Review: House of Lords

Author: Philip Rosenberg
Started reading: April 20th 2019
Finished the book: April 24th 2019
Pages: 480
Genres: Fiction, Mafia, Crime
Published: May 7th 2002
Source: Bought the book
Goodreads score: 3.18
My score:

Synopsis
Jeffrey Blaine is a good man, a wealthy and powerful Wall Street broker with impeccable social standing. But his wife—who supports charitable foundations from their Park Avenue townhouse—seems to have lost interest in their marriage, and his daughter, a beautiful debutante ready for Yale University in the fall, has turned sullen and rebellious. Having achieved everything he'd ever dreamed of, Blaine now feels unsettled, stagnant, hungry for a new challenge—a challenge that presents itself suddenly in the person of Chet Fiore, an ambitious entrepreneur rumored to be tied to organized crime. When Blaine rebukes Fiore's offer to participate in an illegal business proposition, he discovers that the mafia lieutenant has laid an elaborate trap to ensure Blaine's cooperation: the abduction of his beloved daughter. To ensure her safe return, Blaine is forced now to become a partner in a money laundering scheme of immense proportions..

My thoughts

Crime and mafia stories are some of my dearest. The Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, The Sopranos, are all cherished. I loved reading a book that fits this genre and it became one of my favorites right away!

Pros

• Pacing: The pacing in this book is great. In every chapter, there is something revealing or shocking happening, or someone dies like you want to in a mafia book. It was so easy to finish this book within 4 days, it took no effort at all.
• Twists and turns: In mafia books and mafia movies, a lot of unexpected things happen, because these people are unpredictable and sometimes make irrational choices. This book was full of twists and turns and bold decisions were made, just how I like it.
• Believable: The story was, in my opinion, believable. It's not like the main characters were untouchable, they were still people who make mistakes and have to face the consequences of the things they do.
• Unlikable characters: There were a lot of unlikable characters and that's always something I need in a book where a lot of people die. I'm reading a mafia/crime book, so I want people to die, so please don't make me like them too much... You feel me?

Cons

• Names: I don't understand why an author would choose names that are hard to keep apart. Especially the last names, I think there were 3 or 4 characters with a last name that started with a B. It was, at some point, hard for me to keep them apart.

Overall

If you're a fan of mafia/crime books and movies, this is definitely your cup of tea. Shady people, unreliable people, unpredictable people, deaths, manipulation, bribes; it's all there!

Thanks for reading!

I'd love to talk books; please let me know what you think about this book/review.