De opportunist. Door: Elyse Friedman.

Wow, wat een finale. Dat wil ik alvast gezegd hebben. Want plot driven boeken staan of vallen echt wel door een plottwist die je niet zag aankomen. Ze maken of kraken een boek. Ik zal geen namen noemen maar laatst las ik een boek (waarin nogal veel doden vielen, hint hint) dat door de finale plotwending plots een paar sterren verloor. Wat een sof, echt, ik ben er nog niet goed van. Het lezen van dat boek voelde zoals verspilde tijd.

En in De opportunist is dat helemaal het tegenovergestelde. Want eerlijk is eerlijk, ik zou dit boek nooit gelezen hebben als ik het niet had gekregen van Annelies (merci daarvoor!). De cover en de achterflap spraken me niet echt aan. Lezen over rijke witte cismannen die denken dat de wereld om hen draait (het ‘blauwe ballen-type’), laat maar. Dacht ik.

Friedman maakt er iets helemaal anders van. Waar het begint als een soort van getroebleerde familie epos verandert het stilaan in een spannende kat en muis-achtige thriller. Niemand is wie hij/zij lijkt te zijn. Je leest als een verslaafde en verwacht iets te zien aankomen maar dan volgt er iets anders en dan is daar die finale en spring je uit je stoel en begin je te juichen. Of toch bijna, ik zat in een drukke zomerbar, aan een klein tafeltje, dus hield het bij op en neer wippen op mijn stoel. Het zou zonde zijn als mijn rosé omkieperde hé ;)

De zomer loopt op zijn einde, hol naar de boekenwinkel voor De opportunist; deze rit wil je niet missen! Nog een reden om het boek te lezen: Netflix gaar het verfilmen, die hype wil je voor zijn! ( )

3.5 Stars.

May/December relationship between nurse and patient. Patient also happens to be a rich mogul with a long, troubled relationship with his children. Sons, Martin and Teddy, reach out to stepsister Alana, who has long ago distanced herself from the family, for help breaking up this relationship and keeping the family money where it belongs. Story pits siblings against each other with disturbing outcomes.

Far fetched..yes, predictable..yes, until the satisfying ending, which wasn’t what I expected! Well written, but was slow in some parts, drawn out in the beginning until secrets are slowly revealed. Trigger warning: child porn. Characters aren’t very likable, but definitely add to the story.

Thanks to Ms. Friedman, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone. ( )

In Elyse Friedman's twisty novel, The Opportunist, Alana is a single mom raising her young daughter who has a type of muscular dystrophy. She is estranged from her family- her wealthy industrialist father Ed and brothers Martin and Teddy, who work for the family business. She was very close to her sister Lillian who died years ago.

She receives a call from her brothers asking her to come home to stop their father's wedding to his 28 year-old nurse Kelly. The brothers are convinced that Kelly is a golddigger who will end up with all their father's billions and they will be cut out.

Alana could care less about who her father marries, but her brothers offer her a lot of money to help them expose Kelly, and Alana, who works at a domestic violence shelter, could use that money to make her daughter's life easier.

Reluctantly she agrees, and off she goes to the wedding. She meets Kelly and sees that Kelly appears to be very devoted to Ed. An attempt by the brothers to pay off Kelly backfires, and although Alana believes that Kelly loves her father, Alana needs the money for her daughter and continues to help her brothers.

There are so many twists and turns in the plot, and trying to figure out who is playing whom will keep the reader turning the pages. I liked reading about Alana's life with her daughter and the ostentatious displays of the obscenely wealthy family's lifestyle (especially the scenes set on the super yacht) are crazy. It is no wonder that Elyse Friedman is a screenwriter, her novel would make an intriguing movie.

There is a big reveal late in the book that I didn't particularly like, but the final twist did take me by surprise which I do like when reading a psychological suspense novel. Exactly who is the opportunist in this story? If you are a fan of HBO's Succession or books by B.A. Paris or Lisa Unger, Elyse Friedman's The Opportunist is for you.

Thanks to Harlequin Books fro putting me on their Fall 2022 Mystery & Thriller Blog Tours. ( )

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. ( )

Alana has been approached by her brother return home and do something about her father. Alana has not even been in touch with her family in decades. But, her father has decided to marry his very young nurse. Alana’s brothers are having a complete hissy fit. Their inheritance is in jeopardy and they are not going to stand for it.

I usually do not get surprised by much…but this book had a twist that I did not see coming. Yep…it got me! I loved how this author manipulated the reader. And this family…they are something else. Greed is a powerful thing!

I am not going to talk about the characters because I might slip and give something away. Just know this is one messed up group of people and you think you know…but you don’t know. I am definitely going to have to read more by this author!

Need a twisted thriller with a surprise ending…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )