For Love and Money: A Novel of Stocks and Robbers

For Love and Money is an entertaining example of "matron lit," one of the latest sub-genres in women's fiction. Protagonist Annie Custer is married, but unhappily so. Her best friend, Carol, is dealing not only with a neglectful husband but forgetful parents who stubbornly refuse to turn over their hoarded stock certificates to the safety of a brokerage account. Now Carol has secured her parents' reluctant agreement and begs Annie, a top-notch stockbroker, to travel to their home and pick up the certificates in person. It's a trip which Annie realizes will take her beyond the boundaries of the strictly ethical and possibly jeopardize her career. As if that weren't enough on her plate, Annie's husband is immobilized by trauma from September 11 plus the loss of his job. Her brilliant older daughter has succumbed to a depression so deep she refuses to start college, or even to get out of bed in the morning, while her younger daughter is probably curling up with a bong full of pot. Is it any wonder that Annie is consoling herself with visions of an afternoon romp with her good-looking boss, Brian? I checked this book out of my local library, where I found it shelved with mysteries and thrillers. There are mysteries to be solved: How have several hundred thousand dollars in bearer bonds gone missing? Is the death of one of the characters really due to natural causes? But the more engrossing questions are whether or not Annie will end up in bed with Brian, whether she will leave her husband and whether her family will fall apart completely when their steadfast housekeeper goes back to South America. The first two mysteries are not wholly solved -- in fact, it's left to the reader's interpretation as to whether or not a murder actually took place. But the dilemmas involving Annie's life are neatly resolved. I agree in part with another reader reviewer who feels that the climax seems rushed. I don't object to an ending that quickly wraps up loose ends per se -- I've been accused of ending novels abruptly myself. So what I find overly abrupt in Glass' ending is not the way the financial mystery is wrapped up but the quickness with which both husband and daughter emerge from their funks. Her husband and daughter both seem to be clinically depressed, a condition which doesn't usually clear up that fast. This is fiction, though, and deftly written and enjoyable fiction at that. I found the book an entertaining read. And I was delighted to discover another novel in the growing collection of "matron lit," both because I'm a mature reader myself and because the protagonist of my latest novel -- probably ten years Annie's senior -- also consoles herself with an unexpected lover during a period of marital discord. That said, I'm glad I didn't pay the hardcover price for a book that can be devoured during the course of a few hours plane trip. I'd wait for the paperback edition.

Annie, a stockbroker, is not just asked but begged to go to to the home of a friends elderly parents,who both seem in the grip of dementia, and remove a lifetime of securities for safekeeping. She reluctantly does so. After bringing them back to her office it is determined that a large block of bearer bonds are missing. Carol's father then demands the securities back. Her husband is suffering from post trumatic stress syndrome having survived the attack on the world trade center. He has since turned into a couch potat Carol, the friend who got her into this mess, is a fantastic decorator, living in a loveless marriage. Will an affair bring her happiness? The book is a well written view of the neurotic tendencies of New Yorkers under a lot of stress.

She never wanted to be the sole breadwinner in her family, but she finds herself exactly in that position. Her husband never recovered from the destruction of the World Trade center or the betrayal by a friend who sued him for something he never did. Unable to cope, he quit his job as a stockbroker and became a vegetable couch potato. Annie, a stockbroker at the same firm her spouse left, tries to make her income cover their bills as two salaries used to do while allowing her housekeeper to raise their two children. Her boss is coming on to Annie and she is ready to succumb to his charms. As she ponders an affair, her best friend's father accuses Annie of stealing bearer bonds from him and her housekeeper abruptly quits leaving behind two emotionally wrecked children in her wake. Annie realizes she must straighten out her own life, be strong for her daughters, and uncover what happened to the bonds while knowing she cannot truly aid her children or her husband until she helps herself. Leslie Glass displays her wry wit and cutting edge humor in a poignant family drama with a touch of mystery that hooks readers from beginning to end. The protagonist learns that she is strong because circumstances require her to be so; fortified with moral fiber and courage Annie takes charge of her life before she ends up in the same abyss as her husband. He is an intriguing character, her opposite for when the going got tough, he quit. Readers will appreciate this strong tale with a memorable cast who laugh on the outside, but cry on the inside. Harriet Klausner