Stone's Fall by Iain Pears

Synopsis: British author Pears matches the brilliance of his bestselling An Instance of the Fingerpost (1998) with this intricate historical novel, which centers on the death of a wealthy financier. In part one, after John Stone falls to his death from a window in his London mansion in 1909, Stone's seductive, much younger widow, Elizabeth, hires Matthew Braddock, who works as a journalist, to trace a child of her late husband's she never knew existed until the child is named in his will. Braddock, a novice in the world of finance, uncovers evidence that Stone's actual net worth was far less than commonly believed, even as he finds himself falling for his client.

In part two, set in 1890 Paris, Henry Cort, a shadowy spy, provides another perspective on the bewitching Elizabeth. Stone's own reminiscences from his time in Venice in 1867 cast further light on the circumstances of his demise. The pages will fly by for most readers, who will lose themselves in the clear prose and compelling plot.

My opinion: This book took me over a week to tackle. A very long time, considering I was ill and spent nearly all my time reading this monster.

Rich man dies mysteriously and his beautiful widow hires Braddock to find an illegitimate heir. Sounds interesting, right? Well, that part is interesting. Braddock uncovers many findings about Stone's business dealings and they are so detailed that my eyes watered in boredom. I can barely do math and reading about complicated financial matters is more than I can comprehend.

The boring parts are excruciatingly boring. However, the interesting points are insanely exciting. I wouldn't want to give anything away, but let's just say that personal matters become increasingly fascinating as the book goes on. And the twist at the end blew my mind.

Rating: 4/5 stars. I'd give it three because some parts are so boring, but the ending made every boring part worth reading. I own this book and will probably read it again in a year or so.