Thursday, July 30, 2020

The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg

First Line: "Couldn't she just be injured?" Faye said.

It's an age-old story: young woman, deeply in love with her husband, forsakes her own studies to ensure her husband graduates and then gives her all in order for the new business to succeed. And what happens? The husband dumps her without a bean for a new model.

This is exactly what happened to Faye, but unlike so many other women, two things set Faye apart. One, she has a brilliant mind for business-- which is why husband Jack is so successful-- and two, her childhood was full of violence. When the shock wears off, Faye will make Jack pay... but how?

As I said, Faye has two things that set her apart from so many other women who are dumped unceremoniously by their rich husbands looking for something fresh and new to play with. The one I liked best was Faye's head for business, and since the author is a businesswoman herself, I enjoyed watching this part of The Golden Cage unfold. The second thing-- her violent childhood-- keeps readers off-balance throughout the book, mostly because her past is revealed very slowly, one crumb at a time. Is Faye going to decide that reducing Jack and his business to dust isn't enough and go for something more visceral? Wondering about this is what fuels the pace of the story and keeps us wanting more.

There's a large amount of graphic sex in The Golden Cage, and I have to admit that I got tired of it after a while. All right, all ready. I know where the various parts go. I know the feelings produced when this part meets that part. Can we please get back to the rest of the story? I know why Läckberg does this. Men-- especially rich men who are used to having every whim catered to-- can be tools in the hands of a woman who knows how best to use all those working parts to make the man's eyes roll back in his head. Sex is a tool. But I was still glad when Faye got past that part of her plan.

If you're in the mood for a sexy, fast-paced thriller with a main character who doesn't reveal her complete agenda, The Golden Cage is one fine read.


The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg
eISBN: 9780525657989
Borzoi Books © 2020
eBook, 315 pages

Thriller, Standalone
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

6 comments:

  1. Hmm...this sounds different from her other work, Cathy. But I do like female characters who aren't 'damsels in distress,' and aren't victims. And the plot sounds interesting, too. Glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. Well, Faye was a damsel in distress for a while until she finally put on her big girl panties.

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  2. I usually like Camilla Lackberg, but I don't like graphic sex. The fact that Faye keeps part of her agenda from the reader is intriguing.

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    1. Yes, she teeters on the edge of being an unreliable narrator, and it keeps you on your toes as you read.

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  3. I agree with Jenclair on this one. Sounds like the graphic sex is overdone and becomes more a distraction than a device to move the plot along. That can be annoying, and I often wonder if the author is just adding to the page-count because it's so easy a way to do it.

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    1. The graphic sex surprised me because I've read several of her books in the series she's written, and there was none to be found. I would say that it's a teensy bit overdone, since when another "scene" would appear, I'd start thinking, "Not again!"

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