The Talented Miss Farwell

A thriller you won’t want to put down. Small town girl whose dreams of getting out are interrupted so instead she turns her talent with numbers into a career as the town treasurer. Unbeknownst to her colleagues, her fascination with art becomes a thing. So much so, that she creates an alias to live a double life and an alternate, illegal means to fund her new habit, aka the “activity.” She is so good yet so sneaky. One minute, you want to love her, and the next, you will be undone by what she is up to. Becky is a mastermind of deceit who can’t seem to control herself. A fascinating character that will suck you in to her every move. I was caught up with this con artist who has everyone from her best friend to her boss and savvy art collectors, whom she so desperately wants to befriend, who once seemed too far from her reach, entangled into her web of deception. Mr. Ripley has nothing on our young Miss Farwell, expect perhaps she’s sweet to his sinister side, and she is all her own. A story of greed, deception, and obsession. Becky, and Reba, you take the prize for character of the year. I’m glad we’re not friends, but I\’m intrigued by your devotion to yours, your intellect, and hometown pride. You offer an escape for these troubled times – the strength of a woman who lets nothing and nobody get in her way, and while I don’t excuse your immoral behavior, your fictional story and generous heart gave me a brief diversion from the other real life mess we’re in.

I\’ve never read Patricia Highsmith so I can\’t draw comparisons. I found this to be a compelling read – it was prefect for escaping the Election night madness. I knew nothing about accounting nor the contemporary art market and it was interesting peeking into these unknown areas. It\’s the tale of mousy small town city comptroller who embezzles millions of dollars to fund her secret life as a wheeler dealer in the contemporary art scene. Reading the afterward I discovered the story is loosely based on a true story and has been the subject of a documentary. All the Queen\’s Horse\’s is available on Amazon Prime & it\’s well worth watching.

Dr. Tedrowe has distilled four areas of deep research into 300 blistering, diamond-sharp pages of crime fiction: fraud, art appreciation, art collection and municipal government. Yet it is her skill at plot and character development that is truly remarkable. Early on, she needs a main character to develop a lifelong mania that would be unexpected given her upbringing; read how the author writes that pivotal scene. Then point to an equivalently masterful stroke in another 21st century novel … I’d be keen to know of any.

What a surprising, engrossing and original page-turner. Tedrowe has done a number of amazing things in this genre-bending caper/thriller/small-town Americana/feminist novel. She’s created a criminal so loveable and relatable she could be your best friend. You’ll both worry about and root for her as she continues to up the ante of the risk she puts herself in. It’s clear Miss Farwell’s innate financial acumen would have logically put her at the top of any corporation had her hard-scrabble childhood been different. The corkscrew of a plot will have you on the edge of your seat and equally fascinated by the minutiae of the accounting practices of small municipalities and the horse-trading of the global art world. Tedrowe makes them as interesting as Netflix’ The Queen’s Gambit makes chess. If I write any more I’ll give it all away.

If you\’re thinking about buying this book because you love Patricia Highsmith, don\’t bother. It\’s Highsmith Lite. Highsmith at her best dug deep and provided suspense, atmosphere, discomfort, and character, but \”Farwell\” doesn\’t come close in any of those respects. Much of this novel is about… ACCOUNTING. Yes, accounting. And a lot of the rest is about buying and selling art, which, as presented, stresses even more profit and loss. While I was able to make it through the final chapters, they were quite disappointing as well. So much build-up, so little payoff.

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