Convince Me

May 15, 2020
Like that fellow in Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Richard Cory," Justin Childs glittered when he walked. Impossibly handsome and with a flair for spectacle, he hired fire dancers to perform at his wedding. Too bad he's dead when this seductive novel gets under way. We're constantly aware of him, though. He's all the other characters can talk about. Justin's widow, Annie; his buddy and business partner, Will; and even his widowed mom, Carol, alternate chapters, telling how this magical man enchanted them. This setup goes on a bit long, and readers might be happy to trade at least some of the chat for a murder or maybe an inquiry into Justin's mysterious death. But the author is after something else: the slow dismantling of an incredible life. Halfway through, things go wrong. A staffer disappears. A suicide. Will calls on an investor and discovers the company is a fantasy. Eventually we learn how Justin died and why. A narcissist is unmasked, but there's more to it. Turns out someone is going to do anything to make sure Justin's splendor isn't tarnished.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2020
This uneven psychological thriller from Sadowsky (The Empty Bed) opens at the funeral of handsome, gregarious L.A. entrepreneur Justin Childs, who died in a car accident. Annie, his 31-year-old widow, is skeptical of the police theory that Justin was under the influence of Valium “when his car shot over a tight curve on Mulholland Drive and plummeted down a mountainside,” and teams with another mourner, Will Barber, Justin’s old friend and business partner (who was about to join him in launching a startup, Convincer Media), to investigate. They soon discover Justin lied to them about his personal and professional finances. Meanwhile, Justin’s mother is desperate to protect her son’s reputation, and will stop at nothing to keep his secrets from coming to light. Annie and Will assume their roles as amateur sleuths with aplomb, but there’s little tension as they uncover Justin’s villainous past, given that Justin doesn’t pose much of a threat in death. Sadowsky fans will hope for more excitement next time. Agent: Jeff Kleinman and Claudia Cross, Folio Literary Management.