A Good Family
A Novel
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4.0 • 96 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“A story of money, family, who you can trust, and the extremes to which one will go for blood. I couldn’t put it down.” —Lisa Ling, host of CNN’s This Is Life
Keep your family close and your enemies closer.
Beth is the darling of God Halsa, a pharmaceutical giant, and she’s got the outrageous salary and lifestyle to prove it. Until she lands in white-collar women’s prison, thanks to a high-profile whistleblower suit.
Sam, Beth’s husband, used to be the town’s most eligible bachelor, and he’s never had to do anything for himself. Until his wife goes to jail, and he’s left to raise two daughters on his own.
Lise, the au pair, is the whistleblower. But is she? Everyone knows she’s not clever enough to have done it alone.
Hannah, Sam’s sister, is devoted to her family. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for them.
Eva, Beth’s sister, is the smart one. (Read: not the pretty one.) Her life seems perfect on the surface, but sibling rivalry runs deep.
Martin, Beth’s brother, is the firstborn, the former golden boy turned inside-the Beltway businessman. But what is he hiding?
Someone knows something. Someone betrayed Beth.
This is the story of the Min-Lindstroms. This is the story of the all-American family as it implodes under the weight of secrets, lies and the unchecked desire for wealth and power.
A.H. Kim is an immigrant, graduate of Harvard College and Berkeley Law, lawyer, and mother of two sons. She lives in San Francisco with her husband. A Good Family is her first novel.
Don't miss A.H. Kim's next exciting family drama, Relative Strangers!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kim's warped debut begins on the final night of the Lindstrom family's annual reunion at the weekend getaway house they call Le Refuge. The next day, Hannah Min drives to Alderson Prison in West Virginia with her younger brother, Sam, and his beautiful blonde wife, Beth, part of the wealthy Lindstrom family, who is about to begin her sentence after being convicted of fraud in her high-ranking position at a pharmaceutical firm. At the prison, the guards assume Hannah, who is Korean American, is the one self-surrendering, and pointing to Beth, who is white, Hannah feels "like a narc." The narrative is loaded with finger-pointing and suspicions of back-stabbing. Beth's former nanny, Lise, 16, blew the whistle on Beth's company's fraudulent marketing, which led to a child's death. During a prison visit, Beth asks Hannah, a law librarian, to help find out who helped Lise, and why. Hannah digs into the case and begins uncovering family secrets, such as Sam's sizable debt to Beth's brother. In chapters alternating between Hannah's and Beth's perspectives, the reader glimpses Beth's easy time in the white-collar prison and Hannah's wry commentary on the Lindstroms, as well as kept guessing over which characters are trustworthy. This addictive, over-the-top dramedy would make for a great TV series.
Customer Reviews
5 stars
Excellent!
Intriguing
A GOOD FAMILY is an intriguing story about secrets and loyalty. The characters are well-crafted, and their complicated interpersonal dynamics kept me turning the pages. I found the conclusion to be both surprising and satisfying, a pleasant end to an enjoyable tale.
Disclosure: I received a free, uncorrected proof of this book.