Die Durchtriebenen: Familie ist gefährlich.

by Elyse Friedman, Peter Hammans (translator)

Reichtum, Macht und Bosheit – Willkommen bei einer der bösartigsten Familie der Welt!

»Die Durchtriebenen« ist ein echter Die fesselnde Mischung aus Thriller und Familiendrama begeistert mit köstlicher Raffinesse, Witz und schockierenden Wendungen.

Ed Shropshire hat scheinbar das große Los gezogen, als er sich in seine rund 50 Jahre jüngere Pflegerin Kelly verliebt.

Doch Eds Söhne sind vom zweiten Frühling ihres schwerreichen Vaters alarmiert. Sie sehen ihr Erbe dahinschwimmen und bitten sogar ihre Schwester Alana, die der Familie seit Jahren den Rücken gekehrt hat, um Hilfe. Die alleinerziehende Mutter schert sich zunächst nicht um die Sorgen ihrer geldgierigen Brüder. Erst als die Hochzeit angekündigt wird, ist sie bereit, eine Rolle im Plan ihrer Brüder zu spielen. Doch schon bald ist nicht mehr klar, wer hier eigentlich welches Ziel verfolgt?

»Dieser Roman ist eine perfekte Mischung aus Intrige, Drama und Geheimnis. Jede Enthüllung ist so getimt, dass man förmlich an den Seiten kleben bleibt, keine Figur ist vor den Lügen der anderen sicher.« Booklist

Cleverer Nervenkitzel für Fans von Cynthia d'aprix Sweeneys »Das Nest«, Patricia Highsmith oder der Serie »Succession«

Die kanadische Autorin Elyse Friedman bietet mit ihrem raffinierten und nervenaufreibenden Familienroman bitterböse Einblicke in die Welt der Superreichen und eine bis ins Mark verdorbene Familie, in der allein das Geld regiert.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary, Suspense

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2022

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman is a domestic suspense novel that dives into the dark side of a wealthy family. The story does have some flashing back to the past but is mostly told in the present timeline.

Alana Shropshire has been estranged from her wealthy family not wanting to be involved in their cutthroat business dealings. Alana instead chose to fend for herself and raise her daughter away from her family. Life is always a struggle though so when Alana’s brothers make a huge offer she has trouble refusing.

It seems that Alana’s brothers are extremely worried about their inheritance falling into the wrong hands when their seventy six year old father insists on marrying yet again. The marriage just can’t happen or his twenty six year old nurse may prove to inherit the family’s fortune but Alana isn’t too sure she’s up to making the offer for the young fiance to walk away.

The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman is one of those books that is deliciously compelling to see just how horrible the characters can actually be. Lifestyles of the rich and rotten would probably have also been a great title but don’t get me wrong they were an addicting kind of rotten that kept the pages turning. Twists and turns kept coming as just as you think the story is over it just kept untangling the knots. Definitely an author I would read again after finishing this new book!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first half of this book a bit slow, though I’m rounding up to four stars because the second half had me speedily flipping the pages. For some reason I expected this to be more of a literary fiction read about class, however, it was more of a feminist thriller. I liked how Elyse Friedman subverted the sexist trope of the “gold-digger” and highlighted how men with money get away with a lot of wrongdoing. Even though I don’t think this novel was the most complex or nuanced, I’m also giving it four stars because I genuinely did not see the major plot twist coming – props to Friedman for surprising me and I’m sure many others. If you’re into thrillers, twisted family dynamics, and smart commentaries on gender, you may want to give this one a try.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read with unlikeable, greedy characters. Lol! Alana is a single mom to her daughter that has MS. She's estranged from her family by her choice and seems to be making it on her own just fine. Her family is very wealthy though. Her father Ed, who is 76 is planning to marry his young nurse, Kelly (almost 50 yrs younger than him) Alana's 2 brothers, Teddy and Martin, ask her to help them get rid of this gold digger Kelly, so they can keep this fortune to themselves. Alana eventually caves and flys out to her father's West Coast island retreat. These siblings are all pretty vile and will do whatever it takes. The twists (and characters,) will shock you. There weren't really any characters that you want to root for, but it was so entertaining to see how far people will go for money. The ending definitely caught me be by surprise. This dysfunctional family makes for a really engaging read 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alana isn’t close with her brothers, Martin and Teddy, but receives a barrage of emails and texts from them regarding concerns about their father’s new, much younger fiancé, Kelly, who was originally hired as his nurse. Martin and Teddy suspect Kelly is a gold digger. Alana knows they really just want to protect their fortune and she tells them she couldn’t care less, but when her brothers make her an offer she can’t refuse, Alana agrees to get involved — She’s a single parent to a daughter with special needs. Alana and her brothers work together to create a plan to end to their father’s seemingly suspicious romance.

Under 300 pages, I flew through The Opportunist in less than 24 hours. The story kept me engaged. I predicted there would be a twist or two, I just wasn’t sure “what”, and enjoyed seeing how things played out in this suspenseful family drama.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Which one of the Shropshires is the biggest opportunist and liar?

The choices are Kelly, Martin, Alana, Teddy, and Ed - the father.

What will they do to keep their father's fortune when Kelly the 28-year-old nurse to their father is going to marry him. They know she only wants his money.

We meet all these characters on Ed Shropshire's West Coast Island retreat and ponder about which character is more devious than the other.

THE OPPORTUNIST is a bit confusing as it goes back and forth in time, but the wicked characters don't change in either time frame.

There unfortunately are some disturbing, shocking things revealed about a few of the characters that I never saw coming but are the "meat" and reason for what happens.

Could we say the worst "character" is money- the root of all evil?

I say yes, but I also picked out a character that I thought was the worst.

They all are despicable, but there was one in particular for me.

As the book came to a close, another surprise popped up, and I had to change my mind.

I will be curious which character you will choose as the most devious and cunning when you read this book. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Net Galley for an honest review.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman. Thanks to @mirabooks @htpbooks @netgalley for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alana doesn’t want anything to do with her estranged, wealthy father or her brothers. When her father starts dating his nurse, forty eight years younger than him, she goes back to assist in stopping their relationship from proceeding further.

I sped through this suspenseful read in one day. I didn’t even pull a quote to share with my review because I was so deeply involved with the story. It feels like a bit of cat and mouse story, but there’s so much more going on. It is pretty hard to shock me with books, but I was pleasantly taken unaware with the ending.

The Opportunist comes out 12/6.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

I knew this would be a good one, but still, OMG!!! What a compulsively bingeable and immensely gratifying page-turner! It's so readable and riveting that I couldn't tear myself away. Nor did I want to.

I thought I had most things figured out but the book managed to still surprise and thoroughly entertain me. I was also left thinking about it for the rest of the day: The storytelling, the two awesome leads, the subtle character development, the ingenuity of it all... damn.

I'm usually quite critical about how female characters, including minor and non-leading ones, are portrayed and written in books that explore feminine rage, and The Opportunist passed with flying colours. There's no pretense here.

Feminist thriller of my dreams, really 😍😍😍
Joining the ranks of • The Lies I Tell • Stone Cold Fox • The Social Climber • How I'll Kill You.

Favourite quotes:

✨ "I wonder if there are any flinching books... They always seem to be unflinching."

✨ "My husband says I'm the world's biggest nag, but you know what I tell him when he says it? I say, 'That's just you trying to get away with shit, Ronald. You know damn well that a naggy wife is really just a lousy husband.'"

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆.5
This is my first book by Elyse Friedman and it was a delightful family drama! “The Opportunist” was the second novel this month that made me wish I was relaxing beside a pool so I could fully enjoy these obnoxiously wealthy people fighting over more money than anyone should ever need.

Ed Shropshire is the elderly patriarch, in declining health, who is getting ready to marry his twenty-eight-year-old nurse. Wow…huge age difference and he’s not asking for a prenup! His two sons—Martin and Teddy—are livid. Even though they are part of the family business and will still be getting plenty when their billionaire father dies, all they can focus on is part of the family fortune that Kelly will be taking from them.

Martin contacts their sister—Alana—who has been estranged from the family since she left home. She’s a single mother with a disabled daughter and struggles financially. When Martin asks her to help with the matter, she refuses. Eventually, she caves as the bills pile up and Martin sweetens the pot.

Alana returns to the family estate which sits on a private island. This family has everything…a yacht, private jet, high-end everything, and servants to make sure everyone is attended to around the clock.

The intense plot slowly gives us crucial glimpses into the past as it slowly reveals shocking surprises. I was never sure who I could trust. At first, Alana and Kelly seemed to be the only “normal” people but then nothing was as it seemed.

This was a quick and fast-paced story that was filled with so much! The author did a fantastic job of keeping it short and to the point. The audiobook was excellent and I was pleasantly shocked and pleased with the ending! Fantastic summer read!

#TheOpportunist #ElyseFriedman #audiobook #libbyapp #harperaudio #FamilyDrama #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #justfinished #newrelease #igbookreels #thriller #suspense #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #thrilleraddict #lovebooks

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing enough to make me want to know how it ended. Unfortunately the characters were all despicable and completely unlikable. Neither was the twist at the ending was not all that surprising.

[Emmeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really not my genre but I’ll say that it was cleverly put together and kept the pages turning speedily.

Alana is brought in by her brothers to persuade her filthy-rich septuagenarian father not to marry his nurse – or rather to make the nurse an offer she can’t refuse. But when Alana arrives on their private island, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems and old family secrets rise to the surface etc. etc.

As I say, these twisty narratives are really not my genre. The fact that you know there will be twists tends to defuse the surprise of any one of them, and I resist getting interested in any of the characters because they are likely to all be villains. I tend to read these books at lightning speed and emerge irritated.

But again, it was a well paced, plotted and decently well written dysfunctional family drama for summer.

[Tanyajk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked from the beginning. Reminded me a lot of HBO’s Succession, and had a twist as satisfying as Feeney’s Rock, Paper, Scissors.

I did not love one of the reveals - made me sick to my stomach, but it fit within the plot and moved everything along.

Alana is a smart and sympathetic character and found her motives and actions exciting and at times relatable. The rest of the gang were little shits, but I enjoyed watching Alana face up against them. Gave an extra star for not being able to put this one down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Evelyn Evertsen-Romp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really liked this book, the drama, the twists, the emotions....it was like a Freida McFadden book, but I definitely prefer this one.
The thing is, I can't say too much about it without spoiling anything, but I'd definitely check the trigger warnings if you have any topics that would trigger you.

[Vanesa Cantero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalaco. Vale que el libro es un pelín tramposo, pero yo lo he disfrutado mucho, mucho. Libro piscinero total e ideal para desconectar.

[Jenn [everythingshereads] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you HCC Frenzy and Harper Collins Canada for an e-ARC...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who love a good psychological thriller. As we know, based on the synopsis, this book is riddled with endless family drama! The main character is estranged from her family after some shady occurrences in the past, which are slowly disclosed as we make our way through the story. Her brothers reach out to her after their ailing, super rich dad proposes to someone younger than them. They plan to sabotage the relationship -- but as their plans play out, the reader is taken through a series of reveals that give nothing but whiplash. I don't usually read books from this genre, but the synopsis had me intrigued. I read the entire book in one setting because it was so good. The characters are interesting and at no point were their true intentions clear, until the very final reveals. I don't know if I was rooting for anyone but I definitely needed to know more about each person, so the pages felt like they were turning themselves lol.

[hc smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. by far one of the best books ive read this year. i devoured this in only a couple of hours. this has everything i love- eating the rich, women working together and taking down the sick entitled white man. i will be recommending this one to every person who makes eye contact with me from here on out.

TW: child abuse, sexual abuse

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Lo bueno de este libro es que desde el principio intuyes lo que va a pasar... O no.
Que los personajes de muestran tal como son... O no.
Que todos van de frente y sin mentiras... O no.
Porque eso es lo que me ha pasado con esta historia. Cuando pensaba que sabía de qué iba y lo que podía esperar, llegaba un párrafo, un diálogo, una escena que me hacían dudar.
Así que sí, ha sido una lectura entretenida a pesar de algún altibajo y que recomiendo para tener la mente ocupada.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alana hat sich bereits seit vielen Jahren von ihrer Familie abgewendet. Mit ihrer Tochter schlägt sie sich alleine durch den Alltag und ist froh, sich nicht mehr mit ihrer dysfunktionalen Familie auseinander setzen zu müssen. Als dann ihre beiden Brüder an sie herantreten und um Hilfe bitten, kann Alana ihren Ohren kaum trauen: Ihr schwerreicher Vater möchte mit 76 Jahren nochmal vor den Traualtar treten und seine knapp 50 Jahre jüngere Pflegerin heiraten. Die beiden Brüder sehen natürlich ihr Erbe entschwinden und hoffen nun, dass Alana ihnen behilflich ist, die ungewollte Stiefmutter loszuwerden…

Obwohl ich die Autorin nicht kannte, hat mich der Klappentext sofort neugierig gemacht, denn „Die Durchtriebenen“ klang wie ein Roman, der viel Spaß und Intrigen mitbringt. Denn wenn der gesundheitlich angeschlagene Vater nochmal heiraten möchte, und dann auch noch ausgerechnet seine junge Pflegerin, da kann man doch mal hellhörig werden. Erbschleicherei ist schließlich kein neues Thema. Doch ungeahnterweise hat sich das Buch als sehr viel komplexer erwiesen, als man zunächst annehmen könnte…

Wir lesen die meiste Zeit aus Alanas Sicht, was zunächst vor allem die Frage aufwirft, warum sie mit ihrer Familie gebrochen hat. Das große Ganze wird erst später klar ausgesprochen, doch auch zu Beginn sind es viele „Kleinigkeiten“ die Alana verständlicherweise sauer aufstoßen. Auch das Verhältnis zu ihren Brüdern ist unterkühlt, so dass man sich eigentlich fragt, warum Alana auf einen gemeinsamen Plan mit ihnen einsteigen sollte. Doch die Antwort wird schnell und plausibel geliefert – zwar steht für Alana selbst kein Erbe auf dem Spiel, doch ihre Tochter soll wohl eigentlich mit Geld bedacht worden sein, was dann natürlich auf dem Spiel steht. Und so lässt Alana sich auf den Plan ein und reißt auf die luxuriöse Privatinsel ihres Vaters.

Das Buch ist durchzogen von unsympathischen Charakteren, mit denen man live wohl keine Minute gern verbringen würde. Was manche da für Lebensentscheidungen getroffen haben, ist echt nicht nachvollziehbar. Einzig Alana war hier ein Lichtblick, schon allein weil sie gedanklich immer alles so schön schwarzhumorig kommentiert und so für einige Lacher gesorgt hat. Sie hatte stets einen recht scharfen Blick auf die Sache und hat sehr souverän gehandelt.

Im Laufe des Buches erfahren wir noch viel mehr über diese absolut dysfunktionale Familie, die weit entfernt ist von ein paar harmlosen Streitereien. In Rückblicken erleben wir sogar wie Alanas Eltern sich kennen lernen und bereits dort könnte einem Übles schwanen. Dass das Buch mit einem Plottwist um die Ecke kommen würde, war mir relativ schnell klar. Doch niemals hätte ich erraten, wohin die Reise letztendlich geht.

Ich habe mir eigentlich eine spritzige, spaßige Familienintrige vorgestellt – bekommen habe ich eine kurzweilige und unterhaltsame Geschichte mit einem ziemlich düsteren, ernsten Kern. Darauf war ich ehrlicherweise nicht eingestellt, da man hinter dem Cover sowas auch nicht unbedingt vermuten würde. Das ungute Gefühl hat sich dann im Laufe der Story gemeldet und wurde im Verlauf immer drängender. Bleibt am Ende nur noch die Frage – wer von den ganzen verdorbenen Menschen war der schlechteste?

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS - The Opportunist is a hard-to-put-down thriller filled with twists and a gaggle of potential culprits from a dysfunctional family who aren't overly likeable but are oh-so-intriguing. Their lives are filled with wealth, privilege, and secrets which some members will do anything to keep hidden.

Set in a secluded, private island off the coast of Vancouver, the story focuses on Alana, the estranged daughter of the wealthy Shropshire family who has purposely spent decades away from her family. When her brothers enlist her help to put the kibosh on their father's impending wedding to his decades younger former personal nurse, Alana is pulled back into the family and all its emotional baggage and secrets.

This is a story filled with suspicion, secrets, and lies which pile up as the body count climbs and readers are faced with trying to figure out the identity of the murderer. The author pulls the reader into her story and deftly reveals the secrets and deceptions of her characters which kept me second-guessing and ultimately surprised me with the final twist. Well done, Ms. Friedman. Well done!

This is a delightfully dark and twisty story about estrangement, rivalry, power, and greed that was hard to put down, clever, and entertaining. Before beginning this book, I didn't realize Elyse Friedman was Canadian, and a Torontonian t'boot! This was a pleasant surprise to this Canuck who is eager to read more from this new-to-me author.

** Trigger warning Trigger Warning: Child sexual abuse

[Jillian B · Rating 5 out of 5]

When single mom Alana starts getting messages from her brothers about their billionaire father’s upcoming nuptials to his twenty-something nurse, she has no interest in getting involved. Long estranged from her family of origin and barely scraping by financially, she has bigger concerns than her dad’s drama. But when her brother offers her a large sum of money to chase their would-be stepmother away, she takes the deal. Tensions escalate and twists ensue, leaving the reader unsure who to trust.

All I can say about this book is WOW. What at first seems to be a dark comedy with Succession vibes takes a MUCH darker turn, but somehow still manages to be fun? This fast-paced book can be finished in a single weekend, and trust me, you will want to keep turning the pages.

And as a Canadian with personal ties to Toronto, Calgary and the B.C. Gulf Islands, I loved seeing a part of the world I know well being faithfully depicted!

[Jamele (BookswithJams) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a juicy gem that I did not expect! I do love a drama about families with money, and when the elder patriarch is set to marry his 26 yo nurse and she is set to inherit a fortune, the brothers enlist the help of their estranged sister Alana who could care less. But then the wedding is announced and the brothers persuade Alana to fly out to their West Coast island retreat to help get the gold digger to go away. Things take a turn from here and holy cow, I did not see the ending coming, it was such a fun, quick and extremely satisfying read. I definitely recommend this one and want to mention the audiobook was great as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Books for the digital copy to review.

[Beate NerdLounge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boshaft, perfide, spannend!
4,5 Sterne
Ich war mir nicht sicher, was mich in diesem Buch erwartet, als ich es als Rezensionsexemplar angeboten bekam, schlussendlich hat es mich richtig gepackt!
Die Autorin schafft es richtig gut, uns Lesende im Dunklen tappen zu lassen: wem kann ich glauben? Wer führt jetzt wirklich was im Schilde?
Es war echt spannend rauszufinden, wer wie in diese unfassbar bösartige Familiengeschichte verstrickt ist.
Die plottwists haben mich überrascht, auch wenn ein Thema fast ein bisschen zu heftig für mich war (triggerwarnung wäre gut) und manchen Charakteren schon überbordend viel Negatives passiert ist. Schlussendlich hat aber alles Sinn gemacht und es hat mir richtig gefallen! Ich liebe solche Spielereien mit gut und böse!

[Ashley Gillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which I would classify as a domestic suspense, in which we watch a rich family try to figure out what the heck is going on behind the scenes and try to outsmart each other when it seems that everyone is keeping secrets from each other.

Wow - what a ride from start to finish! Just when you think you've got everything figured out -WHAM! The author throws a twist in there that complicates things. And what's the most interesting thing is that they're probable twists - not something completely out of left field, but something that could totally happen, if you could have figured it out.

And the ending really blew me away. I was absolutely floored! Great job by the author really laying out the framework for an amazing twist ending that left my jaw on the floor. Bravo!

The characters are also really well done, from the siblings a the heart of the novel, to the new, young girlfriend - to the trophy girlfriend who has more to her than first appears. It was like watching an episode of a reality show on Bravo, with characters that you liked, and some characters that you just couldn't stand. And some the you just couldn't figure out - dun dun dun!

Needless to say, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great weekend read or a twisty domestic suspense that takes you into world of the insanely rich and privileged.

[Danielle B · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Alana's seventy-eight year old father, Ed, gets engaged to his twenty-eight year old nurse, Kelly, Alana's brothers reach out to her. Alana has been estranged from her father for quite sometime. She doesn't care about the money her family has, but her brothers are worried that Kelly will be taking it all away from them. Alana is asked to help with a plan to break them up by offering Kelly a substantial amount of money to leave her father. Will this plan work out like they are all hoping?

This was a pretty good family drama/mystery. The audiobook was excellent. I enjoyed the narrator, which can be a challenge for me in some cases. This family is very dysfunctional, you can't trust any of them. If you are looking for a fast-paced, entertaining story THE OPPORTUNIST is a great one to choose.

3.5 stars.

This review will be posted to my Instagram page (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if you knew of a family and they were kinfolk with multiple secrets? The secrets were both disturbing and damaging or caustic and spiteful. And as a member of this association with the same surname, your relatives had everything and nothing.

~~~~~
I read the book summary before starting this story, but I wasn’t aware of the spins and sharp turns Ms. Friedman was going to take me on my reading journey. More than once, my uneasiness was tested. One character in particular was very bad in an awful way.

In summary, I would define this narrative as a soap opera thriller. It contained strong emotions, highly dramatic situations and an escalating degree of suspense. It took the idiom, revenge is sweet, to another level.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I’d known there would be so many ‘red herrings’, I would have brought a fishing pole. The author did an excellent job of entertaining by making me guess and guess again about characters and the conclusion. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.

[Maia Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynn Cody said The Opportunist was "a twisty, page-turning delight" and she’s not wrong.
I’ve admired Elyse Friedman’s writing since reading Waking Beauty almost 20 years ago.
The twist was such a great surprise.
Feel like going on a fun twisty ride? Read The Opportunist.

[Shanequa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book started out great and I loved the premise. I was having a good time. Then I got a little nervous because it changed direction and I wasn’t enjoying it as much. But then the ending swooped in and made everything great again.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick read with a rather interesting twist. A little mystery. Perfect light binge with a bit of a surprise ending. Wish there was an epilogue of some sort or better understanding of ending but overall decent book. 3.5-4⭐️’s!

[Cody Roecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

SCREAMINGGGGGGG I loved this

think very Meredith Blake in the Parent Trap + rich family dynamics + secrets that slowly unravel as the story goes along. It's glorious.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

woah.