Closing Costs

“Fans of Tom Wolfe and Jonathan Franzen will revel” in this tale of New York real estate and its outrageous fortunes (Booklist).

When Peggy Gimmel decides to sell the apartment she bought decades ago for a few thousand dollars, she’s thrilled to discover it’s worth almost two million. But her sudden windfall triggers a cascade of unexpected events, and plunges her into the orbit of Lucinda Wells—one of Manhattan’s most successful, and ruthless, real-estate agents.

Peggy’s not the only one at Lucinda’s mercy. There’s also the technology entrepreneur struggling to salvage his sinking company while gut-renovating his home; the socialite exiled from Park Avenue to the pullout sofa of her parents’ West Side apartment; the illegal immigrant amassing a fortune printing money; and the clueless widow trying to unload a world-class collection of fake artwork. These are just some of the characters whose lives intersect in unlikely ways, all of them nearly overwhelmed by the rocketing real-estate market and the hard-charging broker who holds the key to their future.

“A fun-to-read, engaging look at how the other half lives, buys, and sells.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Completely entertaining, wickedly funny and observant . . . Think Bonfire of the Vanities for real estate.” —The Tampa Tribune