Without Him - Fiona O'Brien (2010)

Shelley's husband, Charlie, has disappeared after his Irish business empire collapses. With her three children, Olivia, Emma and Mac, she is left to move in with his estranged mother, Vera. It appears that Charlie has headed off to Cape Town, where he is seen with another woman. Meanwhile, Shelley starts working in an art gallery, where she draws the attention of a Russian oligarch, Lukaz, who has ties to Charlie. Told from various viewpoints, including Charlie, his family members, his former girlfriend Caroline; and Lukaz; it is slowly revealed what Charlie is up to and why he fell out with his mother all those years ago. The intrigue turns this into a real page-turner, with its deft slow reveals engaging the reader's interest throughout.

In Without Him, by Fiona O'Brien, property developer Charlie Fitzgibbon has disappeared, leaving behind more than just a business empire in chaos. The summary says: "Shelley has lost everything - her husband, her home and the luxurious life she took for granted. Charlie's privileged daughters Olivia and Emma have to come to terms with being broke, and 11-year-old Mac refuses to talk about what happened. When Charlie's estranged mother, Vera, opens her doors to the broken family, secrets emerge that reveal there was more to Charlie than meets the eye. Then Russian billionaire Lukaz Mihailov arrives in Dublin; with unfinished business to sort out. What better way to track down Charlie than befriend his pretty and very vulnerable, abandoned wife Shelley. . . . Maybe Charlie's family are simply better off without him. " Without Him is out in June.

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