BARNES & NOBLE | Risk by Colin Harrison, Picador | NOOK Book (eBook), Paperback, Hardcover

Risk

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Risk (First Edition) Pub. Date: 9/29/2009 Publisher: Picador
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Risk (Large Print Edition) Pub. Date: 3/17/2010 Publisher: Gale Group

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Overview

An honest lawyer, a Czech hand model, and a box of mysterious Christmas ornaments—each plays a part in Colin Harrison's compelling new intrigue

George Young never thought of himself as a detective, but that’s pretty much his vocation—an attorney at a top insurance firm, it’s his job to pin down suspicious claims. But Mrs. Corbett, the rich, eccentric wife of the firm’s founder, has it in mind to put George’s skills to a peculiar assignment. With only a few months left to live, her one desire is to know the true circumstance of her son Roger’s violent death. George’s investigation leads him to Roger’s mistress, a cagey Czech hand model named Eliska, who can cast a seductive spell simply by removing her gloves.

Did Eliska's motives for latching on to Roger get him killed? Or did some of her shadowy and dangerous little friends take care of the job? And why were there boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments in the dead man’s apartment? George will have to take a few chances of his own if he wants to get to the bottom of Roger’s death for Mrs. Corbett.

Set against a volatile and vividly drawn Manhattan, Risk is prime Colin Harrison.

Editorial Reviews

Patrick Anderson

Harrison views New York with a cool but compassionate eye. What distinguishes Risk is not its plot—investigation, danger, resolution—but the people, the digressions, the details along the way…As crime fiction goes, it's a small gem.
—The Washington Post

More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews

From The Critics

In Harrison's entertaining urban noir, which has been revised since the New York Times Magazine ran it as a serial, Manhattan insurance attorney George Young agrees to help Mrs. Corbett, the widow of his firm's founder, with a minor mystery. How did Corbett's son, Roger, spend his final hours before a garbage truck struck him dead? The images a security camera captured of Roger's last moments mesmerize the amateur detective. Young's investigation leads him to Eliska Sedlacek, a Czech hand model, who was Roger's mistress for the last few months of his life. Eliska is eager to get access to Roger's possessions, which his ex-wife has placed in long-term storage. Some mundane items belonging to Roger, including an old phone book bought on eBay and some Christmas ornaments, turn out to be of interest to some unsavory figures. Harrison (The Finder) telegraphs the final reveal early on, but the colorful narrative voice will leave many readers wishing for more. (Oct.)

The Barnes & Noble Review

If you missed Harrison's delightful thriller when it ran as a serial in The New York Times Magazine, forget about it. This paperback edition is sharper, longer, and much more fun to read. Harrison is a master of imperfect central characters. George Young is an attorney for a top insurance firm. It's his long-running job to expose suspicious claims. But Mrs. Corbett, the rich, eccentric wife of the firm's founder, wants to put George's skills to a special, non-insurance assignment. With only a few months to live, her one desire is to know the true circumstance of her son Roger's violent death -- he was hit by a truck as he walked out of a bar. George's investigation leads him to Roger's mistress, an elusive Czech hand model named Eliska Sedlacek, whose motives for latching on to Mrs. Corbett's son may have gotten him killed.

George Young is a perfect Harrison hero. ?The work can be exciting, and a little nasty,? he says about his job. ?Which I confess is interesting.? His wife, Carol, also a lawyer, works in the compliance division of ?a huge New York bank... Being a naturally suspicious person, Carol has done well at her job.? The Youngs turn out to be a formidable pair of detectives (?Now and then I am reminded that my wife is smarter than I am. This was one of those times,? George tells us when Carol spots an important clue.) Aided by a shrewd bartender and a friendly gangster, they uncover a tangled plot involving valuable metals hidden in cheap Christmas decorations. But not even such shrewd investigators can imagine what old Mrs. Corbett is really looking for. --Dick Adler

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780312428938
Publisher: Picador
Publication date: 9/29/2009
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 192
Sales rank: 438,122
Product dimensions: 5.60 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

COLIN HARRISON is the author of six novels. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

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harstan

Posted August 7, 2009

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This is a terrific Manhattan Noir

Manhattan insurance attorney George Young agrees to help Widow Mrs. Corbett because she was married to the late founder of the firm where he works; he always felt he owed the late Wilson Corbett for rescuing him back in the 1980s from the muddy Queens DA Office. Mrs. Corbett wants George to investigate the last few hours in the life of her son Roger before he was killed in a freak accident by a garbage truck.

George starts with a security camera video that capture the final moments. Afterward, he visits Roger's mistress Czech hand model Eliska Sedlacek to see what she can tell him. Eliska makes it clear Roger had some items that she wants; Roger's former wife placed everything in storage. George is taken aback when seemingly nonentities like an old phone book bought by Roger on eBay has garnered interest by people willing to break into joints to gain possession.

This is a terrific Manhattan Noir in which the audience knows what is happening ironically much earlier than George does; the fun is watching George change from confident successful professional lawyer to bungling unconfident amateur sleuth as he begins to put the shocking puzzle together. Filled with twists including one great spin, fans will enjoy George's efforts to learn the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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BookAddictFL

Posted January 3, 2010

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A Fun Read!

This short novel was a fun, light read. I thought it was well-written. George Young, the main character, is a lawyer who finds himself caught up in a little more danger and intrigue than he's used to. I enjoyed the dialogue and the mix of humor and mystery. I was immediately drawn in and didn't skip a word, which, to me, equals a good book!
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MikeDraper

Posted November 28, 2009

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"Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks." Heordotus

Attorney George Young works for a New York insurance firm where his work is to analyze suspicious insurance claims.

He's called to the home of the widow of his company's founder. Mrs. Corbett is in ill health and facing an operation. She wants George to look into what her son, Roger, was doing prior to the time he walked into the path of an oncoming truck and was killed.

Since her husband was the one who gave George his start, he feels obligated to give this job his best effort. He learns that Roger had a girlfriend, a Czeck named Eliska Sedlacek. This woman had a relationship with a Russian man and carried items into the United States for him. The items were in the shape of ornaments and were very valuable. On the Russian's last trip, he asks Eliska to bring in a much larger quantity. She did and she hid this in Roger's apartment. We learn that the Russian man was murdered and some men have contacted Eliska and have told her that her old boyfriend took something that didn't belong to him and the men want it back.

George continues his investigation, even though he learns that he is at some risk, himself. During the search for answers, George finds something of his own history that is significant.

George Young is a sympathetic character. He's a nice guy who stays on the job and gets help from a wife that loves him and is loved by George in return. I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to others.
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Anonymous

Posted December 11, 2010

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