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Title details for The Daughter In-Law by William P. Kennedy - Available

The Daughter In-Law

A Novel

by William P. Kennedy
Noma Lana
Audiobook
4 of 5 copies available
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4 of 5 copies available

From the steamy Caribbean tropics to the penthouses of New York City, dark secrets and bitter rivalry push a new bride and her mother-in-law to the very edge in this gripping novel of seduction and murder.

The oldest son of the rich and powerful Donner family, Jonathan, prefers to remain a playboy, rather than take over the financial and social responsibilities of his family's business empire. But in a near fatal skydiving accident, Jonathan saves the life a radiant young woman, Nicole Pierce. Like no one else he has ever met, she is confident, independent, and seemingly impressed by his fortune. Captivated by her beauty and intrigued by her mysterious past, Jonathan is determined to make Nicole his. After a whirlwind romance, the two lovers elope and begin a long honeymoon in the Caribbean.

Returning to the Donner family estate, Nicole is immediately embraced by the family. For John's younger sister and father, she is a breath of fresh air. But not everyone has fallen for her. Jonathan's dominant and powerful mother, Alexandra, believes the newest member of the family is more interested in money than in her son.

Then, tragedy strikes and Jonathan is killed in an accident, leaving Nicole to return to the family's compound, a young and tragic widow. But her mother-in-law thinks her son's death was no accident. Was he murdered? Could Nicole be behind the accident? Or is Alexandra jealous of her daughter-in-law? Alexandra sets out to prove Nicole's guilt and begins to uncover a web of lies and secrets. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law come face to face in a gripping climax. The truth is far from clear as this gripping thriller twists and turns to its shocking conclusion.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 11, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780792741688
      • File size: 290576 KB
      • Duration: 10:05:21

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Nicole marries Jonathan, wealthy scion of the Donner family. She may be a gold-digger--or she may not. After Jonathan dies in a scuba accident, Alexandra, his cold, imperious mother, believes Nicole is behind it. Jack, his reprobate father, can't keep his hands off his son's widow. Jealousy, secrets, despicable behavior, and double-dealing lowlifes are the norm in this melodrama of the privileged class. Norma Lana does what she can to make the characters interesting. Most notable is her work in the opening sequence, a sky dive with nearly fatal consequences. She wrings every drop of excitement from it, but the scene itself stretches credibility. Lana's job is difficult because the people who inhabit this novel are so unpleasant that it's hard to care what happens to any of them. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 18, 2003
      Is it an accident or murder when thrill-seeker Jonathan Donner, heir to a billion-dollar empire, vanishes while deep-sea diving? At the top of the suspect list is Jonathan's new bride, Nicole Pierce, a stunning beauty with a questionable past. In this latest thriller by Diamond (The Good Sister; The Babysitter), the eligible playboy meets Wall Street stockbroker Nicole while skydiving, and a whirlwind affair follows. He brings her to his clan's impressive digs on Long Island where Billy Joel is hired to play the family's parties and frequent guests include Rudy Giuliani and a Donald Trump–like character. Dubious of how they met, Jonathan's mother, Alexandra, believes Nicole set out to snag a rich husband. She, however, is the only one who's suspicious: Jonathan's sister, Pam, quickly takes to Nicole, even asking her for career advice, and Jonathan's powerful and intimidating father, Jack, goes weak in the knees when faced with Nicole's bewitching charms. All Nicole wants is acceptance into the Donner clan, but can she convince the icy family matriarch of her worthiness? After Jonathan's mysterious death, the two battle it out. Diamond writes like an aspiring action screenwriter, paying less attention to her prose ("The conclusion was inconclusive") than to the obligatory sex scenes and melodramatic plotting. The dialogue, too, may be better suited to film (" 'You can't always tiptoe through the tulips. Sometimes you have to wade in the filth'"), but fans of Diamond's previous work will find the book entertaining enough for a day at the beach.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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