Risk A Novel [Paperback]

An honest lawyer, a Czech hand model, and a box of mysterious Christmas ornaments--each plays a part in Colin Harrison's compelling new intrigue


George Young never thought of himself as a detective, but that's pretty much his vocation--an attorney at a top insurance firm, it's his job to pin down suspicious claims. But Mrs. Corbett, the rich, eccentric wife of the firm's founder, has it in mind to put George's skills to a peculiar assignment. With only a few months left to live, her one desire is to know the true circumstance of her son Roger's violent death. George's investigation leads him to Roger's mistress, a cagey Czech hand model named Eliska, who can cast a seductive spell simply by removing her gloves.

Did Eliska's motives for latching on to Roger get him killed? Or did some of her shadowy and dangerous little friends take care of the job? And why were there boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments in the dead man's apartment? George will have to take a few chances of his own if he wants to get to the bottom of Roger's death for Mrs. Corbett.

Set against a volatile and vividly drawn Manhattan,Riskis prime Colin Harrison.

Discussion Questions
1.
When Mrs. Corbett asks George to investigate her son's death, she already assumes that it was an accident  what she really wants to know is why Roger was standing on the particular corner where he was killed. How does her motivation set Risk apart from other mysteries? Is this a mystery without a murderer?
2.
Why do you think Roger was drawn to Eliska, what about her entranced him (was he, in fact, entranced)? And do you think that she merely used him, or that she may have had sincere feelings?
3.
Roger's wife, Valerie, divorces him when he is unable to get back on his feet. Is her behavior ruthless, or did Roger default on the expectations of their marriage to provide her with a prosperous life? Is she partly responsible for Roger's death?