This is an ‘office romance’, an intrigue of relationships based within the structure of a corporation (a construction business), in the context of office politics, controlled by the two brothers, Max and Reed, and involving the three sisters, Nicole, Natalie and Kate. Max and Reed got to be partners in the firm Paradis and MacNamara, but Max sold his share to Reed to curtail mercenary moves on the part of his unscrupulous ex-wife.



Nicole is an heroic figure. She suffered a parental bereavement early in life, and had to look after her two sisters. There is an element of detective: as the heroine, Nicole had, in the past, been an unwitting party to drug smuggling. This was a regrettable concomitant of her successful career as a fashion designer, under the tutelage of Christina; in the course of which she travelled extensively. She got cornered into concealing drugs in the fabrics she transported. Because of that involvement, she was vulnerable to blackmail from Carlo, a leading member of the syndicate – a she had ‘stood in’ for him when he dropped out of a transportation run. She has succumbed to his threats, and got into financial difficulties as a result. To make ends meet, she has to ‘moonlight’, working as a waitress in the evenings to supplement her executive earnings. To keep up professional appearances, she jealously guards her guilty secret. She thinks she has bought him off, but he keeps returning, demanding $50,000. Her money worries are exacerbated by Katie needing financial support to complete a course of study.

Natalie is engaged to Reed. Nicole works on Natalie’s wedding In the midst of the build-up of wedding preparations, Carlo viciously reveals Nicole’s guilty secret to Max. Nicole feels ‘exposed’ to her work colleagues; she offers her resignation to Reed, who adamantly refuses (great drama here). Max and Nicole turn to hating each other. However, at the end, after the wedding, there is a full explanation of the misdemeanours, with the sterling help of fashion pundit Christina, who appears on the scene: with all the past details and with news that Carlo has been put in jail. Consequently, there is another engagement – of Max and Nicole: a ‘happy ending’.

An interesting stylistic feature of this work is the cinematographic use of cuts in the action, where obvious developments in the narrative are left to the reader’s imagination. This happens at the end of Chapters 5, 6 and 8. One very charming piece of description is where Nicole put on overalls to fix an automobile: there is delicate interplay between her and Max as she initiates a ‘macho woman’ role (I am old enough to remember Astrid Proll). He later matches her in overalls. The courtship between Max and Nicole is handled with great finesse, showing a whole gamut of emotion – from transient, superficial lust to deep, enduring affection and loyalty. (It was remarked that she was never one for casual sex.)

This story has an extremely tight, well-constructed and intricate plot. The abundant dialogue is well-modulated – between ‘in the office’ superficial chat and depth personal exchange. There is a considerable feeling of inter-genre crossover here. I look forward to the next in the series

David Russell

Thanks Dave.