Олена Оксенич Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

When Amanda, the stunning wife of millionaire Zach Grayson, is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone, Zach becomes the prime suspect. Desperate for help, he reaches out to Lizzie, a former law school classmate, hoping their past connection will sway her to defend him. Lizzie, a former U.S. Attorney with no experience in violent crime, hesitantly agrees to take on the case, despite their long separation. As she delves into Zach's defense, Lizzie finds herself immersed in the privilege and excess of Park Slope, a world that fascinates her, especially as she grapples with her own troubled marriage. The case becomes more complex when details emerge about a raucous party Zach and Amanda attended the night before her death, an event meant for wealthy parents to unwind while their children are away. This legal thriller intertwines with domestic suspense as Lizzie uncovers the truth about Amanda's life, revealing hidden struggles and the dark secrets of other couples in the neighborhood. Ultimately, Lizzie must confront her own marriage and reflect on the compromises and secrets that couples maintain to stay together.

'In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away...' For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory- the taste of spiced goat stew, sacrificed by her father to celebrate the long-awaited birth of a son; the sight of bubbling vats of lemon and sugar which the women use to wax their legs while the men attend mosque; the scent of cardamom coffee that Leila shares with a handsome student in the brothel where she works. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life - friends who are now desperately trying to find her. . .