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Escape Velocity
When does the Con Seduce the Artist? Georgia Griffin has just arrived in Silicon Valley from Piney, Arkansas on very bald tires, having firmly rejected her beloved father’s life as a con artist. Her father is in jail and a certain minister is hugging her mother for Jesus while eyeing Georgia’s little sister, Katie-Ann. Georgia desperately needs to keep her new job as paralegal for Lumina Software so she can provide a California haven for her sister before it’s too late. While she’s still living in her car, Georgia realizes that incompetence and self-dealing have a death grip on her new company. She decides to adapt her extensive con artist training—just once—to clean up the company. But success is seductive. Soon Georgia is an avid paralegal by day and a masterful con artist by night, using increasingly bold gambits designed to salvage Lumina Software. Then she steps into the shadow of a real crime and must Will she risk her job, the roof over her sister’s head, and perhaps her very soul?
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2016
95 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wolfe
7 books60 followersSusan Wolfe is a lawyer with a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Stanford University. After four years of practicing law full time, she bailed out and wrote the best-selling The Last Billable Hour, which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. She returned to law for another sixteen years, first as a criminal defense attorney and then as an in-house lawyer for Silicon Valley high-tech companies. Born and raised in San Bernardino, California, she now lives in Palo Alto, California, with her husband, Ralph DeVoe. Her new novel, Escape Velocity, will be published in October of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 16, 2018
Escape Velocity is billed as the story of a con artist let loose in a Silicon Valley tech firm. This could seem almost redundant, especially if you're old enough to remember the first tech bubble (the one that led to a crash in 2000); it can be said that the tech industry is oversupplied with con artists. However, Georgia Griffin -- this story's protagonist -- uses her powers for good, or at least to keep her company afloat.
Georgia's an Arkansas girl clutching her newly-minted paralegal credential and a yen to get away from a toxic situation back home. She wants to get herself set up with a good company so she can rescue her little sister, Katie-Ann, from said toxic situation. Her father, a con man of long standing, is safely in prison but still working his schemes. Little did Georgia know that Lumina Software is nowhere near a good company, and that what she'd learned at her pappy's knee would come in handy in corporate America. She takes it on herself to stop the rot before it endangers her job and Katie-Ann's education, pressing her campaign all the way up the company's food chain.
Georgia's a personable, well-drawn character who's good-enough company for this trip, a good thing since she's on nearly every page. She's preternaturally responsible for someone of her age and something of an exposed nerve ending. If you get past that (and it took me awhile to do so), her clear-eyed view of the people around her and their doings will help you get and keep a handle on the large cast and its many pathologies.
And pathologies there are aplenty: Lumina is stocked with at least one of possibly every kind of corporate sociopath there is, starting at the top. The author was corporate counsel for various Silicon Valley firms for sixteen years. She must've kept careful notes of every fiddle and dodge possible in that environment, because they're all happening in Lumina. If you've ever worked for a large company (or one that's growing faster than its supposed leadership can handle), you've probably already seen some of this in action; if you haven't, this book may, if nothing else, relieve you of the misapprehension that private-sector management is superior to that in the public sector. The office jungle is portrayed with enough verity to be instantly recognizable to anyone who's been a part of it, while at the same time being exaggerated just enough to provide Georgia with a lot to do.
Likewise, Lumina's other inmates are generally well-described and distinct enough to keep straight. They do, however, tend to be one-note characters, either clearly good or clearly horrid. The horrid ones tend to be horrid in one particular way; convenient for Georgia's machinations, but not in line with the unfortunate fact that managers can find many ways to be inept, craven, or brutish, often all in the same personality. The clearly good characters (oddly enough, mostly the company's in-house legal department) can be a bit too good, with not even the kind of annoying minor habits that cubicle-dwellers come to know all too well. Ken Madigan, Georgia's boss, is so good, kind, understanding and honest that he can come off as a plaster saint.
The biggest cavil I have with this story goes to the root of how it's billed. Georgia supposedly learned the con artist's ways from her father, and she asks for his shady advice in the letters she sends to him in prison. But her means of undermining Lumina's bad actors isn't by using confidence tricks so much as leveraging the power of strategically-placed gossip or the misguided suggestion. In general, she enables her marks to destroy themselves. While this is effective in the story as in real life, only at a great level of abstraction does it qualify as being the work of a "masterful con artist," as promised in the back-cover copy. I kept waiting for an elaborate long con to gin up, or for a tricky short con to happen, but they never did. That and the plot's leisurely pacing robbed the story of a sense of urgency.
Escape Velocity is a gentle tale of corporate dysfunction running head-on into the indignation of one very determined young woman who aims to stop it by fair means or foul. If only she'd used more foul means -- the result may have be livelier and more compelling. Still, it's not a bad experience, and if its particulars engage you, you'll find it to be a quick, low-calorie read.
Georgia's an Arkansas girl clutching her newly-minted paralegal credential and a yen to get away from a toxic situation back home. She wants to get herself set up with a good company so she can rescue her little sister, Katie-Ann, from said toxic situation. Her father, a con man of long standing, is safely in prison but still working his schemes. Little did Georgia know that Lumina Software is nowhere near a good company, and that what she'd learned at her pappy's knee would come in handy in corporate America. She takes it on herself to stop the rot before it endangers her job and Katie-Ann's education, pressing her campaign all the way up the company's food chain.
Georgia's a personable, well-drawn character who's good-enough company for this trip, a good thing since she's on nearly every page. She's preternaturally responsible for someone of her age and something of an exposed nerve ending. If you get past that (and it took me awhile to do so), her clear-eyed view of the people around her and their doings will help you get and keep a handle on the large cast and its many pathologies.
And pathologies there are aplenty: Lumina is stocked with at least one of possibly every kind of corporate sociopath there is, starting at the top. The author was corporate counsel for various Silicon Valley firms for sixteen years. She must've kept careful notes of every fiddle and dodge possible in that environment, because they're all happening in Lumina. If you've ever worked for a large company (or one that's growing faster than its supposed leadership can handle), you've probably already seen some of this in action; if you haven't, this book may, if nothing else, relieve you of the misapprehension that private-sector management is superior to that in the public sector. The office jungle is portrayed with enough verity to be instantly recognizable to anyone who's been a part of it, while at the same time being exaggerated just enough to provide Georgia with a lot to do.
Likewise, Lumina's other inmates are generally well-described and distinct enough to keep straight. They do, however, tend to be one-note characters, either clearly good or clearly horrid. The horrid ones tend to be horrid in one particular way; convenient for Georgia's machinations, but not in line with the unfortunate fact that managers can find many ways to be inept, craven, or brutish, often all in the same personality. The clearly good characters (oddly enough, mostly the company's in-house legal department) can be a bit too good, with not even the kind of annoying minor habits that cubicle-dwellers come to know all too well. Ken Madigan, Georgia's boss, is so good, kind, understanding and honest that he can come off as a plaster saint.
The biggest cavil I have with this story goes to the root of how it's billed. Georgia supposedly learned the con artist's ways from her father, and she asks for his shady advice in the letters she sends to him in prison. But her means of undermining Lumina's bad actors isn't by using confidence tricks so much as leveraging the power of strategically-placed gossip or the misguided suggestion. In general, she enables her marks to destroy themselves. While this is effective in the story as in real life, only at a great level of abstraction does it qualify as being the work of a "masterful con artist," as promised in the back-cover copy. I kept waiting for an elaborate long con to gin up, or for a tricky short con to happen, but they never did. That and the plot's leisurely pacing robbed the story of a sense of urgency.
Escape Velocity is a gentle tale of corporate dysfunction running head-on into the indignation of one very determined young woman who aims to stop it by fair means or foul. If only she'd used more foul means -- the result may have be livelier and more compelling. Still, it's not a bad experience, and if its particulars engage you, you'll find it to be a quick, low-calorie read.
September 6, 2016
Georgia Griffin has just arrived in Silicon Valley after rejecting her father who is a con artist and is in jail. She's got a new job as a paralegal for Lumina Software. She needs to provide a safe place for her little sister Katie-Ann. Georgia is living in fear as she realises that incompetence and self-dealing have put a death grip on her new company. Soon Georgia reverts to being a con artist to clean up the company.
What a fun read this is. Brilliant.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Steelkilt and the author Susan Wolfe for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a fun read this is. Brilliant.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Steelkilt and the author Susan Wolfe for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2016
thank you for this giveaway, goodreads! Thank you Susan Wolfe for a wonderful book!
a wonderful romp with the grifter, Georgia. well fleshed out characters and very entertaining and funny. with a wonderful twist ending. Brava!
a wonderful romp with the grifter, Georgia. well fleshed out characters and very entertaining and funny. with a wonderful twist ending. Brava!
July 25, 2018
This was a very enjoyable story. Working in high tech in Silicon Valley, I recognized several of the employee types. I've worked with a lot of those folks. However, like most fiction, the characters were highly exaggerated as were the scenarios of their undoing. I liked the main character, Georgia, and her internal struggles regarding whether or not to "use her special talents". I also liked how she set some folks up. The art of the con was on center stage. The book takes a dark turn towards the end, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise as it was set up in the prologue. Still, it was a little jarring when the set ups began to have results more severe than losing a job for which one was ill suited. Overall this was an interesting read and a good satire of the tech industry.
May 26, 2023
Deceit and Deception
This is an interesting book, particularly from the point of marketing.
Where does marketing end and deception begin? When women wear makeup and “tasty” clothing: is it marketing, or, is it a confidence trick?
Nations, politicians, and marketers, do they indulge in “Confidence schemes and do Business Schools teach the Art of the Con?
So many questions, so few answers: what do you think?
This is an interesting book, particularly from the point of marketing.
Where does marketing end and deception begin? When women wear makeup and “tasty” clothing: is it marketing, or, is it a confidence trick?
Nations, politicians, and marketers, do they indulge in “Confidence schemes and do Business Schools teach the Art of the Con?
So many questions, so few answers: what do you think?
November 9, 2016
Wolfe has given us a great legal thriller with a twist. It took me a while to get into the novel but by midway, I was hooked.
Wolfe has crafted a very interesting character in Georgia. She's got a good heart and wants to really set things right in the software company. How she goes about it is innovative. She has learned well from her father and can spot the mark and set up the con. Her form of the con is to see an incompetent person leave the company. This is one of those times when I wonder if the end justifies the means. But I enjoyed learning about how Georgia would create the con, observing the personality of the person and finding their weak spot and then pouncing.
Additional characters in the novel reveal the atmosphere in the company. Wolfe has done a great job of creating the incompetent bully, the aspiring “yes” person, the arrogant CEO, and more. I learned much about how leadership in such a company might function, especially the inter-departmental jealousy.
The plot was well crafted too. It took me a while to get into the action. Georgia methodically pursues her cleansing work and I thought some of it a bit repetitive. The last quarter of the book made all the rest worth while. At the end we understand what was really going on in the software company. What a revelation of what powerful men can do. But they hadn't counted on Georgia!
I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a legal novel with a serious twist. Georgia is a crafty woman who combines her legal knowledge and her ability to create the perfect con with her passion to save Lumina. A con artist with a heart. An unusual character in an engaging plot made for good reading.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Wolfe has crafted a very interesting character in Georgia. She's got a good heart and wants to really set things right in the software company. How she goes about it is innovative. She has learned well from her father and can spot the mark and set up the con. Her form of the con is to see an incompetent person leave the company. This is one of those times when I wonder if the end justifies the means. But I enjoyed learning about how Georgia would create the con, observing the personality of the person and finding their weak spot and then pouncing.
Additional characters in the novel reveal the atmosphere in the company. Wolfe has done a great job of creating the incompetent bully, the aspiring “yes” person, the arrogant CEO, and more. I learned much about how leadership in such a company might function, especially the inter-departmental jealousy.
The plot was well crafted too. It took me a while to get into the action. Georgia methodically pursues her cleansing work and I thought some of it a bit repetitive. The last quarter of the book made all the rest worth while. At the end we understand what was really going on in the software company. What a revelation of what powerful men can do. But they hadn't counted on Georgia!
I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a legal novel with a serious twist. Georgia is a crafty woman who combines her legal knowledge and her ability to create the perfect con with her passion to save Lumina. A con artist with a heart. An unusual character in an engaging plot made for good reading.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
August 4, 2016
Escape Velocity, by Edgar Award-winning author Susan Wolfe, is a fantastic look inside large software development company based in Silicon Valley. The characters, and there is an unusual cast, will have you loving and hating, and quite possibly identifying the behaviors of incompetent people in high positions. Georgia Griffin will have you rooting for her success as a paralegal who is determined to save the company by exposing corruption and incompetence. She employs her years of con-man/woman training learned from her incarcerated father. She is determined to keep this job so she can rescue her baby sister from the leering eyes of a certain minister who is currently "hugging her mother for Jesus." A fun read and a wild ride!
October 2, 2016
Susan Wolfe’s Escape Velocity exposes the volatility and fast pace of Silicon Valley where high tech employees drive hard to climb the corporate ladder and secure financial success. As a former lawyer and Silicon Valley insider, Wolfe untangles a web of corporate intrigue through the eyes of Georgia Griffin, a newly minted paralegal eager to emulate her con artist father. From boardroom politics to agenda-driven employees and destructive co-workers, Wolfe uses her firsthand knowledge of financial and legal issues to weave a compelling plot which culminates in an edge-of-your-seat thriller ending! As a Silicon Valley lawyer myself, I can attest to the authenticity of Wolfe’s portrayal. Escape Velocity is a sure bet for those seeking to dive into a fun and compelling legal thriller.
September 19, 2016
As a former Silicon Valley general counsel, I was completely captivated by Susan Wolfe’s new novel. The author provides such realistic detail about the legal and financial troubles facing Lumina Software that I felt I was back in the trenches myself. However, Lumina Software’s good fortune is having the scrappy Georgia Griffin on board as Ken Madigan’s new paralegal. The ultimate problem-solver, Georgia gamely confronts the misconduct and incompetence threatening to sink the company. Together with her mentor and general counsel Ken, Georgia offers us a sure moral compass against which to judge Wolfe’s other richly drawn characters. Absolutely first-rate!
--B. Roemer, former GC
--B. Roemer, former GC
November 6, 2016
Escape Velocity introduces you to Georgia Griffin, a very small town girl who is yearning to let go of her past. Can she do it? Author Susan Wolfe does a wonderful job of showing how difficult it is for someone to actually escape old ways. Desire to grow and evolve is often thwarted by old patterns and alluring, easy opportunities for success. For Georgia this means navigating a work-a-day corporate world using very un-corporate ways--ways that are explicitly discouraged in the Ethics 101 video most F500 workers are forced to watch.
Escape Velocity hits a beautiful tone, making you root for Georgia even as her manipulations and actions get farther from ethical standards.
Escape Velocity hits a beautiful tone, making you root for Georgia even as her manipulations and actions get farther from ethical standards.
November 12, 2016
What a great read! Georgia Griffin is a delight, combating challenge after challenge with keen perceptive abilities and “special” talents. A hilarious book , it also has real heart and is grounded in values that can feel out of place in Silicon Valley. This book will be entertaining for all, but for those in Silicon Valley it will be especially satisfying. A fast read, at the end I was so sorry to leave the world of Georgia Griffin. I also loved Ms. Wolfe’s first book “The Last Billable Hour”. But as I just re-read it, for the next similarly satisfying experience I’ll just have to wait till Ms. Wolfe writes her next novel. I hope it won’t be long.
September 27, 2016
An excellent new novel from the Edgar-Award-winning author of The Last Billable Hour. Set in the heart of Silicon Valley, the story follows Georgia Griffin as she uses all of her skills to address the issues threatening her company all while working towards a new life for herself. The novel offers wonderful insight into the inner workings and challenges of a Silicon Valley tech company and creates a suspenseful story I thoroughly enjoyed. Looking forward to the next adventure from Susan Wolfe!
October 3, 2016
Susan Wolfe's new book is a remarkable feat of storytelling - with wit, insight, suspense and humor. A pure joy to read, and a page turner.
Not only does the reader get introduced to a rare and remarkable interesting insight into a legal department at a Silicon Valley tech firm, but also will enjoy a very intelligently written story. In the midst of serious issues and suspense there is room for great satirical humor.
This book combines it all.
I highly recommend it and can't wait for any future books by Susan Wolfe.
Not only does the reader get introduced to a rare and remarkable interesting insight into a legal department at a Silicon Valley tech firm, but also will enjoy a very intelligently written story. In the midst of serious issues and suspense there is room for great satirical humor.
This book combines it all.
I highly recommend it and can't wait for any future books by Susan Wolfe.
September 19, 2016
Very entertaining insider's view of the legal-financial machinations of a Silicon Valley tech firm. Clearly, Wolfe knows whereof she writes. It's a legal thriller, it's a murder mystery, it's a dramedy peopled with a wide range of well-drawn characters. Foremost among them is Georgia Griffin, smart and plucky to the max. Here's hoping we get to read her further adventures in the tech trade in follow-on books.
October 3, 2016
This book is fun; a quick-paced adventure in the unlikely setting of a Silicon Valley software company. The cast of quirky characters are likable and the story has good twists and turns. But I really liked is how true to life it is - the scenarios that Georgia encounters made me both giggle and cringe in equal measure. I definitely recommend it, especially for those living and working in Silicon Valley!
December 23, 2016
5 stars Fabulous main character!
What’s fun about this book is how a smart, young female lawyer from Arkansas butts up against the culture of a big Silicon Valley company. She’s cunning, she’s funny and she’s a reluctant con-artist who gets herself involved in cleaning up a few problems at the company—all of which makes for a great read.
What’s fun about this book is how a smart, young female lawyer from Arkansas butts up against the culture of a big Silicon Valley company. She’s cunning, she’s funny and she’s a reluctant con-artist who gets herself involved in cleaning up a few problems at the company—all of which makes for a great read.
May 18, 2020
I simply did not enjoy Escape Velocity by Susan Wolfe. While is is well written and well researched, the main story line was boring and sometimes confusing to me. It tends to get very technical and business oriented. Now I guess there is a reason that I did not go into the business world as this subject is of practically no interest for me. On the other hand, the fact that is is well written with an interesting protagonist does appeal to the English teacher in me; I enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on the personal lives of Georgia and her sister Katie-Ann. However, these parts are overshadowed by the attempts by Georgia to save the company that recently hired her as a paralegal. The daughter of a con man who is now serving time in prison, Georgia is not above employing rather shady methods to do this. Recently arrived in Silicon Valley from rural Arkansas, Georgia is forced to live in her car until she can put together enough money for an apartment and to send for her younger sister, Katie-Ann who is being eyed by her mother's new boyfriend. Georgia desperately needs her job to rescue her sister and is willing to go to any lengths to assure her success at Lumina Software, whether they are entirely legal or ethical or not. If you enjoy reading about the business and technical world you will probably love this book. Otherwise, I would advise you to stay clear of this one.
June 19, 2017
Georgia Griffins is wonderful! She has a conman as a father, has been raised learning how to run the cons, and isn’t afraid to push the limits to get what she wants. When I think of a con I think something entirely illegal. Georgia’s cons are more of telling the right people information that may or may not be entirely true about other people. She is good, she does her homework, and knows how to tell the “secrets” without them coming back to her. Unfortunately there are times people die, get fired, or lose respect due to her telling her stories but it is always for the good of the company, right?
There is no doubt that Susan Wolfe has a great knowledge of the business and legal world. The book was written with some terminology that I was not sure of yet with every unknown term it was explained in every day terms that were easy to understand. The knowledge she has also shows in how the book flowed easily. I found Escape Velocity an easy book to read and read it quickly enjoying every word.
I would describe Escape Velocity as a legal thriller with a twist. I definitely recommend picking up your own copy ASAP.
Thank you Ann-Marie Nieves at Get Red PR for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
There is no doubt that Susan Wolfe has a great knowledge of the business and legal world. The book was written with some terminology that I was not sure of yet with every unknown term it was explained in every day terms that were easy to understand. The knowledge she has also shows in how the book flowed easily. I found Escape Velocity an easy book to read and read it quickly enjoying every word.
I would describe Escape Velocity as a legal thriller with a twist. I definitely recommend picking up your own copy ASAP.
Thank you Ann-Marie Nieves at Get Red PR for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2018
What a wild ride from a small town in Arkansas to the shenanigans in Silicon Valley's high tech industry, this legal, financial, and con-job combo is a page-turner from the beginning. 5-STARS
While Georgia Griffin appears to initially want to shed her father's genius for the con, she finds it is the only way to keep the paralegal job she so desperately needs to keep her younger sister Katie-Ann safe.
This is a book where almost any reader can identify with at least one character in the book. You either have worked with or encountered one of these people so it rings close to home. At the same time, you recognize that the problems that Lumina Software is experiencing can appear in any industry. In addition, most of us have been vulnerable or conned at some time in our lives; whether it was just a joke when we were young or much more serious as we were older.
Susan Wolf does a fabulous job of bringing the reader into the story as I shadowed Georgia throughout the book. I couldn't put it down. It was spell-binding. I had to find out who was conning whom and how it all would end.
Great book for a quick read or in-depth discussion!
While Georgia Griffin appears to initially want to shed her father's genius for the con, she finds it is the only way to keep the paralegal job she so desperately needs to keep her younger sister Katie-Ann safe.
This is a book where almost any reader can identify with at least one character in the book. You either have worked with or encountered one of these people so it rings close to home. At the same time, you recognize that the problems that Lumina Software is experiencing can appear in any industry. In addition, most of us have been vulnerable or conned at some time in our lives; whether it was just a joke when we were young or much more serious as we were older.
Susan Wolf does a fabulous job of bringing the reader into the story as I shadowed Georgia throughout the book. I couldn't put it down. It was spell-binding. I had to find out who was conning whom and how it all would end.
Great book for a quick read or in-depth discussion!
May 17, 2017
Escape Velocity is a clever thriller with a highly entertaining protagonist. Georgia Griffin moves to California to start a new life and earn enough money to help her younger sister escape an unpleasant situation at home. Their father is in jail for running cons, and their mother is unable or unwilling to protect Katie-Ann from a lecherous minister. After many interviews, Georgia lands a paralegal position at a software development company called Lumina. Immediately after starting her job, she realizes that all is not well at Lumina, and she begins using her father’s con artist skills to rid Lumina of the various incompetent and self-interested characters. My favorite part of the book was reading about the various methods that Georgia uses to jettison the unhelpful characters weighing Lumina down. The ending was great too with a twist I did not see coming. My only caveat was that I wished the book had moved along a little quicker – there were times when it bogged down a bit. I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
December 28, 2024
exciting adventure
Escape Velocity is a book that I auditioned to narrate the audiobook for which, sadly, I wasn’t chosen. Nevertheless I enjoyed the writing of the audition portion so much that I bought the book.
I love the main characters personality. She is extremely clever while also being self effacing. And she has an incredible ability of reading people. And, when necessary, to “work the con” as taught by her father who is currently in prison. She has to be careful though. She is working hard and self sacrificing to get her younger teenage sister away from their alcoholic mother and the sexual predator that their mom is “seeing”. Can she save her sister, Can she keep her job while legitimately saving the company from incompetent leadership?
I highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from author Susan Wolfe. Maybe someday I’ll have the honor of getting to narrate one (or more) of her books!
Escape Velocity is a book that I auditioned to narrate the audiobook for which, sadly, I wasn’t chosen. Nevertheless I enjoyed the writing of the audition portion so much that I bought the book.
I love the main characters personality. She is extremely clever while also being self effacing. And she has an incredible ability of reading people. And, when necessary, to “work the con” as taught by her father who is currently in prison. She has to be careful though. She is working hard and self sacrificing to get her younger teenage sister away from their alcoholic mother and the sexual predator that their mom is “seeing”. Can she save her sister, Can she keep her job while legitimately saving the company from incompetent leadership?
I highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from author Susan Wolfe. Maybe someday I’ll have the honor of getting to narrate one (or more) of her books!
October 29, 2017
Georgia is a poor youngster from Arkansas who is hired as paralegal for a software company in Silicon Valley. As she learns her way around, she sees incompetent people thwarting the efforts of people trying to do their jobs and saving the company from different, significant problems. Her father, a con artist, is in prison but he taught Georgia well. She uses her reading of a person's traits and actions to maneuver situations to get them gone from the company. The first half of the book was so crammed with introducing characters, Georgia's homilies, and her worries about getting her younger sister away from a bad situation at home to live with her in CA that I wondered why such great reviews. But then, we recognize the "work" that needs to be done, and the players in bad practices. The second half of the book moved quickly and led me right thru it. Enjoyed it.
August 11, 2018
Entertaining as a light read
I lost interest midway through, but finished the book.
The book started out fine, but became unrealistic.
I wasn’t convinced of the protagonist’s ability to con people, steal or hide various items or manipulate most things to go her way - it came way too easy.
As a fairly new resident, the protagonist knew her way around quite well. In a split second she knew exactly what to do at the marina. I doubted the police wouldn’t notice her.
I was expecting this to be a thriller, as described on amazon (or Bookbub. Sorry, I can’t recall which one directed me to this book.) I think the book is more of a cozy mystery rather than a thriller. It’s an entertaining, light read.
I lost interest midway through, but finished the book.
The book started out fine, but became unrealistic.
I wasn’t convinced of the protagonist’s ability to con people, steal or hide various items or manipulate most things to go her way - it came way too easy.
As a fairly new resident, the protagonist knew her way around quite well. In a split second she knew exactly what to do at the marina. I doubted the police wouldn’t notice her.
I was expecting this to be a thriller, as described on amazon (or Bookbub. Sorry, I can’t recall which one directed me to this book.) I think the book is more of a cozy mystery rather than a thriller. It’s an entertaining, light read.
October 11, 2017
I hadn't known quite what to expect, although the teaser/synopsis sounded interesting. But I found myself completely enjoying the book! I just read through the first page of others' reviews, and I don't think I can say anything different - they have covered it well and I agree with it all. Great characters, fun plot, very well written. Can really relate to the humor of the idiocy of the corporate bureaucracy. As I finished the book, I came to this site hoping that perhaps there would be another book with this character Georgia Griffin, and would enjoy following her and all the other characters into whatever might come next.
March 31, 2018
Georgia Griffin moves to San Jose to work as a paralegal for a business intelligence company. Georgia believes that she has special skills because her father has trained her as a con artist. Since he is in prison, a reader might be skeptical of his skill. Although completely lacking in subtlety or sophistication, Georgia is fairly successful at her cons and setups because most of the company executives are astoundingly stupid. Georgia’s resilience and commitment to her sister make her an attractive character, but in a real Silicon Valley company she would find her “special” skills completely outclassed by some of the best plotters and schemers on the planet.
June 28, 2018
Wolfe has written a fine book and I'm eagerly anticipating finding more of her works.
Oh wow, what a fun read! Many, many scenarios that realistically portray boating, corporate, law enforcement, legal, scholastic conditions and events and many of them are at worst possible, and mostly plausible. All presented with great humor –with a wickedly sharp edge.
I enjoyed this read so much that I missed my absolute last bedtime by over three hours – without finishing the book! The _only_ issue I had was the malicious deceit used to get a spouse to fire an employee. Although in the realm of plausible and even probable, it left a bad feeling toward the heroine.
Oh wow, what a fun read! Many, many scenarios that realistically portray boating, corporate, law enforcement, legal, scholastic conditions and events and many of them are at worst possible, and mostly plausible. All presented with great humor –with a wickedly sharp edge.
I enjoyed this read so much that I missed my absolute last bedtime by over three hours – without finishing the book! The _only_ issue I had was the malicious deceit used to get a spouse to fire an employee. Although in the realm of plausible and even probable, it left a bad feeling toward the heroine.
October 13, 2018
Georgia Griffin escaped her life in Arkansas and moved to Silicon Valley to get a job as a paralegal and take her shot at a new life. Beyond her paralegal certificate, all she has is her skills as a con artist, learned from her Dad before one of his partners landed him in jail.
Can Georgia use her skills to make it in the business world? Can she con her way up the corporate ladder? This wasn't exactly a thriller - not a lot of action until the end, mostly just office politics. Still, I found Georgia to be extremely likable and interesting, so I kept reading.
Can Georgia use her skills to make it in the business world? Can she con her way up the corporate ladder? This wasn't exactly a thriller - not a lot of action until the end, mostly just office politics. Still, I found Georgia to be extremely likable and interesting, so I kept reading.
February 10, 2017
This book had all the characteristics that I appreciate in a good read, well-drawn, believable characters, well-paced story, well-written and fun to read. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. This is the first book I have read by this author and will be seeking her first book. I look for more of her books in the future. This book was fun! I received the book as a Goodreads giveaway and was asked to provide an honest review.
September 5, 2017
I enjoy legal thrillers and this did not disappoint. It had a different mood than other legal thrillers because it was not gritty with a subject such as murder or other heinous crimes which shall not be named. It's more character-based and you can't help but root for Georgia and her sister. The only slightly annoying thing is that with all of her knowledge of people (read: cons), I feel like she should have seen the twist coming before I did.
August 19, 2018
I don't really know how to rate this book.
I didn't really recognized the story as the one advertised on the cover text, which had indicated a young woman running cons to safe a company. what we did get was a young paralegal, manipulating her surroundings. I did not recognize anything she does as the work of a con artist, the young lady blithely goes around ruining the life of multiple coworkers. I admit they had earned it, but it's still quite callous.
I didn't really recognized the story as the one advertised on the cover text, which had indicated a young woman running cons to safe a company. what we did get was a young paralegal, manipulating her surroundings. I did not recognize anything she does as the work of a con artist, the young lady blithely goes around ruining the life of multiple coworkers. I admit they had earned it, but it's still quite callous.
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