Open Secrets

Family drama and organized crime collide in this gripping, often touching thriller from Kohler (Cracks). When Swiss banker Michel discovers that his wife, Alice, has been unfaithful, he turns for consolation to one of his charming but shifty clients, whom he simply refers to as “the Russian.” Later, when the Russian calls Michel, angrily demanding his money back from losses incurred in the gold market, Michel suggests they go for a sail on the French Riviera. Alice soon has to identify Michel’s drowned body. A mourning Alice visits her artist sister, Lizzie, at the family home in Amagansett, Long Island, where Alice receives news that her 14-year-old daughter, Pamela, has disappeared from the girl’s Swiss boarding school. Meanwhile, Lizzie’s philandering boyfriend, Sergei, admits that he introduced Michel to some Russian gangsters as potential clients. As Alice comes to appreciate the consequences of Michel’s shady business dealings, Kohler keeps Pamela’s fate tantalizingly up in the air. The plot moves swiftly amid luxurious settings to a closing twist that may not satisfy everyone. Readers who like to watch the unraveling of family secrets will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency. (July)