- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (Jun 14 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312991436
- ISBN-13: 978-0312991432
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 159 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #723,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
American Kick Keswick has been working for the esteemed auction house of Ballantine and Company for more than 30 years, a position that came by way of Oklahoma and a lengthy juvenile record. She met Ballantine's owner, Sir Cramner, while visiting London as a teenager and was his mistress until he died. Her expertise in antiquities and jewelry propelled her to executive secretary, and she expects to retire comfortably on a trust fund and the money she makes with her secret life--until the new owner, Owen Brace, blows in. Owen is a larger-than-life, brash American industrialist with lots of plans and an overactive sex life. Kick becomes enamored of her new boss and decides to stick around, but gets more than even she bargained for. Owen brings romance and great sex, but Kick's larcenous habit is nothing compared with what he contrives. Kellogg's sophisticated and lavishly fun tale of greed and daring in the high-stakes auction house world presents a full-figured, tough, and atypical heroine readers will cheer for. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Here's a heroine who loves diamonds, great food, and great ways to get revenge. What more could any woman want? Brilliant is a delicious novel you'll devour like the most scrumptious meal." -Janet Evanovich
"Fast-paced, well-written, and full of colorful characters...madly entertaining." -The Seattle Times
"Like indulging in a guilty pleasure...Brilliant is pure fun and offers a revealing peak into the lives of the rich and titled in london." -The Denver Post
"An elegant and luscious suspense novel, filled with intriguing twists and turns. As always, Kellogg's characters are funny, sexy, interesting, and quirky. Great summer reading. Brilliant is, in a word, brilliant." -Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country
"Great wines, elegant villains, remarkable sex and a surprise ending-what more could any reader ask for?"-Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage and The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine
"Marne Davis Kellogg's portrait of a world of opulence and decadence is so vivid she must be an insider. Enjoy the guilty pleasures of Brilliant . I did."-Harry Smith, CBS, Anchor, "The Early Show"
"Among the definitions of the word 'brilliant'... are these: 'full of light, shining'; 'sharp and clear in tone'; and 'marked by unusual and impressive intellectual acuteness.' These all apply to Marne Davis Kellogg's Brilliant , one of the most exhilarating novels I've read in a long while...Brilliant , with its many high-class heists, carried out not with guns, knives, or bombs but with weapons of wit, will enchant and engage readers...[the] surprise ending does not disappoint. This saucy, sexy, suspenseful novel-as another one of the definitions of 'brilliant' in my dictionary says-is 'superb, wonderful.' It is not to be missed."-The Roanoke Times
"A sensual and lush romp through the rarefied world of money and power in London and a glimpse into the inner workings of a fine auction house...a fun and engaging read, well written, well plotted, with memorable characters and a concrete sense of place and time."
-The Nashville Tennessean
"Kick Keswick proves a strong, delightful, and intelligent anti-heroine as she leads the reader on a marvelous romp through London auction houses, the homes of the rich and famous, and the Provence countryside...full of fun and flare, Kick is indeed a kick, and Brilliant proves to be a gem of summer reading."-Library Journal (starred review)
"A witty, page-turner...a suspenseful account, with humor and a real sense of style."
-Kirkus Reviews
"If your tastes run to champagne and caviar...[Marne Davis Kellogg's] trademark insider's view of the lives of the very rich makes Brilliant a glittering choice for reading at the beach-or in the bathtub."-Rocky Mountain News
"The plot is complex but very smooth, the characters real and the fun continuous."
-The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado)
"A delicious melodrama starring a heroine who pretends to be so proper, but literally gets away with her crimes...readers will be sympathetic towards the heroine who is living life on her own terms without harming anyone."-Harriet's Book Reviews
"Brilliant is every bit as much fun as her others...the plot is complex but very smooth, the characters real and the fun continuous."--gjsentinel.com
"Fast-paced, well-written, and full of colorful characters...madly entertaining." -The Seattle Times
"Like indulging in a guilty pleasure...Brilliant is pure fun and offers a revealing peak into the lives of the rich and titled in london." -The Denver Post
"An elegant and luscious suspense novel, filled with intriguing twists and turns. As always, Kellogg's characters are funny, sexy, interesting, and quirky. Great summer reading. Brilliant is, in a word, brilliant." -Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country
"Great wines, elegant villains, remarkable sex and a surprise ending-what more could any reader ask for?"-Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage and The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine
"Marne Davis Kellogg's portrait of a world of opulence and decadence is so vivid she must be an insider. Enjoy the guilty pleasures of Brilliant . I did."-Harry Smith, CBS, Anchor, "The Early Show"
"Among the definitions of the word 'brilliant'... are these: 'full of light, shining'; 'sharp and clear in tone'; and 'marked by unusual and impressive intellectual acuteness.' These all apply to Marne Davis Kellogg's Brilliant , one of the most exhilarating novels I've read in a long while...Brilliant , with its many high-class heists, carried out not with guns, knives, or bombs but with weapons of wit, will enchant and engage readers...[the] surprise ending does not disappoint. This saucy, sexy, suspenseful novel-as another one of the definitions of 'brilliant' in my dictionary says-is 'superb, wonderful.' It is not to be missed."-The Roanoke Times
"A sensual and lush romp through the rarefied world of money and power in London and a glimpse into the inner workings of a fine auction house...a fun and engaging read, well written, well plotted, with memorable characters and a concrete sense of place and time."
-The Nashville Tennessean
"Kick Keswick proves a strong, delightful, and intelligent anti-heroine as she leads the reader on a marvelous romp through London auction houses, the homes of the rich and famous, and the Provence countryside...full of fun and flare, Kick is indeed a kick, and Brilliant proves to be a gem of summer reading."-Library Journal (starred review)
"A witty, page-turner...a suspenseful account, with humor and a real sense of style."
-Kirkus Reviews
"If your tastes run to champagne and caviar...[Marne Davis Kellogg's] trademark insider's view of the lives of the very rich makes Brilliant a glittering choice for reading at the beach-or in the bathtub."-Rocky Mountain News
"The plot is complex but very smooth, the characters real and the fun continuous."
-The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado)
"A delicious melodrama starring a heroine who pretends to be so proper, but literally gets away with her crimes...readers will be sympathetic towards the heroine who is living life on her own terms without harming anyone."-Harriet's Book Reviews
"Brilliant is every bit as much fun as her others...the plot is complex but very smooth, the characters real and the fun continuous."--gjsentinel.com
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
I've reached the point in my life where the thrill of my job is generally vastly more thrilling and interesting to me than the thrill of sex. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I've reached the point in my life where the thrill of my job is generally vastly more thrilling and interesting to me than the thrill of sex. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Fun,
By
This review is from: Brilliant (Hardcover)
In Kick Keswick, Marne Davis Kellogg has created a heroine with a life that anyone would desire (well, except maybe for that jewel thievery thing). A beautiful flat, stunning clothes, good food, exceptional wine and a sharp brain to boot - Kick has it all. And she may be about to get one more object of desire in the love of a handsome, rich and talented lover. When Kick begins to sense danger both at home and in her work at an ancient auction house, things begin to get really, really fun.Kellogg's crisp, sure writing keeps the plot moving and never gives in to gimmickry. She's done her research, too, with superlative descriptions of jewels, paintings, and other trifles that fill the auctioneer's life. The reader actually feels as if part of the room being described - the writing is that vivid. Definitely a recommended read. Perfect to enjoy on a languid spring night along with a glass of wine.
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars with some complaints but overall 5 stars,
By Scarletaka "Stacey" (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Brilliant (Hardcover)
I give this book 5 stars for the story itself. Kick Keswick as a woman who escaped to London as a teenager to start a new life after a baby she gave up for adoption, a mother who cared less and a juvenile record she needed to escape from. She winds up the protege of Sir Cramner owner of a well established Auction house. After his death the company is taken over by Owen Brace a flashy business man who she helps make over in order to fit in better in the upper class English society that most of their business is done in. In her spare time though she's a well trained and knowledgable jewelry thief. This was a great part of her character.From the beginning of the story she is tough and does what she has to so she can get by. Perhaps that is why she kind of blended into the the side lines at her job with Ballantine Auction house. She's very talented in art, jewelry and antique appraising, so I didn't understand the fact that a woman who had been working for years under the owners training would still be an Executive Assistant. In one scene in particular she describes that she's the one that makes sure everything is locked up and another time one of the Vice Presidents is asking her where his coffee/tea is. I didn't understand this part of the story considering she is such a dynamic character to begin with. It bugged me. As I said maybe I missed something, but I don't know that bothered me. She's worked at this company since she was about 18 and although she does make sure everything is running well one of the men was asking her that seemed highly unlikely in today's world. However, I found the story interesting and fun. I wasn't sure that I'd like the story it took me a little while to get into it, but when I did I was eager to know what would happen next. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just tell you that I enjoyed it. It's a nice change of pace for a female lead to be a jewelry thief and the heroine in the story. I loved the ending too.:) I loved the first person account she gave also so it's like you are reading her diary or talking to her over brunch. It's got a few flaws but I still give it 5 stars because it kept me involved and I will recommend it to friends and family.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant is Brilliant!,
By Sofia Loyall (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Brilliant (Hardcover)
This is such a well-written piece! Wow! I loved it! The quotes you get from the critics are entirely right. Thievery, Jewelry, a little high tech security, a wealth of info on antiques, sex, and secret plots. Plus, you get to find out what the narrator thinks of everyone. Lovely. Reminded me vaguely of a more grown up Gossip Girl with an almost 007 twist. Did I forget the part about cars? Oh, yeah. Fast cars, too. This is good.
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