What She Knew

I loved WHAT SHE KNEW. The end of Liz Nabor's career, and the death of her aunt leads Liz to her future happiness..

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Liz Nabors followed her Aunt Edna’s career path and works as a financial advisor at Mason Stewart for the wealthy in New York. However, after Bernie Madoff is arrested, it comes out that one of her most recommended investment people, Jim Leininger, was tied to Bernie Madoff’s schemes, and her clients are losing a lot of her money. At the same time, Liz’s aunt is dying, and her sister, Barbara, begs her to fly out to Washington to say good-bye and make amends because Liz hasn’t talked to Aunt Edna in almost 20 years, after Aunt Edna tried to talk her out of being involved in finance. Liz has to deal with saying good-bye to her aunt and the hatred of her clients, who blame her for getting them involved with Leininger.

In the Corporate Governance class I am currently taking, we have talked about the financial crisis involving Bernie Madoff and the laws that came about as a result, and it has been neat reading a fictionalized story of what it might be like to have gone through the crisis. The characters in the story are well-developed, and the story has a good pace. There is a little romance in the book, but mostly it focuses on how Liz handles the blame people feel she deserves for the financial crisis and her aunt’s death.

this was a really good book. would read more of these books by this author. really like it.

Liz Nabor is at the top of her game in the finance world. Not only is she incredibly successful, but she's been able to rise in an industry where the old boys club is not exactly welcoming. Unfortunately the financial meltdown of 2008 is looming and the Madoff scandal threatens to reduce her high-powered life to ashes.

At first I thought Liz was terribly naive not to see how some of her most intimate relationships were not what they seemed. But as the story unfolded it became clear that she'd stopped herself from seeing what was obvious in hindsight. Just as many people made investments that seemed too good to be true, Liz also charged ahead, not looking into the manipulations happening around her.

Pretty early on I guessed how things would unfold in Liz's personal life. Though there were a couple of surprises that kept me guessing as to how things would finally play out. Liz manages to stay true to herself, while coming to terms with her past. Her growth does make her more sympathetic, and gives a face to the countless people who were caught up in the purges of the financial industry during that time.

The author did a good job of giving the reader a look at what was going on behind the scenes. Not only was it a good story, but it should serve as a cautionary tale as well.

I am still wondering what I thought of this book. I really liked the beginning, the first chapters when you see Liz working at Wall Street, worrying about the consequences of the biggest financial crisis since 1929, which is getting worse and worse, day by day.
If you remember, of course there was Madoff, but the main reason was the amount of loans given by banks to clients who could not pay them back, loans worth 2 to 3 times the value of the house they were supposed to finance. Plus the companies who believed with amazing arrogance they were too big to fall. The car companies CEO came to Washington D.C. to ask for a bail out and they came with their private jets, one for each! Just insane.
Here, the story is about a trader, who is going to fall like Madoff and many others. Because if she was weary of Madoff, she believed the (fictitious) Leininger firm to be honest and successful. When she discovers the company was involved in the scam, too, she is ashamed of her naive trust and impossibility to fix anything for the investors who trusted her. Sadly, that is when the story loses its focus. She acts like a first year business student. She invested all of the funds her clients let her manage through one firm? What about diversification? You know, the security idea behind investing, a bit in the risky market, some in secure values, some gold and silver and some real estate. In the 1990s and the early 2000s, it was obvious that internet companies were a sure bid. Microsoft, Apple, etc... Or Amazon a bit later? In other words, if her clients were willing to risk everything on Leininger, why use her? They did not need to add costs of a second stock broker, did they?
And I still have a lot of questions left unanswered, more personal about her : why did she stop talking to her aunt, who half raised her? how did she manage with Rick for years? or who would have the insane idea of a surprise birthday party for a man who comes home jet lagged and probably exhausted? how did she manage to get an eight-figure personal savings account, even in 20 years? that begins at 10,000,000!
I really enjoyed the book, and it makes me mad that all those things have not been fixed, which could have been done with some research. The way it is handled, it is just unbelievable.
It bothers me because I liked the writing, the character, and the idea.

This really took me back! Although I was never as high powered as Liz Nabor, I still had a fairly senior position in a finance company. And, yes, it was all about the job. I sympathised with her as she could see nothing wrong with her life - I had been there.

When the crash comes in 2008, she is totally unprepared for the back stabbing, blame culture that springs up - and she finds herself at the epicentre of it.

In contrast - her aunt's life in Washington state, her imminent death and all the memories wrapped up with that, act as a complete contrast. And I found myself praying that she could sort out her mess and live a simpler life. Everything she held as true and essential was soon revealed as nothing but a sham, including her relationship with the sleazy Rick.

It was well written and spoke to me in volumes! And I was so pleased to have a leading lady in her late 40's - as opposed to all the 20 and 30-somethings!

The cover is definitely not right though - it gives the impression of history, age and mystery.

Nice book and I was glad I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

reminiscent of Girl on a Train

This book held my attention from the first page, I didn't want to put it down. I found Liz, the main character, to be slightly annoying, but I think her personality was appropriate for who she was, her profession, etc. There was good character development, no one seemed lacking in adequate description. This is an interesting story that you'll want to keep turning pages to find out what is going to happen next!

I thought this was an excellent book that actually seems true! I could not put the book down. Each character in the book you can relate to because you see them every day of your life., infact like a part of yourself. The story makes you stop to think how life is and how you can choose how you want to be. The main character has good Morales and wants to do right. She comes to the realization of what her life is about and all the people around and she has to choose what she must do There is no boring part throughout the entire book!

Liz Nabor has it all: a gorgeous Manhattan apartment, Rick her high-powered life partner, a career as a money manager in a prestigious investment firm where her earnings are piling up into a nice nest-egg. That is until Bernie Madoff is arrested and the Leininger investments she has directed clients money into turn out to be a feeder fund to Madoff.

Liz and her sister, Barbara, have not been close. Just as the Madoff situation begins to pull Liz into the swirling mire, their Aunt Edna, who raised them, is now dying and Liz needs to fly to Seattle Washington to end their 20 yr estrangement before it is too late.

Liz’s career is over, her life shattered when Rick turns on her and prison looks like a foregone conclusion.

Aunt Edna’s retirement years spent in Port Livingston WA are as far removed from her career life in Chicago yet Edna leaves her home to Liz and her executor and friend Allen to guide Liz.

Wonderful secondary plot includes characters Don & Chloe Esterman and Liz’s assistant Janice.

I enjoyed this book. I remember those days and what the Enron scandal did the the natural gas industry that I was working in.

I felt sorry for the protagonist as she was used, but she was the one who was loving that high life cardboard life she was leading. I think there was a great message in this story and one that Aunt Edna and Liz both learned the hard way.

I liked this story and would recommend it as a good morale story with some family growing and romance thrown.

Thanks to CreateSpace for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This historical financial fiction romance takes place during the financial downturn in 1988. It shows that some Money Managers in Wall Street will stop at nothing to line their own pockets. They target and compete for the biggest investors who in turn will make them richer. The greed for more financial income quite often gets the better of them to their own detriment. Bernie Madoff who syphoned billions of dollars from his investors is quite a prominent feature in this novel.

Liz has worked really hard to become a successful Money Manager in Wall Street. She lives with Rick, her boyfriend of two years in a luxurious apartment and they appear to be the ideal couple. They also work well as a team.

The financial crisis strikes and Bernie is apprehended for fraud and corruption. Liz is now issued with a challenge which could make or break her. Her drive and determination takes over and she starts to put her plans in motion. At the same time, her sister Barbara calls her with news of a family crisis. She is torn between family duties and work. Despite the protests from her boss, she decides to put family first even though her heart is not in it. Has she made the right decision? Liz is quite shocked with the circumstances when she meets her aunt, twenty years later!

During her absence, she finds out that one of her colleagues whom she thinks trustworthy is in cahoots with Bernie and he takes drastic measures to avoid being caught. His actions bring about a lot of questions and unrests, putting Liz in a very awkward situation. This also brings about more complications than she can cope with. Will she be able to repair the family damage while her work ethics are under scrutiny?

Even though this is a fictitious novel, it gives is a very good projection of what happens in the financial market. There are cut throats. Relationships fall apart. Friends turn into enemies. Loyalty is more or less non existent. Families are destroyed. Will Liz be able to come out of this predicament when everything is going against her? Will ambition or love prevail?

This is a very well written novel which kept me on my toes from beginning to end. It's full of twists and turns. It's very well researched and I would fully recommend.

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.