Book Description

A quartet of novels from the New York Times–bestselling author of “Our Crowd” and master chronicler of Manhattan’s rich, famous, and deceitful. These four gripping novels prove that “when it comes to the folkways of the rich, the powerful, and the privileged, Stephen Birmingham knows what he’s talking about” (Los Angeles Times). Carriage Trade: One of New York’s most elegant and exclusive retail establishments, Tarkington’s has been the preferred shopping experience of Manhattan’s elite for decades. But the unexpected death of founder Silas Tarkington raises serious doubts about the future of the enterprise. At the reading of his will, disturbing questions arise about the tycoon’s past, and suggestions of a dark, secret life threaten to tear the family apart. The truth could destroy much more than the family business—especially as it becomes more and more likely that Silas’s death was no accident. “[A] page turner . . . [that] offers a little bit of the best of everything” (The New York Times). The Wrong Kind of Money: The Liebling family is among the wealthiest in New York, but in the eyes of “old money” gentile aristocrats like the patrician Van Degans, they will always be lower-class Jewish nouveau riche. Jules Liebling got his start selling liquor during Prohibition while in cahoots with dangerous mobsters, and his widow, Hannah, now runs the family business with a tyrannical hand. But when her daughter-in-law meets Georgette Van Degan for lunch at Le Cirque, gossip circulates about a thaw between the families and, quite possibly, a partnership. As rumors fly in this “fast and wonderful” novel that has “something for everyone,” family skeletons on both sides are exposed, leading to jealousy, betrayal, and even violence (Cincinnati Enquirer). The Auerbach Will: The daughter of poor immigrant Russian-Jewish parents on the Lower East Side, Essie Litsky married Jack Auerbach, and together, they rose from poverty and amassed a fortune that dwarfed their wildest dreams. But money could never buy the affection of family or compensate for the true love Essie let slip away. And now, as she nears the end of her life, she must contend with blackmail and heartless legal assaults coming at her from all sides—the result of the ugly, persistent greed of her own children and grandchildren. But Essie is not dead yet, and those who underestimate the remarkable old woman are in for a shocking and powerful surprise. This New York Times bestseller is full of “delicious secrets” drawn from the “gossipy, Uptown/Downtown milieu Birmingham knows so well” (Kirkus Reviews). Shades of Fortune: Mireille “Mimi” Myerson took her grandfather’s struggling cosmetics company and turned it into an empire. But suddenly, as she prepares to launch a new perfume line, she is faced with hidden threats at every turn. Her efforts to further expand the company could be sabotaged from within by her own treacherous family. With the discovery of her husband’s affair and the return of real estate magnate Michael Horowitz, her first and most enduring love, Mimi must determine whom she can trust—especially in light of the shocking revelations that are about to emerge regarding the birth of the Miray Corporation.