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None of Your Business

Review

None of Your Business



Mitch Greiff is a tax accountant to celebrities and partner in a
prestigious law firm. His mysterious disappearance should make him
the most likely suspect when 103 million dollars of client money
goes missing. However, Mitch is also the person least likely to
disrupt his daily routine, never mind electronically stealing
millions of dollars and going on the lam. He hates change or
disruption and even freaks out if a new program is installed on his
computer. The resulting conundrum puzzles everyone, including
Mitch's estranged wife, Patricia, and Computer Crimes detectives
Sprague and Ballestrino. The only one who isn't confused is Mitch's
assistant, Erica King, a genius when it comes to numbers but a
dimwit in social skills.

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, by Valerie Block, explores a segment of
society that most of us can relate to on some level. Block has
assembled a fascinating cast of characters for this, her second
book. She has an aptitude for detail, noticing the foibles and
quirks that make each person unique. Block explores relationships
and motivations as if she was trained for CSI. Unfortunately, you
can't find a likeable character in the whole bunch. Talk about
dysfunctional. Nonetheless, we can identify with them and knowingly
shake our heads when they do the expected.

Erica King is a 30-something female who has never outgrown her teen
angst. Her mother Geri was a school nurse and embarrassed the young
Erica with her flighty ways and perpetual good humor. So little
Erica became a curmudgeon at age 12 and never got over it.

Patricia Greiff, a former model, was so fed up with Mitch that she
didn't even call Missing Persons when he failed to show up for two
weeks. She was glad to have him gone. Of course, losing the
financial security that came with being Mitch's wife gave her even
more reasons to be perpetually petulant.

Ballestrino and Sprague are stereotypical NYPD detectives.
Ballestrino is a skirt chaser who is so commitment-phobic that he
still lives with his mother. Sprague is on his third marriage and
dealing with several midlife crises, including the realization that
he has to give up eating donuts at some point.

Once assembled, this cast plays out the drama surrounding a
deliciously devious scheme that anyone who can do the math will see
as brilliant. As expected, the anticipated satisfaction from being
incredibly wealthy ends only in disappointment and frustration.
This is in keeping with the theme Block uses to demonstrate the
inevitable outcomes that result from superficiality.

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS is well written, well plotted, and an
all-around enjoyable peek into the lives of the rich and
infamous.

None of Your Business
by Valerie Block

  • Publication Date: June 3, 2003
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books
  • ISBN-10: 0345461843
  • ISBN-13: 9780345461841