Ellery Lloyd’s The Club is equal parts forgettable murder mystery and entirely engrossing distraction. Very fancy private club for the richest celebrities – there’s blackmail, murder attempts, hidden identities, adoptions gone wrong. All the best things you might hope from a soap opera among the rich and famous. I can’t say the book does much to explore deep themes (maybe you could stretch at something about women’s autonomy or objectification or power), and probably that is fine for what it is. A glossy magazine turned novel. A novel destined to be adapted for HBO. So enjoy it as an audiobook, or on a beach, or on a rainy Saturday morning (while your kids tear your house apart and the book lets you absolutely ignore the chaos: a true gift).
Literary Vice 