NY TIMES FEATURE ARTICLE ON NORB VONNEGUT

Norb   Vonnegut   Deborah   Reed   Jack Girardi

Guest: Norb Vonnegut
"The Trust"
Website http://norbvonnegut.com

Prominent Trial Attorney, Jack Girardi interviews Norb Vonnegut who spent 20 years at the highest levels of the financial industry, working in private wealth management as a stockbroker with Morgan Stanley, Paine Webber and other investment banks. And his experience, observations and understanding of the secret inner world of really big money provide the unforgettable characters and setting of his Financial Thrillers.

THE TRUST brings back the hero of Vonnegut's earlier novel “Top Producer.” Grove O'Rourke is called back to his house town of Charleston when his mentor...Palmer Kinkaid, operator of the wealthy philanthropic trust “The Palmetto Foundation” is found dead. When O'Rourke temporarily takes over the foundation, he discovers that the funds that have been entrusted to Palmetto for charitable purposes are being used for far more sinister ends...and the people behind the plots will stop at nothing to keep their covert operations a secret. Norb Vonnegut not only brings billion dollar personal perspective to his writing, but also his gripping prose and dark sense of humor...and we're delighted to have him on The Law Business Insider.

Deborah Reed
"A Small Fortune"
Website: http://reed-braun.com/books/a-small-fortune/

Prominent Trial Attorney, Jack Girardi interviews Deborah Reed, writing under her pen name of Audrey Braun, and has lived all over the United States and in Europe, and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family. A Small Fortune is her debut, bestselling thriller. Fortune’s Deadly Descent, her follow-up, is the second of a trilogy.

This novel "A Small Fortune" intrigued us with its lightly and deftly drawn writing. Braun doesn't bog the reader down with cumbersome scene-setting, and the heroine's inner monologue is thankfully concise and enigmatic. The descriptive language is brief and vivid--like flashes of light that make you blink.
The intrigue begins with Celia, a woman who seems to have it all--a ruggedly handsome husband who takes care of her, a son she adores, a job as an editor that she clearly loves. However, she also has an inexplicable feeling that something is wrong . . . something is missing. She valiantly tries to fight this feeling, blaming it on overwork and stress. She is about to leave for a vacation to hopefully heal her troubled relationships and mind.

A week of utter relaxation by the beach in Mexico is just what the doctor ordered, and just what her ever thoughtful husband has planned. But this idyll in paradise is shattered when Celia is suddenly abducted by strangers who seem to know who she is all too well. The plot winds its way through past and future, filled with the deepest betrayals of love and blood, but also with mounds of unlikely redemption. Celia is betrayed by those she holds closest, but she also finds kindred spirits in strangers, who embrace her as a new friend, and willingly do anything to help her find her way back house.

We did love the heroine. She is the right mix of reflective and impulsive. Passionate, smart, sensitive, and confused--she seems so real. Nothing like the typical passive, blushing damsel in distress. She is clearly the strongest character but she doesn't have to prove this to anyone. She simply naturally assumes this position.

The other characters are also delightfully complex. Benicio, her chance meeting who turns into unlikely ally, doesn't fit into a stereotypical box either. He is the surprisingly sensitive product of a very macho culture. A graceful man with an unexpected flair. Her sullen, sixteen year old son Olivier is the perfect teenager--rebellious and scornful, but with a vulnerable mixture of love and confusion underneath.

Her husband, Jonathan, is also a man with many unturned sides. Careful, cautious, and responsible. The weight of his responsibility as a husband and father seems to sit easily on his broad shoulders. Even he, who Celia believes she knows inside and out, has his secrets. The characters are filled with human imperfections and instants of redemption. There are so many water colored shades of grey.

This was a thriller, so obviously, the plot was compelling. Filled with twists, turns, and exotic locales. And an enigmatic past that surges seamlessly with the present. Braun dances on the edge of belief with a story that is almost too crazy to be true, but not quite. Her skillful blend of concrete, everyday details and high drama was delightful.

So, in summation, "A Small Fortune" is a pretty damn good read. It's a fast-paced, thrilling, and romantic novel that also has an elegance of language and description that sets it apart. I picked it up, and devoured it, and it left a vivid, lingering, and refreshing .

Jack Girardi, Partner at Girardi Keese, is one of America's Finest Trial Lawyers and our Co-Host, as always, brings out the most important key elements to the success of today's guests. He and his firm have been dedicated to working hard and getting the best possible recovery for its clients.

Girardi & Keese's mission is to provide aggressive representation of individuals and businesses who have been injured in sous way, whether by physical harm, property damage, damage to business, or damage to economic interests. Girardi & Keese has two offices in California: Downtown Los Angeles and San Bernardino. www.girardikeese.com

Hosted by Steve Murphy.

Brought to you by "The Law Business Insider"

Contact:

Guest: Norb Vonnegut
"The Trust"
Website http://norbvonnegut.com

Deborah Reed
"A Small Fortune"
Website: http://reed-braun.com/books/a-small-fortune/

Girardi & Keese
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213-977-0211
Website: www.girardikeese.com

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STEVE MURPHY

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