A fantastic introduction to the writing of Kevin Wignall, whose books are well researched, well rounded and gripping. This is yet another great standalone, and will have you seeking more.

Great story, thrilling plot that I could not put down. Well worth a read, and would recommend to others.

A well done thriller featuring Max- a man of many contradictiosns. It's a fast paced good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC>

Bestselling author Kevin Wignall’s novel, A Fragile Thing tells the story of Max Emerson, who is highly successful, a billionaire in fact, and his family has essentially disowned him because they think his success is due to his dealing with mafia types. He has been written out of the will, and hasn’t spoken to family members for a few years. Max is in the money laundering business and although he hasn’t done anything that is actually illegal, his estranged family wants to keep a distance from him because they fear he will be arrested and the fallback will affect them. However, when his parents both die in an automobile accident that seems suspicious, Max travels to his childhood home for the funeral and also to delve into the mysterious incidents connected to the accident and to his parent’s previous lives. He knows he isn’t welcome, but feels a loyalty to his parents, and of course is expected to attend the funeral.

Max uncovers past secrets about his parents, and is surprised to find there is a letter waiting for him to be read upon their deaths. As Max investigates what he considers a suspicious accident, the suspense builds; Max knows he is in danger, as well as others, and must be careful if he wants to live through this.

Wignall has written several bestselling novels, and this is another that is well-written and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. He is an excellent storyteller, and his characters are well-developed – they seem like real people and readers will be able to relate to them. The fact that Wignall grew up in Europe makes the setting believable because he writes from first-hand knowledge.

The dénouement is both unexpected and surprising; it shows Max’s true character and will keep readers thinking long after they finish the book.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Max Emerson appears to have it all, a financial whizz-kid whose success allows him the finer things in life. However Max has made his money by controlling investments for some of the shadier characters in society, and he is haunted by a deal made several years ago in which a corrupt Senator was paid off and a man died. When Max's parents are killed in a car crash he has to return to the Swiss family home and his estranged siblings but Max does not believe that the crash was an accident and revelations about his mother's past seem to back that up. Meanwhile the FBI are looking into the past deal.

To say that this is a thriller is to completely undersell the book. Wignall has a way of writing prose which lulls the reader into a sense of enjoyment and, even when the topic matter is spying or organised crime, it seems natural and not forced. There are none of the cliches of the genre, this is a story about a successful man who is lacking emotional balance rather than a story about international finance and dubious business. It is because of the slightly off-beat approach that I really loved this book.

Soooooo disappointing!

I kept waiting for something to happen. Previous books from Wignall have been great; gripping stories and characters you end up rooting for, even when their past is less than morally comfortable. Our hero here is a nothing; he's boring, two-dimensional, has a very dodgy moral compass and by no stretch of the imagination is a man we would admire. In short - he makes lots (lots and lots) of money by investing the immoral earnings made from organized crime - drugs, arms, women and children - and justifies this by saying 'if not me, someone else' and 'I have broken no laws.' Oh, apart from one big one that we are repeatedly told he feels no remorse for. The closing chapter seems to try to wrap it all up neatly, but it's just lazy writing.

This book seems like nothing more than the seed of an idea that Wignall couldn't grow into anything deeper - he should have stopped while he was ahead and stuck to his far more successful style as evidenced by earlier novels.

I really really enjoyed this. It was utterly compelling and beautifully plotted.

This is the 3rd novel I've read from this author and whilst this one is less thrill filled in the action sense it is gently absorbing and driven by characters who totally engage you. Max Emerson is a man who lives within the law whilst perhaps morally being outside it - only once has he crossed a definitive line and that may well be about to come back and haunt him.

What I REALLY loved about A Fragile Thing was the brilliant mix of mystery, family drama and kind of espionage thriller as Max discovers things in the wake of his parent's death that may either bring him back to his family or divide him even further from them. There are moral dilemma's sitting at the heart of the story that are subtly focused on throughout as Max attempts to find out the truth about the accident, repair his relationship with his siblings and clarify who he should trust. It is cleverly understated but hugely thought provoking - I'm hoping there will be more from these characters in a later book, so much did I live in their world for a while.

Overall a genuine page turner, not because there is that desperate need to know, that rush to the finish, but because it is a story that you just end up immersed into, to the point that you look up and find those hours have passed by.

Excellent. Highly Recommended.

I requested to review thi book having recently reading the book Death in Sweden by the same author. I enjoyed reading this book. The story around Max the central character and his family is an interesting examination of the impact that a person's choices can have on others, even which such impacts are not planned or even foreseen.
The is is a good story well told. I will recommend to others

Max Emerson is a man committed to his company, an international financial services company that works on behalf of clients around the world. While some of Max's clients may skirt the laws here and there (or disregard them altogether), Max declares that he and his company do not break any laws. That's not enough for his older brother though, so he is estranged from much of his family and can only visit his parents when his brother and sister aren't around. 

And then comes the bad news that punches Max in the gut. His parents are killed in a car accident. Suddenly, Max has to deal with the grief of his loss, his broken relationships with his siblings, family secrets, and the choices that he's made to be so successful. Facing his loneliness, his isolation, and his fear of having been a disappointment to his parents, Max is forced to take a hard look at his life, from his childhood on, and comes to see things in a different light than he ever expected. 

Kevin Wignall has been a bookstorehold name (it's like a household name, but with more books) since his novel A Death in Sweden. I've had that one on my TBR for ages, so when I got the chance to read his new novel, A Fragile Thing, I jumped at it. And now I understand just why people talk about his books like they're fantastic. Because A Fragile Thing is fantastic. And A Death in Sweden just got bumped up higher in my list. I definitely want to read more of Wignall. 

A Fragile Thing is being marketed as a "gripping new thriller," but you should know that it's not. It's not a thriller, and I'm not sure I would call it griping either. What it is is a solid story with interesting characters and an even amount of reveals and surprises that keep you digging in deeper. It makes for a lovely reading experience, not too stressful or scary or creepy. It's just a really good book that's easy to read, and what's better than that? I definitely recommend this one. Perfect for a rainy afternoon or for the cooler weather that's no doubt coming our way before we know it. 



Galleys for A Fragile Thing were provided by Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

I have been a fan of <a href="http://www.kevinwignall.com">Kevin Wignall</a> for some time (I think <a href="http://collectedmiscellany.com/2004/07/22/people-die-by-kevin-wignall/">my first review </a>was over 13 years ago).  And you would think I would not be disturbed by his approach at this point (I mention it in every review).  But I seem to have been tripped up once more by his latest work, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Thing-Kevin-Wignall/dp/1612185800/kevinholtsber-20">A Fragile Thing</a>.

It is basically the story of Max Emerson, the son of a wealthy expat family living in Europe parents in Switzerland, sister in Lyon, etc.).  But Max's growing fortune comes from investing, and laundering, the money of international criminals and oligarchs.  Despite his wealth, there are clouds on the horizon.  His family has ostracized him, the FBI is looking into his past, and hackers are poking around his business.  Soon it seems like the secrets of his past, and as his parents secrets are revealed, are going to upend and unravel his life.

I finished reading it in June and posted this at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34330651-a-fragile-thing">Goodreads</a> at the time as an initial response/reaction:
<blockquote>Hmm, not sure how I feel about this one. Some interesting elements and characters but left me kind of confused at the end. Almost felt like book one in a series where the characters are introduced but there is a lot left to flush out. Ending felt abrupt. Still mulling it.</blockquote>
When I realized it was released today and I needed to post my thoughts, I went back to the book and tried to wrestle with my ambiguity.  I enjoyed reading it but something just didn't settle right; I was unsatisfied in some way.  After thinking about it, I think I didn't like the book as much as I normally do Wignall's writing for two reasons:
<ol>
<li>It bugged me that the main character was a man comfortable using mobsters and other unsavory characters (something of an understatement) to gain fabulous wealth.  And was comfortable having people killed and killing people himself.  He seems cold, cut off and rather arrogant.  I just really didn't like him.</li>
<li>The book read almost as a series of vignettes that ended somewhat abruptly with a number of loose ends tied up. My first reaction to the book being finished was huh? It left me unsatisfied.</li>
</ol>
The second point could be more related to my reading it in fits and starts on my Kindle before bed. I might have struggled to get into it because I was reading for only a few minutes at a time but then it seemed like just when I got into it and the action picked up it was over.

The first issue, however, is just something you have to deal with when you read Wignall.  As I noted in my review of <a href="http://collectedmiscellany.com/2007/11/05/who-is-conrad-hirst-by-kevin-wignall/">Who is Conrad Hirst?</a>:
<blockquote>If there is something that makes me uncomfortable about Wignall’s work it has always been what I take to be his moral ambiguity.  Wignall doesn’t reflect a moral equivalence like some Cold War spy novelists – the idea that America and the Soviets were equally power hunger and willing to kill for their cause – so much as an absence of clear right or wrong.  Each individual has to define what is right and wrong for themselves.  The individualism/relativism is strong but it sometimes feels darker; there is almost a touch of nihilism involved.</blockquote>
Does moving that approach from hit men to wealthy investor/businessman make it worse somehow? I don't know, but I think that underlying perspective still rubs me the wrong way.

All that said, I did enjoy reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Thing-Kevin-Wignall/dp/1612185800/kevinholtsber-20">A Fragile Thing</a>.  I thought the plot hook was interesting and kicked the book off with a sense of tension and mystery.  And  there is some deft character building and plotting throughout. Max and his employees and contacts; his relationship with his family and the backstory of his parents; and his self-exploration about his lack of relationships and friends outside his business are well done and interesting in many ways.

There is a building suspense as the pressure mounts and the secrets are revealed. The reader is thinking: "How is Max going to deal with the multiple thread in his life that seem to be coming undone?"  And Wignall answers this question with some twists and turns.

But I have to say, I just didn't like Max Emerson and in some way probably wanted him to fail.  But as I like to say, your mileage may vary ... ;-)

I really enjoyed this book by Kevin Wignall as it shifted me from crime in Scandinavia. to some type of no crime in Switzerland and Italy although we have Max Emerson as an American living in Europe most of his life. He uses Max as a money wizard who makes legal monies from the Mafia. Somebody has to do it. But that's not what he is looking for, He's looking for the person who killed his parents. He uses an IT person (Crazy Mouse) to find the information. And he sets out to kill this person, but he decides he will keep them in check for his family will be worse off if he kills him.
Trying to get some peace of mind, he finally meets Isabella Buonarroti after solving his parents murder, He has been trying to meet her the whole book. And it leaves it off with the hint of something happening. Kevin does an excellent job of using his characters to their best possible use. I enjoyed his book and will recommend my readers do likewise.

Another dark story by the wonderful Kevin Wignall.
He is a unique talent and always produces interesting novels and short stories that make you think.
A Fragile Thing is his latest unconventional thriller that has a simple story at it's heart but than it's axis seems to constantly change.
The brilliant Max Emerson from an early age has been blessed and with a head for figures and a substantial investment has an inherent ability to make money for himself and by definition others,
Even when others are wiped out in financial crashes his returns continue to be above average and it is not long before he attracts the more shady and less respectable businessmen.
Keeping just one step this side of the law, exploiting tax havens and government's own blurred financial dealings his company emerges as the market leader.
Based in Italy it isn't long before the Mafia crosses his path; still a young man, perhaps naive and a little in awe he makes a deal with the devil that comes back to haunt him and threatens to bring his empire down.
But for all his wealth it is the poverty of his personal life, still single, no friends unless on his payroll and shunned by most of his family that weighs equally heavy upon him.
This is the story of Max. The author never allows his position to rest long enough for the reader to judge him but we go through lots of emotions along the way, mostly seem and reflected in his character.
I loved the locations, the beauty and wonder of the life style and all that wealth provides while seeing the emptiness of his soul.
A family crisis threatens to tip him over the edge as it happens just as his own past appears to be open to scrutiny and criminal investigation. How he steps through these minefields and learns some home truths give a multifaceted thriller that never eases in pace or fresh revelations.
You fear that his world may collapse in the same breath as you hope he'll find happiness in his personal life. You wonder if he'll be betrayed while expecting the author has held back a secret that will recast Max as a less worthy human being.
Reputation, wealth, happiness, ambition and love are all fragile things but our life can only be lived once.
A complex and intriguing read, a pleasure from the very first page and a vastly rewarding reading experience.

very well written!! Totally my kind of read! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.. I will definitely pass this on and get my friends to read it!!!

Having not read the blurb, I was not expecting a different protagonist. I read this based on the KW's previous output (excellent). So it took a few chapters to settle into the new environment but well worth the read.