The Banker's Wife

April 2, 2018
Alger (The Darlings) makes her genre debut with an engrossing financial thriller. Annabel and Matthew Werner are leading the high life in Geneva, where he’s employed by Swiss United, a powerful offshore bank. Matthew works constantly, and Annabel at times feels isolated. Then a private plane carrying Matthew and Fatima Amir, a colleague Annabel has never heard Matthew mention, crashes in the Alps with no survivors. Matthew’s encrypted laptop may hold clues to the secrets he kept from Annabel. Meanwhile, journalist Marina Tourneau intends to leave her profession now that she’s engaged to Grant Ellis, a former Navy SEAL whose father is running for U.S. president. But the plane crash piques Marina’s curiosity, especially since she has been looking into the dealings of Swiss United, and she digs into the story, eventually crossing paths with Annabel. Alger presents the world of wealth management in a way that a novice can understand the intricacies but also appeals to the sophisticated reader. This complex tale of how greed can upend innocent lives will resonate with many. Author tour. Agent: Pilar Queen, McCormick Literary.

May 1, 2018
A private plane takes off from London with two passengers aboard only to crash into the icy, blank mountains of the Alps, setting off an investigation that will expose corruption in the most elite financial institutions.One victim, Matthew Werner, was an international banker who had moved to Geneva with his wife, Annabel, hoping to make quick money. His death stuns Annabel, of course, who fears that Matthew may have been having an affair with the second passenger, Fatima Amir, a gorgeous hedge fund investor with ties to the corrupt Syrian regime. Matthew's role as Amir's personal banker raises further questions about whether his employer, Swiss United Bank, has taken on criminal clients. Yet Annabel begins to doubt the police's explanation of the crash and begins looking for answers herself. A late-night visit from Zoe, Matthew's administrative assistant, further fuels her suspicions. Was Matthew complicit? Or was he preparing to blow the whistle? Meanwhile, investigative journalist Marina Tourneau, on vacation in Paris with her fiance, Grant Ellis--a well-connected investment banker whose father is preparing to run for president of the United States--receives a call from her boss, Duncan, who needs her to smuggle home a USB with encrypted data that might indeed reveal the financial secrets of the posh banking world, including those of Swiss United. When Duncan turns up dead, Marina steps up to investigate. Alger (This Was Not the Plan, 2016) has crafted a sharp, compelling thriller. Annabel's and Marina's investigations stretch from Geneva to New York to London to the Cayman Islands, from mysterious millionaires to morally questionable CEOs. While Annabel uncovers Swiss United's corporate secrets, Marina, with the help of fellow journalists, stealthily searches the smuggled data, piecing together money laundering schemes and shady coverups. As the women's lines of detection converge, the villains' hackles rise. Shadowy figures in dark cars stalk Marina, burglars trash Annabel's apartment, and no one is safe.This brisk, tense page-turner will mesmerize fans of international mysteries.

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June 1, 2018
In this high-intrigue tale of the hidden world of international finance, Annabel finds herself unable to trust anyone after her husband, Matthew, dies in a mysterious plane crash. She's stuck in Geneva, having been there for two years with no job and no friends as Matthew made millions as a private banker?what was supposed to be a temporary job until they could move back to New York and be a regular couple again. Meanwhile, journalist Marina is shocked when her mentor is murdered just as he was about to break a story about money-laundering happening at the same Swiss bank where Matthew worked. She's determined to find justice and to uncover the truth behind what's going on at the bank. Alternating chapters give readers each woman's point of view as their stories run concurrently and eventually come together in a thrilling fashion. Alger perfectly nails her twisty plot, wrapping everything up in a completely satisfying ending. Readers will be eagerly turning the pages of this fast-paced financial thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)