Final Demand - Hardcover

Moggach, Deborah

3.72

752 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434009563 ISBN 13: 9780434009565

Publisher: William Heinemann, 2001

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By the author of the bestselling novels The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, the “tense and splendid” (Wall Street Journal) story of human frailty, temptation, and tragedy

Bestselling author Deborah Moggach, who “captures mood through careful choice of detail and has a deft sense of the grotesque” (James McNamara, The New York Times Book Review) delivers an extremely powerful novel about the consequences of greed and deceit in her gripping page-turner Final Demand.

Natalie is a girl who should be going somewhere. Although beautiful, bright, and ambitious, she’s stuck in a dead-end job in the accounts department of a telecommunications company, living her life through wild weekends and yearning for something more. While processing the final notice payments on cus�tomer’s accounts, Natalie devises a simple little scam that could change her life in a major way. And since it’s only a minor crime―nobody’s going to get hurt― she doesn’t hesitate to follow through her scheme.

But when Natalie’s selfish actions have tragic conse�quences, she learns there’s no such thing as a victimless crime. A cautionary tale that “captures the soulless sign of the times” (Jerry Broton, New York Times bestselling author), Final Demand is a beautifully written, emotionally taut story about the battle between love, envy, and misguided aspirations, and our own frailty in the face of temptation.

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About the Author:

Deborah Moggach is the author of many successful novels including Tulip Fever, the recent film adaptation of which stars Alicia Vikander, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which was made into two very popular movies starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and Maggie Smith. Her screenplays include the film of Pride and Prejudice, which was nominated for a BAFTA. Her novels In The Dark, Heartbreak Hotel, and Final Demand are published by Overlook.

Review:

“Marvelously tricky . . . While some thrillers tick off a checklist of red herrings on a predictable march to the finish, Moggach’s creations, with their layered personalities and shifting motivations, throw more guesswork into the mix. And something to ponder, too: matters of morality, complicity and fate.”
- Becky Aickman, The New York Times

“Tense and splendid . . . Moggach, a versatile writer . . . has all the empathetic and stylistic gifts needed to put a reader inside the lives of a dozen disparate characters and make one care about their fates―even that of a callous protagonist who may (or may not) experience a last-minute redemptive epiphany.”
- Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“Going inside the mind of a pretty, freckled villain who commits a seemingly victimless crime creates a page-turner with just enough moral ambiguity to ensure an unexpected ending.”
- Kirkus

“Thought-provoking . . . slow-burning . . . notable for its depiction of how our actions affect others, even as it maintains its spot in a moral gray area. Natalie is a wickedly fascinating character.”
- Publishers Weekly

“Brisk and neatly plotted, with a full-bodied cast headed by the irrepressible Natalie.”
- Booklist

“A chilling, impeccably plotted novel.”
- Cosmopolitan

“Final Demand neatly captures the soulless sign of the times.”
- Jerry Brotton, New York Times bestselling author

“Thank God for Deborah Moggach. Final Demand is strong on narrative, dashing the reader along but, though fast-paced and transparently written, nevertheless creates people of memorable complexity.”
- Independent

“A suspenseful crime drama doesn’t seem like Moggach’s usual fair, but her intriguing take on facing the consequences of our actions defies genre, proving that sometimes stories of theft and crime are the most intriguingly human of all.”
- Literally, Darling

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