A Fragile Thing

by Kevin Wignall

His perfect life hangs on a knife edge—and the balance is about to slip.

Max Emerson launders money for some of the most dangerous people in the world. To protect the perfect life he’s built, he keeps on the right side of the law, but sometimes staying clean isn’t enough…

When his parents die in what seems to be a tragic accident, Max needs answers. But as he starts investigating, he discovers something about his parents that makes him question everything he thought he knew. And when the FBI starts digging into his crooked clients, Max’s whole world seems to be on the brink of collapse.

As Max returns to his estranged family, long-buried secrets threaten to destroy everything he has built and Max has to decide who he can trust. After all, he’s not the only one who will go to any lengths to cover his tracks…

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2017

About the author

Army Child till age nine.

Settled back in a small town in the west of England.

Lancaster University - degree in Politics &
International Relations.

Writer.

Also writes as K.J. Wignall

Email: kevin@kevinwignall.com

Reviews

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this. It was utterly compelling and beautifully plotted.

This is the 3rd novel I've read from this author and whilst this one is less thrill filled in the action sense it is gently absorbing and driven by characters who totally engage you. Max Emerson is a man who lives within the law whilst perhaps morally being outside it - only once has he crossed a definitive line and that may well be about to come back and haunt him.

What I REALLY loved about A Fragile Thing was the brilliant mix of mystery, family drama and kind of espionage thriller as Max discovers things in the wake of his parent's death that may either bring him back to his family or divide him even further from them. There are moral dilemma's sitting at the heart of the story that are subtly focused on throughout as Max attempts to find out the truth about the accident, repair his relationship with his siblings and clarify who he should trust. It is cleverly understated but hugely thought provoking - I'm hoping there will be more from these characters in a later book, so much did I live in their world for a while.

Overall a genuine page turner, not because there is that desperate need to know, that rush to the finish, but because it is a story that you just end up immersed into, to the point that you look up and find those hours have passed by.

Excellent. Highly Recommended.

[Tracie Payne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The Traitors Story and A death in Sweden, but this didn't even seem like the same author wrote it. It just felt like a whole lot of nothing and when the end finally happened, it was a huge wtf! So freaking weak and such a terrible way to wrap things up. Blah.

[Rich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read some other books by this author and they were ok-they will never be considered high paced actions books lol. I knew that going into this book but it was just was too slow and boring. The story lacked any zing and the main character was always worried about what might happen and the CIA plot was lame. He acted like he was a god father from that movies series all he was the fonder of a big mutual firm. If he was called boss one more time good god. I say avoid this one and do not give it a spoin

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another dark story by the wonderful Kevin Wignall.
He is a unique talent and always produces interesting novels and short stories that make you think.
A Fragile Thing is his latest unconventional thriller that has a simple story at it's heart but than it's axis seems to constantly change.
The brilliant Max Emerson from an early age has been blessed and with a head for figures and a substantial investment has an inherent ability to make money for himself and by definition others,
Even when others are wiped out in financial crashes his returns continue to be above average and it is not long before he attracts the more shady and less respectable businessmen.
Keeping just one step this side of the law, exploiting tax havens and government's own blurred financial dealings his company emerges as the market leader.
Based in Italy it isn't long before the Mafia crosses his path; still a young man, perhaps naive and a little in awe he makes a deal with the devil that comes back to haunt him and threatens to bring his empire down.
But for all his wealth it is the poverty of his personal life, still single, no friends unless on his payroll and shunned by most of his family that weighs equally heavy upon him.
This is the story of Max. The author never allows his position to rest long enough for the reader to judge him but we go through lots of emotions along the way, mostly seem and reflected in his character.
I loved the locations, the beauty and wonder of the life style and all that wealth provides while seeing the emptiness of his soul.
A family crisis threatens to tip him over the edge as it happens just as his own past appears to be open to scrutiny and criminal investigation. How he steps through these minefields and learns some home truths give a multifaceted thriller that never eases in pace or fresh revelations.
You fear that his world may collapse in the same breath as you hope he'll find happiness in his personal life. You wonder if he'll be betrayed while expecting the author has held back a secret that will recast Max as a less worthy human being.
Reputation, wealth, happiness, ambition and love are all fragile things but our life can only be lived once.
A complex and intriguing read, a pleasure from the very first page and a vastly rewarding reading experience.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently written novel by Wignall. A family with many secrets all woven into a very good story.

Kindle Unlimited.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by Kevin Wignall as it shifted me from crime in Scandinavia, or should I say too no crime in Italy and Switzerland. Although Kevin has written about Scandinavia he utilizes America as an off shoot to being in Switzerland as a spy. He uses Max Emerson as a money wizard to slay the dragons that have destroyed his family. He uses his "Crazy Mouse" to hunt down the killer and then lets him off to not destroy his family any more (but he leaves with the knowledge that he found him). He finally meets Isabella Buonarroti and it leave us with the hint of something happening.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received the kindle version of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, in return for a honest review.

From the first chapter, I struggled to read this, but recently decided to try it again and was determined to give it a chance. What shocked me is this novel is labeled as a thriller, but really there isn't much action and not a lot of surprises. Most of the book is about a lonely rich businessman who struggles to fit in with his family. Then the last 20% a big plot twist arrives in the story. The main character was difficult to connect with and I had an innate dislike that never warmed up to him.

Overall, I'm a little disappointed that this book wasn't what it claimed to be. However, many people seemed to enjoy it so maybe the tropes just did not work with my reading tastes.

[Kevin Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Multiple levels in the plot and easy to read. Had a hard time putting it down.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing 3 stars at best. This novel did not match up against previous Kevin Wignall novels that I’ve read, notably A Death in Sweden and To Die in Vienna. There’s very little suspense in this novel, for one thing, and for another, there weren’t any particularly interesting or well-developed characters. The main character, Max Emerson, spent a huge amount of time brooding over his family’s dislike of his quasi-money laundering business which caters to the mafia and other unsavory characters, as well as constantly lamenting the fact that he’s wealthy, single but without a love in his life—these two themes were way too repetitious in my view, and could have done with some serious editing. Just as the book was getting mildly interesting, it just suddenly ended, so set up for a sequel, I’m guessing. I was disappointed in this book. It’s not a totally bad read, as the settings in Italy and Switzerland were interesting, but this book did not measure up to my expectations for this author. I also listened to the audio for this book at times. The narrator, Scott Merriman, was excellent, as he could toggle among Italian, Swiss, German, and American accents easily.

[DanielL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading A Fragile Thing, I read The Traitor's Story and A Death in Sweden. All three novels were good, but A Fragile Thing was different in that I found it more realistic. A Fragile Thing deals with a number of things, e.g., financial crimes (money laundering), Mafia, political corruption, espionage (FBI / CIA / INTERPOL), computer and cellphone hacking, lost love, sibling jealousy / rivalry etc. When I started reading A Fragile Thing, I thought I knew the direction of the story line, but I was wrong. Instead, there’s enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing on what’s going to happen next. As the novel ends, you’re still left wondering “what’s next.”

[John Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Emerson is a man committed to his company, an international financial services company that works on behalf of clients around the world. While some of Max's clients may skirt the laws here and there (or disregard them altogether), Max declares that he and his company do not break any laws. That's not enough for his older brother though, so he is estranged from much of his family and can only visit his parents when his brother and sister aren't around. 

And then comes the bad news that punches Max in the gut. His parents are killed in a car accident. Suddenly, Max has to deal with the grief of his loss, his broken relationships with his siblings, family secrets, and the choices that he's made to be so successful. Facing his loneliness, his isolation, and his fear of having been a disappointment to his parents, Max is forced to take a hard look at his life, from his childhood on, and comes to see things in a different light than he ever expected. 

Kevin Wignall has been a bookstorehold name (it's like a household name, but with more books) since his novel A Death in Sweden. I've had that one on my TBR for ages, so when I got the chance to read his new novel, A Fragile Thing, I jumped at it. And now I understand just why people talk about his books like they're fantastic. Because A Fragile Thing is fantastic. And A Death in Sweden just got bumped up higher in my list. I definitely want to read more of Wignall. 

A Fragile Thing is being marketed as a "gripping new thriller," but you should know that it's not. It's not a thriller, and I'm not sure I would call it griping either. What it is is a solid story with interesting characters and an even amount of reveals and surprises that keep you digging in deeper. It makes for a lovely reading experience, not too stressful or scary or creepy. It's just a really good book that's easy to read, and what's better than that? I definitely recommend this one. Perfect for a rainy afternoon or for the cooler weather that's no doubt coming our way before we know it. 



Galleys for A Fragile Thing were provided by Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.com, with many thanks. 

[Peter Hodgson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whilst the sentence and paragraph composition was good. The actual story was very slow and longwinded. The advance information promised a look into the world of 'High Finance', this was not forthcoming. The whole story could have been told in a third of the number of pages.

[Debra B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book showed a lot of promise. I listened to the book on Audible and was really enjoying it, and then ... it just ended. I listened to the last chapter a couple of times just to make sure I heard it right. IMO, the ending (or nonending) made no sense. It was like watching someone walking in front of you and then they just disappear ... nothing ... it left way to many loose ends and the reading experience was not satisfying.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read other novels by this author and really enjoyed them but this one missed the mark for me. I find his previous book focusing more on spy thrillers to be more compelling than this one which is mostly a family drama. Max has been estranged from his family for the past several years, ever since his company, Emmerson Holdings, has become successful by investing money from sketchy characters, such as mobsters and other criminals. While Max swears that he has never done anything illegal, many of his dealings are illegal adjacent, he did accept a favor from a mobster once which led to the death of a man opposing one of Max's projects in exchange for laundering a bribe from the mobster to a US senator. But his family doesn't know this so they have no reason to be concerned that his business will negatively impact their lives. When his parents die suddenly in a car crash, Max is devastated. His older brother, Henry, and sister, Charlotte, gather with their families at their parent's home, begrudgingly accepting Max's presence. Max is surprised that the family lawyer wants to speak with him since Max knows that he has been cut out of the will and is shocked to find a letter written to him by his father revealing that his mother had once worked for the CIA. She had also been recently receiving threatening messages. Max is now convinced that their deaths were really murder and sets out to track down some of her old colleagues, which sends him to investigating a couple of traitors that his mother helped put away 35 years ago. All of this leads nowhere but Max has other problems with the FBI now snooping around about his possible dealings with a US senator and the discovery of a security employee trying to hack into their computer systems. But both problems go away rather easily with the help of his mother's CIA friends. Max eventually learns that his sister knew that her mother had been in the CIA and that her husband, unbeknownst to her, had raked up large gambling debts and used the knowledge of their CIA involvement to send fake threats and then hired someone to run them off the road so that he could get his hands on the inheritance money to pay off his debts. Max wants to kill him but stops himself and forces his brother-in-law into an agreement to knock off the gambling and take care of his family in return for Max keeping quiet about his crime. So, like I said, just a run of the mill family drama that used the CIA as a ruse. An interesting side note was that the hacker was hired by the teenaged son of the man that Max had the mob kill.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As often, while reading, I was also listening to the audio. I missed a good British narrator, such as Simon Vance. Otherwise, it is an excellent read, interesting composition of mystery, spy, finance and family threads, which together make a study of fragility.

Max Emerson potrafił pieniądze odziedziczone po dziadku pomnożyć nawet w czasach kryzysu. Nie ma wyrzutów sumienia, że robi interesy z włoskim mafioso i rosyjskimi oligarchami. Prawa nie przekracza. Boli go, że w rodzinie, pod wpływem starszego brata, uchodzi za czarną owcę. Owszem, raz jeden skorzystał z usług mafii, aby pozbyć się nieuczciwego konkurenta, dlatego gdy zaczyna się nim interesować FBI jest lekko zaniepokojony. Jednak wiadomość, że za śmiercią w wypadku rodziców może kryć się coś podejrzanego, zmienia jego życiowe priorytety. Przynajmniej na jakiś czas.

Kevin Wignall należy do moich ulubionych pisarzy. Posiada dar wchodzenia w psychikę ludzi, których życiorysy dalekie są od przestrzegania powszechnie poważanych norm społecznego współżycia. Jego bohaterowie to postaci wielowymiarowe, na ogół wzbudzające sympatię, jakichkolwiek moralnie dwuznacznych czynów by się dopuścili. Max, dziecko szczęścia, którego los obdarzył błyskotliwą inteligencją, urokiem osobistym i smykałką w interesach, jest człowiekiem samotnym. Może dlatego z taką pasją poświęca się wyświetleniu zagadki śmierci rodziców? Aby zyskać szacunek w oczach rodzeństwa, choć nigdy by się do tego nie przyznał?

W tej powieści, etiudzie o kruchości [fragile] tyle rzeczy może okazać się ulotnych, sukces, przyzwoitość, miłość, więzy między ludźmi, nawet przeszłość, nasze wyobrażenia i podejrzenia. Max często snuje refleksje na temat swojego życia i otoczenia, ale nigdy nie jest to nachalne mędrkowanie. Jest zagadka, nawet wątek szpiegowski, nie ma fajerwerków, mrożących krew w żyłach wydarzeń. Akcja rozwija się logicznie, co nie znaczy, że wszystko jest przewidywalne i wieje nudą. Prawdziwa przyjemność i odpoczynek przy lekturze.

Szkoda, że audiobooka czyta amerykański, nie brytyjski lektor.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up liking this book by the end much more than I thought I would in the middle, and that's a tribute to Wignall's excellent plotting capability, and his ability to move beyond stereotypes that was greater than I'd imagined.

The novel focuses on Max Emerson, a financial whiz living in Italy. Now in his early 30s, Emerson has amassed a fortune partly by being the amoral money launderer to people who are engaged in less than savory activities. Max is searching for something he can't quite define. He has no intimate relationships in his life, and his closest friends are the people who work for him. In addition, his straight-laced older brother and sister have cut off ties with him over the nature of his business.

All of this comes to a head when Emerson gets news that his parents have died in a horrific roadway accident in the mountains. As he prepares for his parents' funeral and seeing his estranged family members, he learns that the FBI is also investigating him for ties to a shady U.S. senator, endangering a secret from his past.

Wignall soon learns that his parents' deaths may not have been an accident, and that his mother had for years kept a secret from all her children about the life she had led before Max's birth.

All of these threads combine to send Max in search of the answers to why his parents died, why he is being investigated, and why a mysterious hacker has been trying to break into his company files.

The way Wignall resolves this -- without falling into tired tropes and traps -- made this a satisfying novel and inclines me to explore more of his books.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I will say that what you would expect from this novel is not exactly what you will get. And here I will stop with potential spoilers.

Protagonist Max Emerson is wealthy financier who works with both legal and those not-so-legal businesses. He is very wealthy, rather young and capable. Makes you hate him already - right? :) Then it will come as no surprise that due to his links to underworld his own family keeps him at arms length for fear of possible scandal.

Being haunted by his past actions (that most definitely cost people lives indirectly) Max suddenly encounters family crisis and this will lead him to the unexpected revelations about his family but also about himself.

I truly did not expect the twist at the end.

I understand many wont like the people in this novel and especially wont like that nobody gets punished for their transgression at the end. But in my opinion ending is very realistic - I especially liked how the hacker hired to harass Max Emerson and his company (regarding links to the criminal underworld) ends up.

If you seek action, gunfights and assassins lurking around (aka usual Wignall story) you wont find it here. But you will find pretty good novel depicting relations between rather dysfunctional siblings, world of high finance (usually high also means very very low morals) and very interesting twist at the end.

Recommended to all thriller fans.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Emerson appears to have it all, a financial whizz-kid whose success allows him the finer things in life. However Max has made his money by controlling investments for some of the shadier characters in society, and he is haunted by a deal made several years ago in which a corrupt Senator was paid off and a man died. When Max's parents are killed in a car crash he has to return to the Swiss family home and his estranged siblings but Max does not believe that the crash was an accident and revelations about his mother's past seem to back that up. Meanwhile the FBI are looking into the past deal.

To say that this is a thriller is to completely undersell the book. Wignall has a way of writing prose which lulls the reader into a sense of enjoyment and, even when the topic matter is spying or organised crime, it seems natural and not forced. There are none of the cliches of the genre, this is a story about a successful man who is lacking emotional balance rather than a story about international finance and dubious business. It is because of the slightly off-beat approach that I really loved this book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Emerson has made a fortune laundering money for some rather questionable and downright dangerous people, but makes sure he himself stays on the right side of the law... just about. Now he's got the FBI on his doorstep trying to bully him into rolling over on one of his clients, which almost certainly would not be conducive to Max's continued good health. And in the midst of this particularly annoying headache comes devastating news: Max's parents have died in what appears to be a tragic accident. Returning to their home in Switzerland for the funerals and less than pleasant reunions with his estranged older siblings, he learns secrets about his mother's past that make him question everything he thought he knew about his family and lead him to believe that there was nothing accidental about his parents' fatal car crash.

Kevin Wignall really has a penchant for creating morally dubious (at best) protagonists who aren't exactly likable, but whom you somehow end up finding yourself rooting for nevertheless.

[J. F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long-buried secrets may be prove to be fragile things. But for Max Emerson, the so-called banker for the mafiosi, tax-evasion, tax-avoidance and questionable practices in sheltering OPM assets in tax havens - and doing so quite openly, may prove to be even more fragile to his freedom.

John Grisham quite effectively touched on surreptitious legal firms and tax havens in the development of his plot for "The Firm".

In the development of Wignall's own plot and in process of digging out long-buried secrets, I'd rather have been blown away by creativity and originality on how such shrewd financial ingenuity could have been executed. Instead the reader is given to concede out of blind faith that the young investment banker with the perfect life somehow had that golden Midas touch in hiding gangsters' cash with magic.

The story lingers on and on ad nauseum on endless family quarrels and over-the-top obsequious employees for an outright overblown and humdrum family drama. I cringed every time the word "boss" was used, which seemed like a thousand times.

I've read and do recommend Wignall's earlier works "A Death in Sweden" and "The Traitor's Story". But this book doesn't cut it and isn't much of a crime or financial thriller.

[Thomas Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Wignall stands alone as a thriller mystery author. He concentrates on the main characters surrounded by a thriller mystery story. His main characters are flawed but heroic and at the end you don’t want to let them go. You become involved in their life and want to keep following but alas, this author has not yet followed with sequels creating new memorable characters in each novel. His writing is carefully crafted with just the right amount of background and surrounding descriptions without unnecessary filler. You can relate to the emotions and fears, love and sorrows of his characters but not their daily lives because they are not ordinary as such but remain unique and interesting. I enjoyed this story but was somewhat disappointed in the ending. I wanted the story to continue knowing there would not be a sequel.

[Kristin. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good yarn!

This is the first Kevin Wignall novel that I have read. I found his style amusing. His characters are quite believable, their foibles unique. Max, the lead character, investigates the murders of his parents while reconciling with his siblings, who seemed to have jealousy issues because he had not been sent away for his schooling as they had been. Through his investigation Max discovers some amazing information about the lives of his parents and his siblings! I won't reveal any more of the plot, except to say that the murderer is too close to home, and Mac's handling of the perpetrator is unique!

[SD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corrupt senator, mobsters, financial whiz “kid”, family drama, and a long-held grudge. I’m not sure that it had a satisfying conclusion. While things were wrapped up, I came away a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very well-written story and it was not really a cop-out ending because there was a lot of thought put into the conclusions, but for me a bit unsatisfying.

I don’t feel that this was the type of thriller that I am used to but good just the same.

This review is for the Kindle Read and Listen. I loved the various voices, accents, and inflections that the narrator Scott Merriman used to convey the characters.

[Dom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist of 'A Fragile Thing' should be dislikable, but I found myself warming to him. An amoral money man, Max invests on behalf of people who do bad things. It's cost him relationships with lovers and family, but he's rich and respected in his circles and makes point of never breaking the law. Except that one time he sailed very close to the wind. The story follows the death of his parents, and the family repercussions, which coincide with the FBI starting to focus on his affairs to use him to get to his clients. I was surprised how much I was engaged by this. Of course, the story follows Wignall's fast paced style and draws you through. Enjoyable.

[Susanna Braithwaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book to start with thinking the story was building up to something interesting, but was left disappointed. It was a good plot, the book was well written in terms of how the story was told, the characters were very well developed and the pace was pretty even throughout. However, in the end nothing exciting or particularly interesting happened in the story. It felt like a very slow build up to nothing and there were no twists and turns.

The book was ok, however, I would not recommend this book. The plot had good potential which I feel was a missed opportunity. This is the first book I’ve read by the author Kevin Wignall, and I’m unsure at this stage whether I would read another.

[Vera Mottino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good but complicated story

A labyrinthine book.
More like a novel than a crime story. Numerous twists and unexpected events in this white collar crime story. High finances, mafia, FBI, family conflicts, and hush-hush about everything. To understand it all one has to read it to the end.
I would have given it five stars were it not for some niggling things that bothered me - Wignall is a good writer but in my opinion he falls below some of his other books. This one is not as good.

[Amy Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another page turner from Kevin Wignall

A quick yet interesting story - an extremely successful young man with questionable clients and his family dealing with ethical dilemmas, family secrets, and loss overlaid with Feds and foreign intrigue. A good read. I love just about everything Kevin Wignall writes and “A Fragile Thing” is no exception! It’s not his best work, the story could’ve been a bit tighter and not as simplistic, but I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for his next release.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that Kevin Wignall is quite a storyteller. After reading Death in Viena, I picked up a few more of his books for my Kindle. While the main character, Max Emerson, is morally challeged you come to root for him to find his way. Some have said this isn't a"Thriller" as there isn't as much action, I would disagree. There is a lot of action that is more believable than a character doing the ties of things I find unbelievable. There are plot twists and the dynamics of complicated family relationships.

[Randy Murphey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is a fragile thing?

Not sure what the title connotes, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the main character, Max Emerson, who is interesting and complex enough to support a sequel...Th e editors, however, could do well to improve a couple of common errors, such as "centered around" and the proper use of the word " like. " Nothing is centered around anthing. Instead, objects and ideas "revolve" around the center. And a thing that is "like" another is not the same thing but akin or similar to another thing.