Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of the obituaries, she gate-crashes the funerals and memorial services of the wealthy, preying on rich and newly vulnerable men. Charming her way into their lives, their beds, and their bank accounts, she takes what she can and moves swiftly on." "This is her modus operandi when she waltzes into the memorial service for multimillionaire Richard Favour's wife. Mingling with the guests and sharing made-up recollections of the dearly departed, she dazzles Richard with her beauty and charm. Before the afternoon is over, she is gazing into Richard's eyes over a drink and offering her sincerest condolences. She soon moves into his posh mansion, shocking his relatives and scandalizing his golf club." "But then Fleur's scheme begins to fall apart. Lingering longer than she had planned, she becomes entangled in his family and their problems. As taboos are broken and long-held secrets emerge, Fleur discovers that she is not the only one after Richard's money.Synopsis
Madeleine Wickham is Sophie Kinsella, and The Gatecrasher is just as clever, chic, and sassy as her internationally bestselling Shopaholic series!
Publishers Weekly
"Money is safety, darling," the delightfully wicked funeral crasher Fleur Daxeny advises her 13-year-old daughter after an almost perfect execution of her best skill: swindling wealthy widowers. In this modern-day novel of manners, Wickham's lively prose needles the British upper class with a mixture of suspense and wit. Armed with a closet full of designer black suits, the daily obituaries and a face that never betrays her 40 years, Fleur invades the funerals of the wealthy, enchantingly rich, grieving new widowers in need of a shoulder to cry on. She attends the memorial service of Emily Favour, whom she pretends was a long-lost acquaintance, and promptly lures the good-hearted Richard Favour into her web. Although his troubled daughter, Phillipa, and her crafty husband, Lambert, suspect serious gold digging, Fleur's beauty and charm dazzle them, and soon she's invited to live at the family estate in Surrey. What Fleur finds there is a gate-crasher's dream--a welcoming family, an accessible Gold Card and, after some snooping, a bank account worth millions. Even when Fleur's daughter, Zara, whom Fleur has neglected to mention, arrives unexpectedly from boarding school, the Favours make no fuss, welcoming the teen into the fold. As Fleur and Zara become comfortable with country club life, Fleur learns that she's not the only one scheming for Richard's money, and that Richard might not be as gullible as she thinks. But with Zara finally enjoying the stability of a real home, can Fleur leave so easily this time? Wickham (Swimming Pool Sunday) creates memorable characters who are as unpredictable and multifaceted as they are stylish. While the quick wrapup misses a cue, this novel is still jolly fun. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|