When Martina Torres arrives in the glamorous and vibrant metropolis of Hong Kong, newly married to her high school sweetheart, the world seems to be her oyster. But looks can be deceiving. Adrift in a foreign city, with no job and no friends, Martina chafes in her new role as Expat Wife.
Her luck changes when she meets Veronica Hawkins. Beautiful, sophisticated, and very, very rich, Veronica is the epitome of Old Hong Kong - the last surviving member of a British mercantile dynasty that built the city during its colonial heyday. Martina can hardly believe her fortune when she's taken under Veronica's wing and into her confidence, with Veronica helping her to find a new apartment, a new career, and most importantly, a new self.
Veronica transforms Martina's life and then, shockingly, she dies. She disappears over the side of a yacht during a party attended by Hong Kong's most influential people - yet somehow there are no witnesses.
Was it murder? Suicide? A terrible accident? What really happened to Veronica Hawkins?
Somebody knows but nobody's telling.
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The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Pérez was published by Constable on 2 May 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
I also have one hardback copy to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please.
I especially loved the setting. Hong Kong is a place steeped in history, and the more recent events that we've all seen unfold are excellently portrayed. The ex-pat community thrive and Pérez cleverly explores the themes of identity and belonging whilst also producing a tense mystery at its core.
Martina Torres was always an outlier. Not quite white enough down to her Argentinian background, she felt lesser than the other girls at her school in New York. It was always her mother's dearest wish that Martina should be 'someone', and her marriage to wealthy Spencer has opened so many doors. Arriving in Hong Kong where Spencer has a new job, Martina is classed as a dependent spouse. A trained journalist, she'd rather work and be her own woman, and when she gets the opportunity to interview Veronica Hawkins, her life changes.
Veronica is Martina's ultimate woman. Old money, lots of it and very powerful, she takes Martina under her wing and it's not long before Martina is her very own woman, with no need for her husband who is struggling to fit in himself.
The novel is cleverly structured, appearing to be Martina's memoir and told her in voice. The reader is aware from the very beginning that Veronica is dead, drowned off a yacht at a fancy party and Martina is grieving, lost without her best friend and struggling to come to terms with what could really have happened. Was it an accident, suicide, or was Veronica murdered?
The second half of the novel finds Martina making her own way in the world, a couple of years after Veronica's death. Martina is now wealthy in her own right, heading up the charitable foundation that Veronica created before her death. However, there are still questions that she wants to answer and her determination to find out the truth will put her in danger. It will also reveal that nobody in Hong Kong are really who they appear to be.
An entertaining read with a mix of characters who the reader will either love or hate, in a setting that is exotic and dangerous, mixed with the crazy history of this unique place. Recommended.
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(Macmillan), a Tristan and Isolde retelling.
www.kristinaperez.com
X @kkperezbooks
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