WHAT SHE'S HIDING

The ex-wife of a Manhattan attorney surfaces after a long absence, pulling him into a deadly situation.

In Bell’s thriller, Manhattan lawyer Henry Gladstone asks his beautiful, secretive wife, Leslie, what she wants for their second anniversary. She answers, “a divorce,” and walks out. Fast forward three years, with no word from her since the divorce, she pops up at his office saying she needs $250,000 immediately or they’re both dead. Henry doesn’t bite, but when he goes home, he finds his apartment has been tossed, and he gets a threatening phone call from a man with a Russian accent. When Henry first met Leslie, she was engaged to Boris Smirnoff (“like the vodka”), a wealthy Russian—possibly with mob ties—and she wore an amazing engagement ring of “diamonds, emeralds, and rubies packed onto a fat platinum band.” She supposedly threw the ring at Boris when they broke up; then she hit on Henry, who was more than happy to take her on, then quickly marry her. When Henry realizes Leslie really is in deep trouble, he vows to help her. The complications and crimes he gets involved in pile up quickly and include blackmail, theft, kidnapping, and the sudden temptation of his best friend’s ex-wife. Bell gets the descriptions of New York City right: the scorching August heat, the joys of Central Park, and the frenetic activity in Greek diners, where shouts of “toasted blue!” mean requests for warm blueberry muffins. The swiftly paced book starts out funny and manic, but it sputters toward the end, and there are many unresolved issues, possibly because a sequel is planned. Still, the dialogue is often smart and funny and there’s a rich diversity of characters. Such posh settings as Tiffany’s and the Peninsula Hotel add glamour, but it’s questionable why a fifth-year lawyer at “a distinguished white-shoe law firm in New York City” would get so involved with a psychopath like Leslie.

A crazy, amusing, and fast-paced thriller.