and Annabel separately start investigating their mysterious deaths. The book is written from the alternating points of view of Marina and Annabel. Occasionally, there are chapters about Zoe, Matthew's assistant.

Take a mishmash of all the news articles you have read recently about offshore accounts, whistle blowers, money launderers and billionaires in politics. Then combine them with a few murders and some women's fiction tropes (adultery, miscarriage, broken relationships and A LOT of crying). Everyone is beautiful/handsome and exceedingly rich. They all have impeccable Ivy League credentials. It might be better as a movie than a book, if they manage to dramatize people sitting at a computer transferring assets and hacking accounts. The book runs around in circles a lot, so a movie might tighten the plot. I was interested enough to read to the end, but this book is forgettable. <spoiler>And the ending is just awful. Everyone lives happily ever after. Give me a break. One star deducted for this.</spoiler>

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This books feels like something you would read about in the paper. It is very relatable and intriguing. It's a clever story that keeps you guessing.

Page turning. At times a little choppy but a good read. I couldnt figure it out and was connected to the characters. Definitely would make a good movie

This novel was such a refreshing take on the thriller genre. I won't give too much away about the plot except to say that the women in this novel were all portrayed SO WELL. And not in a phony, perfect way. They were the types of female characters I want to read more of: Intelligent, strong-willed, driven, yet loyal and loving...in other words these women were the kind of women I know and love in my real life (though the ones in this book have a lot more money...hehe). Typically, for me to be impressed with female characters in a novel, I have to go far away from thrillers. Thrillers almost categorically get them wrong; either too much of a man-hater, too angry, too smart, too much "better" than the other characters around her, etc.

The story was also unique for a female-driven thriller. Instead of a straight domestic drama, this one focused on international banking. It takes some of today's headlines and fictionalizes them into a story that seems like something that could really happen. And again, I loved that it didn't get too political to be offensive to anyone even though political ambitions were part of the plot. I just loved the escapism without having too use too much suspension of disbelief. Loved this book.

Wow! What a great read!! I loved this book which I simply could not put down. It was exciting and interesting and the suspense was very well written into the story. The two main characters are women who are married to powerful, wealthy men. One of the husbands dies and a story detailing the hiding of millions of dollars in off shore numbered accounts begins to surface. I very strongly recommend this book to anyone!

I'll admit, when I first came across this title I assumed it was another domestic psychological "wife" thriller (although one with a great cover). The Banker's Wife , however, was not at all what I expected. I knew from the opening scene in the London airport that this financial thriller was not only going to keep me on my toes, but it had such an international flair and hint of conspiracy and secrets to come that I couldn't wait to find out more. 

We first meet Marina, an investigative journalist for Press magazine, whose fiancé's father is close to securing the bid for the next US Presidential election. Although she's been contemplating quitting the further immersed she gets in the upper echelon of New York society, she's enticed by her editor to help gather secret evidence from a source in Paris. What follows propels Marina into an investigation of a top Swiss Bank, Swiss United, which may or may not have close US ties. From there we get to be flies on the wall, immersed in the secrets and scandals that cross the globe.

The story alternates perspectives between Marina and Annabel, whose husband Matthew is missing after his plane goes down in the Swiss Alps. Matthew is a banking executive with Swiss United (can you start to see the threads?) and it's not long before Annabel is questioning not only what happened to her husband's plane but also if she really knew her husband. 

I was equally invested in both these smart, sophisticated, take control women and the way Alger structured the novel, with lightening paced chapters that combined phenomenal dialogue with increasing tension, was just brilliant. Seriously, I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this book, if that makes sense? It is one of the most cinematic, globe trotting novels I've ever read, taking us to Switzerland, Paris, London, and New York.  I could picture each place and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out how all the little threads were connected...or not. Some advice though, this is a close reading type of story where details can be missed, especially in the second half where a few more characters were introduced. I had to really pay attention so as to not feel confused. I highly recommend this intelligent, tightly plotted thriller if you're looking for something original and fast paced.

I loved it. Great suspense. Kept me turning pages very late into the night--ok well into the morning.

I absolutely loved this book and found it gripping from start to finish. All of the female characters were extremely well-drawn and had surprising depth considering it's a pretty plot-driven story. There were enough twists and turns to make it a page-turner, but all of the character's actions made sense which is rare when tying to keep the reader guessing. I highly recommend this book.

Didn't know what to expect from this book when I first started it since I don't read many financial thrillers--but it was excellent! Could not put it down! Cristina Alger created three great female characters with Annabel, Marina, and Zoe. These women remained strong, independent, and fearless in the complicated web of money, power, and greed. The author’s background as a financial analyst and corporate attorney shined through as she broke down the often complicated and seedy nature of offshore banks. Definitely excited to read another one of Cristina Alger’s novels! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

The Banker's Wife is a new spin on the classic who done it thriller. It has a fast but smooth pace that kept me interested and flipping the pages well into the night. There were several times throughout this book that I thought I had it all figured out and was completely surprised to find out just how wrong I was and because of that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to see what this author does next.

Characters were introduced into this book at haphazard times in laying out a complicated story with two heroines- Marina, the fiancé of a very rich son, Grant whose father is likely to run for President and Annabel, a journalist, the wife of a private banker, Matthew. There is a lot of money laundering and corruption and murders of various characters. Just glad I finished it so I could write a review — that I really thought it was a waste. I received this book from Netgalley which was difficult to read as it was in pdf galley form for a kindle with many broken words.

If you are looking for a book with twists and turns that take you on a wild ride, this is the one for you!

The story follows Marina, a reporter, and Annabel, who’s husband has mysteriously died in a plane crash, discovering the truth of what happened. A Swiss bank that Matthew, Annabel’s husband, worked for, is involved in a lot of illegal doings and these women will find out more than they bargained for.

I loved the women in this book. They were smart, fearless at times, and downright awesome. This includes Zoe, who was Matthew’s assistant. Loved her! This really is a wild ride and the ending was perfection. I have to admit that there were a lot of characters and at times, I had to stop and think, “who is this now”? But it was easy to figure out and I went along my merry way. This is the perfect book in this climate with so much corruption going on in the world today. I got a better understanding of how offshore banking worked. A really good read.

Thanks to Putnam for a copy of this book.

This was a great, suspenseful book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Cristina Alger in the future--you have a devoted fan!

I loved this book! It begins with a private plane that crashes soon after take-off somewhere over the French Alps, leaving no survivors. And it's non-stop action from there --- all told from the perspectives of three kick-ass women. The first is Annabel, wife of a Swiss banker (Matthew) who was one of the passengers on the doomed flight. Her husband was supposed to have been at a business meeting in Zurich, so why was he on a plane that departed from London? The second is Marina, engaged to a handsome politician's son. She enters the mystery when her friend and former editor is suddenly found dead after calling her to ask a mysterious favor. And the third is Zoe, assistant to Swiss banker Matthew.

Cristina Alger is a skilled author, and she moves the story along at a brisk pace. All of her characters are well developed, and the three women in the story truly come alive. What I most liked about this book is that the protagonists are so smart. They work through everything with their brains and relationships rather than through the usual violence that features so prominently in most thrillers. This would make a fabulous movie, and I'd love to read more by Alger. Five stars for sure!

Ms Alger has written a fascinating novel set in the International actions of Swiss banks and their incessant quest for client secrecy. The descriptions are so exacting that the reader could easily imagine that the book is an expose of the murky world these financial institutions inhabit rather than a most engrossing story.
The novel opens as Matthew Werner a high ranking insider at Swiss United a huge offshore bank and a client of his are killed in a plane crash while en route to Geneva on business. His widow Annabel begins investigating the incident and finds herself entangled in a maze of evidence that the crash is not the accident it seems to be. At the same time Marina Tourneau a successful society journalist at the threshold of marrying Grant Ellis the son of a man that is about to announce his candidacy for President of the United States .Marina is ready to leave Journalism and dedicate herself to Grant and his high level activities when she discovers the possibility of a story about the criminal behavior of Swiss United and decides to pursue it in order to retire having written the article of the century. A third woman that has become caught up in Swiss United's nefarious activities is Matthew Werner's assistant. She has been gathering data exacted from Matthew's confidential files in order to hand them over to an investigator for the U.S. government.

The players have been placed and the actions begun. Writing is guaranteed to cause a couple of sleepless nights for the reader as Ms Alger pulls them from one set of activities to another. The end result is one that is satisfying and allows a good literary experience to become even better. The descriptions of the trillions of dollars banks hide from governments in overseas markets is a fascinating one and does give rise to the possibility that the book is based on fact. Ms Alger makes no claim that that is the case, but maybe?

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
This is a fast .paced thriller that one just does not want to put down. Interesting characters and filled with twists and turns. The plot is interesting and does not follow the typical formula for this kind of thriller.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a thriller that wasn't classified as a domestic thriller. I used to love these type of books and I have no idea why I never pick them up anymore, but after finishing The Banker's Wife I won't wait that long again. This book was a really interesting setup and felt pretty true to life. The whole scandal is based around off shore banks and what role they play. The narrative was pretty much split between Marina and Annabel. Often times a dual narrative can have a character you really care about and the other you are not nearly as invested in, but I was completely tied in to both of their stories and how they connected. Sometimes there were parts that I'd have to read a couple times to understand, but for the most part the book flowed really well. This was such a welcomed change and I started seeking out similar reads when I finished the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. Here is my review.

This was OK. It tried hard to be heart-pounding, but it was mostly just confusing. There were so many characters, two separate stories, and just too much. The basis of the story was good, and interesting, but it just couldn't gel for me.

The Banker's Wife is a great summer read, especially for those who enjoy novels like The Expats by Chris Pavone. The set up...Annabel is married to Matthew. Matthew is a banker at a Swiss bank that keeps secrets for its depositors. Marina is a journalist who is engaged to a prospective presidential candidate's son. She works with Duncan. They are trying to locate a notorious Ponzi schemer. The story, of course, is even bigger than this.

Matthew is reported killed in a plane crash along with a cousin of Syria's dictator. Annabel is left bereaved and unsafe. Marina is unsafe as well. While the two do not meet, they are both impacted by the business practices of Swiss United Bank.

Both Annabel and Marina are connected to a myriad of other characters. There are questions about whom to trust and how to unravel the bank's schemes and hold those who are guilty accountable. The reader experiences doubts too regarding what has happened and who all of the 'bad guys' are.

Christina Alger has written a book that is suspenseful and engaging. The plot is complex but not too hard to follow. The reader will understand more about financial shenanigans and the private banking worlds that are fascinating and not part of many readers' daily lives.

I truly enjoyed the settings, characters and the plot of the novel. I highly recommend it!

What a fabulous peek into the world of high finance. The story captured me from the first pages and kept me enthralled throughout. The settings were spectacular, Geneva and New York especially. I loved the strong women that carried the book. And the drama and mystery were exciting and kept me riveted to each page. I highly recommend this book. It was delicious.