A Fragile Thing

A thriller

By: Kevin Wignall

Narrated by: Scott Merriman

The gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of A Death in Sweden.

Max Emerson is rich and powerful: a patron of the arts and the owner of a multinational business. But Max's business is money laundering, and, for the first time in his fortunate life, he's in trouble.

Hackers are targeting his company. The FBI is pressuring him to betray one of his crooked clients. A dark secret from his own past looks in danger of resurfacing. When his parents are killed in a tragic accident, the whole world Max has built for himself seems to be on the brink of collapse.

Just as he's drawn back into the heart of his estranged family, he receives a letter from beyond the grave - a letter that turns everything he thought he knew on its head...

©2017 Kevin Wignall (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Most entertaining

I loved the characters. The story was brilliant and believable. It all fit perfectly together. The author wote a very positive and interesting novel.

A fragment I left thing

A very good book. A big surprise that I never expected with Maxs mother. Max found out that his parents were very proud where as his brother thought he was in criminal activity.

Keeps you guessing

great story, every time I thought I guessed where it was going, it would take a different turn! Liked narrator also.

Great story and plot!

I love all of Mr. Wignall's books! Great characters who are so good hearted but often misjudged.
Narrator did awesome job....so good at accents!!!

meditative

3.25⭐️
Audio: 4⭐️

While technically a story about a morally ambiguous man searching for the truth about his mother after her death, A Fragile Thing is less thriller more slow contemplation of a life. In the prologue, Max is established as a decisive, ruthless businessman who thrives in the amorality of finance, and the story takes place about a decade later. Max is wildly successful but is shadowed by ennui, and that is pretty much the tone and focus of the story. The threads attached to his parents’ deaths/his mom’s work/and threats to Max are placed and touched upon, but the meat of the story is Max’s place in his family and his feelings about who is mother is.

Max is a straightforward character to follow. He knows who he is and makes no apologies for it. He jumped into the gray feet first and doesn’t regret his choice even though he envies those with a simpler life. At the pinnacle of success, all he has is work. His family consists of his business partner and employees, and he no longer gets a thrill from what he does so starts to take stock. His parents’ deaths and his investigation (such as it is) bring him closure in a roundabout way. He gains clarity about his life, his brother’s animosity, and how his zeal for more affected his parents.

I like Max, and the story is entertaining. However, the writing and characterization can be off at times bc there needs to be some mystery and speculation to turn what’s essentially an existential crisis story into a mystery/thriller. As such, the resolution of the deaths is clumsy and anticlimactic, and like everything else in the story, serves only to give Max a definitive idea of who he is. The resolution may have not fell so flat if the more subversive, yet realistic outcome hadn't been offered then quickly discarded. Though I’ve read thrillers that incorporated a MC’s existential crisis more fluidly, the story is enjoyable, made more so by the narration that gives some life to Max’s placidity.

Different but good

I've read other books by this author and this seemed a departure from his normal action packed thrillers. It takes a good while to get into the story and to find something redeemable or like able about the main character but if you hang in there the plot comes together and you understand the main character and even like and admire him. Interesting perspective and great dialogue. Overall I truly liked this book it was a fresh take and not the norm. Narrator did a great job with the pace and the voices.

Great read/listen

Great story with twists that kept my interest and an unexpected ending. Enjoyed it and recommended it.

Please, More Max Emerson

This excellent story about the awakening of a complex, often pragmatic financial entrepreneur offers a tinge of mystery while settling old scores. Moreover, the supporting characters offer a lot of potential as does the main character, Max Emerson. Accordingly, I hope Kevin Wignall will let us see more of Max.

If you want hardcore action from a spy, hard-boiled detective or a Jack-Reacher type, this isn't the right character or story. However, if international settings and clever maneuvering by a poised, bright and sometimes tough guy peaks your interest, A Fragile Thing will deliver. Finally, Scott Merriman delivers an excellent performance as a narrator.

A Fragile thing.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I am so happy I did. Totally enjoyed ,hope to read more of his books. WOW . What a good read.

An Enjoyable Story

Scott Merriman did a great job! There were some twists, it was a good read.