Madeleine Wickham The Gatecrasher

The Gatecrasher

Madeleine Wickham

Dunne, Jul 2007, $19.95

ISBN: 9780312361273

In England forty-years old Fleur Daxeny is the ultimate con artist attending the funeral of wealthy women in order to con their grieving widowers out of their money. Her daily reading is the obituary column of the newspaper where she searches for upper crust survivors so that she attends the funeral in one of her zillion black designer suits.

Her current mark is Richard Favour, whose wife Emily just passed away. Fleur pretends to be a friend from the old days as she gently lures the sad but nice widower into her net. Fleur is so good at her vocation that Richard's daughter Phillipa and her husband Lambert suspect she is swindler yet are charmed by her. The trio invites Fleur to move into their family estate where she finds an unlimited credit card and a million pound bank account for her use. Even when Fleur's thirteen years old daughter joins her, the Favours welcome her. As she enjoys the lifestyle of the rich and Zara her first home, Fleur realizes family members shockingly with less scruples than even her wants Richard's money, but the ultimate pigeon may not as foolish as she thought

THE GATECRASHER is a jocular satirical frolic starring a likable charming con artist ably supported by a strong secondary cast; mostly her daughter, her latest pigeon, and his daughter and son-in-law. Fleur is the fascinating protagonist who holds the story line together while charming the audience, who wants to detest her for her wicked ways cheating grieving widowers, yet instead like her. Although the final sting ends too abrupt, readers will enjoy the antics of THE GATECRASHER.

Harriet Klausner