Paul Brightman is a rising star on Wall Street, focused and ambitious—until he crosses paths with Tatyana, a captivating photographer who turns his world upside down. Drawn in by her charm and unaware of her true background, Paul is blindsided when he learns that Tatyana is the daughter of a powerful Russian oligarch. What begins as a whirlwind romance quickly entangles him in a web of international intrigue. As Paul becomes entangled with her family and eventually marries her, he finds himself under the scrutiny of global intelligence agencies. With his life unraveling, Paul is forced to go off the grid, questioning loyalties and fighting to stay alive.

The novel shifts between timelines—a narrative style I usually find distracting—but in this case, it worked brilliantly. The pacing was sharp, the plot packed with twists, and the ending genuinely caught me off guard. I would highly recommend this book and the author to anyone who enjoys a gripping, high-stakes thriller.

Grant Anderson is living a quiet life in New Hampshire - when he takes a man out on a charter fishing boat, the man knows that Grant is really Paul Brightman. Paul, a stock trader, escaped his life 5 years ago running from his wife's Russian oligarch father after working with the FBI to expose his illegal activities. Paul meets Tatyana at a fundraiser and as their relationship develops, he learns who her father really is. After going to work for him at his investment firm he discovers activities that call into question the life he has made for himself. After facing exposure Paul goes on the run and changes his identity to hide from both sides. Fast paced and revealing of how things were before the US stripped the Oligarchs of their assets.

The first Joseph Finder book that I read was High Crimes. My coworker and I were so impressed with the book that we told everyone to read it. Our branch kept all eighteen copies in the library district pretty much at our branch because our customers always had it on reserve! The libraries were forced readers order more copies. Word of mouth reader’s advisory at its finest! The Oligarchs Daughter was just as wonderful to read. Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this title.

Joseph Finder is an author whose books I have been promising to read for a while and finally got around to it with this one. I enjoyed it so much I'm going to read some of his previous works.

Paul Brightman is on the run from his past, which soon catches up with him in a deadly manner. As Paul now tries to stay ahead of killers, the author weaves Paul’s backstory into the present. We begin to understand that Paul’s career path was not the life he set out to have. He fell in love with a woman whose father turned out to be a Russian Oligarch. No one is who they seem to be, not even the main character, and they all have hidden agendas.

I thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed it and it is with great delight I write this review.

There are many unexpected twists and turns and an unexpected ending to the newest novel by Finder. I’m not sure I agree with Paul returning to Tatyana after everything that transpired but it did efficiently conclude the story. This would make a great movie!

An exciting story with plenty of action and likeable characters by a great author who never disappoints.

Paul Brightman, has been on the run for years. Even though he had to look over his shoulder occasionally, he somehow he has created a good life. Actually a pretty great life. But how long can it last? Apparently, Paul had 7 years and the bubble has burst. Someone has found him. He doesn’t know how or who sent them? He knows he has to run again. The forrest in New Hampshire is where he runs too but it only keeps hidden for so long. Now he must try to figure out, why he had to run in the first place. He remembers the girl he fell in love with and her family. Actually her father, a Russian Oligarch, who gave Paul the best opportunity and who took it away as quickly. He was in contact with certain federal agencies but even they were sketchy at best. Paul had little time, little resources and a whole lot of memories to get through to find his way out of his current mess. Then maybe he can stop running from everyone and everything. I love a good suspense novel and Joseph Finder created an excellent character and story about life on the run. I read this book so quickly because had to see how it ended. The Oligarch’s Daughter is just the kind of read I love. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book.

This one had that Cold War era spy novel vibe I used to devour as a teenager, but with modern day technology adding to the paranoia and pulse-pounding suspense. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, I enjoyed the many twists and turns in the story. The pace was fairly fast, with a few stutters here and there, and most of the characters were well-developed. Although the writing felt awkward in some places, I loved the tidbits of Russian language sprinkled throughout. All in all, a fun read.

Grant Anderson, who has been a resident of a small New Hampshire town for five years, makes his living as a carpenter and boatbuilder. His girlfriend, Sarah, is a schoolteacher who wonders why Grant has never told her much about his past. The reason is that Grant is living under an assumed name and is hiding from some very nasty thugs whom he hopes will never find him. Unfortunately for Grant, whose real name is Paul, his enemies are on his trail.

In Joseph Finder’s “The Oligarch’s Daughter,” Paul Brightman, a New York City hedge fund analyst, falls in love with a photographer named Tatyana, who lives in a modest apartment in the East Village. Paul is shocked to discover that Tatyana is the daughter of a Russian billionaire who owns an ornate mansion, enjoys hosting guests aboard his luxurious yacht, and is involved in shady business dealings. When he foolishly goes to work for Tatyana’s father, Arkady Galkin, Paul must make a difficult choice—either adhere to the government’s financial regulations or obey his boss’s orders. Paul soon finds out that anyone who crosses Galkin does so at his peril.

This thriller is most suspenseful when our hero disappears into the woods in an attempt to elude his pursuers. His estranged father once gave Paul tips about surviving in the wilderness, but our hero finds it difficult to stay warm, hydrated, and oriented while on the run. Although Finder electrifies us with exciting action scenes, the characters in “The Oligarch’s Daughter” are thinly drawn. Furthermore, the author’s prose is awkward ("at times (“an eel of unease squirmed in Grant’s belly”) and cliché-ridden, and his melodramatic plot—which deals with greed, power-hungry individuals, and corruption in high places—requires an enormous suspension of disbelief.

This is my first book by Joseph Finder. I am currently kicking myself for not finding him sooner. This book is non stop action and I will go back and read everything else he has written

It is not too often that you start reading a book and just cannot put it down. This is one of those, where I kept thinking, just one more chapter ... over and over.

This book has international intrigue, a look into family life of a Russian Oligarch's family, FBI and a man on the run. Running from who? It remains a mystery throughout. Sorry, not telling any more, it would ruin your suspense.

If you are used to Joseph Finder's writing, this is even better than most. If you have not read his books, you will start after reading this!

Ah, Finder is back. This is the good stuff. 80 proof suspense.

Weird basic copyediting mistakes, though. On one page, Paul mentions to Tatyana that his mother is dead; on the next page, he again says his mother is dead, & she reacts as if this is new information.

Similarly, at one point Bernie gets up & leaves; on the next page, we read that Paul is staring at Bernie, who, uh, already left.

And then Sarah calls Paul “Paul,” though she knows him as Grant. Sheesh!

Oh, & I hope Finder knows the title of Thoreau’s book is not “Walden Pond.”

Such inconsistencies are jarring; copy editor, heal thy pages.

Another entertaining Finder novel. His writing is wonderful and I haven't read a book by him I didn't enjoy. This is an easy, fast-paced thriller that any thriller reader should enjoy. Brightman is an interesting character and the novel has an old-school Cold War feel with a dash of high finance. There are a couple of coincidental and slightly absurd plot devices, but overall a highly enjoyable read that should do well with Finder fans and noobies alike.

This fast paced thriller was riveting from start to finish. I loved how the author combined a wilderness survival story with a past timeline that takes readers to NYC and Russia. The pace, characterization, and plot were very compelling. The characters felt like real people. This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. The author covered all his bases and I had no idea where the story was going which I loved. I learned a lot about Russian Oligarchs and how that world operates which was scary yet fascinating.

Been in something of a reading slump lately with nothing really grabbing me. Was hoping an espionage type thriller would change that. First reaction? Uh, maybe not.

I enjoyed The Oligarch's Daughter and read it pretty quickly but it didn't wow me. It wasn't one of those where you can't wait to block out some time to read it. I think my tastes have something to do with it. I tend to enjoy thrillers with a little more literary style.

I also struggled with the character development. I wasn't really drawn to any of the characters and few of them were flushed out at all. Heck, I wasn't even rooting for the lead character all that much.

The plot was interesting, with some big twists toward the end, but the jumping back and forth in time didn't always create tension, sometimes it broke the momentum. This is my first Finder novel so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was not the cure for my reading malaise, alas.

Although The Oligarch's Daughter seemed to be an homage to the classic cold war thriller, some of it seems way over-the-top. The story of Paul Brightman, a rising star in the investment industry who meets a photographer at an obligatory work-event, falls in love with her as he discovers that her father is a Russian oligarch, is filled with twists and turns and some suspense, but in the end, double-triple-quadruple-crossing elements seem just a little too pat. Just as in the classic thrillers, much of Paul's fate depends on an unusual upbringing, exceptional contacts, coincidence, and luck. In the ned, the book is saved by the high quality of Finder's writing and the breakneck pace of the story. Fans of the genre will be happy to have The Oligarch's Daughter in their hands.

A terrific spy thriller by Joseph Finder. A fast paced espionage thriller filled with lies, treachery, and fast paced action. While I have been a fan of Finders books for a long time, this one didn’t exactly hit the mark for me. I had trouble following the storyline and conversations , some in Russian. And parts seem a bit far fetched. Including the ending. Thanks for the ARC.

I loved this suspense/spy thriller from Joseph Finder! He has another winner with this book. Thank you for the advanced copy.

This story follows Paul who is living under another name in a small town in New Hampshire. He knew people were looking for him and had skills learned from his survivalist father to help him in his new life. His crime was falling in love with the wrong woman. Read this gripping book to find out more. The book’s title gives you a little hint of the storyline.

Next month, it will have been five years since I read and reviewed a book by Joseph Finder…that one was 5-star House On Fire, #4 in the Nick Heller series (note to self: go back and read 1-4!!) During the pandemic, I read a ton of books, including lots of thrillers, espionage and finance-related stories, but Finder is such a great writer and storyteller, I was extremely happy to receive a copy of The Oligarch’s Daughter from Harper and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Not part of a series, this story focuses on Grant Anderson, a quiet man living in a small town in New England, harboring a huge secret. Five years ago, he was living in New York, working as a hotshot young financial wizard on Wall Street named Paul Brightman. He met, fell in love, and married a beautiful photographer, completely unaware that her father was a Russian oligarch. When Paul went to work for her father, he became more and more aware of the complex illegal investment schemes he was being dragged into, leading him essentially become a spy. Not surprisingly, when the Russians found out, he went on the run, adopted a new identity, and hid out in the woods, having learned survival skills from his father (“a sleeping bag is a bear’s taco”). He had a complex security system that worked – until it didn’t. The story is told with alternating timelines, and as the story unravels, the mystery and tension increase. It’s such a cliche to say a book will keep you up all night, but this one really did. I loved the complexity of the story and the unraveling of the situation Paul/Grant found himself in. Five stars. I loved it!

This was a five star fast paced thriller that will have your heart pounding along with the main character Paul Brightman as he has to look over his shoulder at every given moment! Finder mixes finance, espionage, family and love where the stakes are as high as the body count.
Grant Anderson is boat builder living an unassuming life in a quiet town of New Hampshire. When an attempt is made on his life, he knows its time to run! That’s because Anderson is actually Paul Brightman. Brightman was a Wall Street phenom who fell in love and married a beautiful photographer, Tatyana. Once married, and pulled into her father’s business does Brightman realize the extent of his father in law’s ties to the Russian oligarchs and the pressure upon him to cooperate in their illicit dealings. The more he digs, the more suspicions he raises and the more danger he is in.
With dual timelines, both with high intensity tension and no one to trust this page turning thriller will have you on the edge of your seat, staying up late to reach the final conclusion!