Counterfeit

Attorney turned housewife and mother, Ava Wong, reconnects with college friend, Winnie Fang. Winnie buys and sells counterfeit high-end designer handbags and solicits Ava to help her run her thriving business. All is fine and well until the police are alerted and start asking questions.  Suddenly Ava’s world is upended, and Winnie is on the run figuring out her next move.

Karen’s thoughts: I absolutely devoured this book! I really enjoyed the story line and thought the writing was clever and insightful. 

When we first meet Ava, she is being interrogated by the police for her participation in a counterfeit designer handbag business.  As Ava explains herself to the detective, we glean insight into her troubled marriage, her self-loathing, and her daily struggles with her young boy.  Undoubtedly, Ava was targeted by Winnie and coerced into the business, although Ava is a quick study and learns the ease of purchasing high-end bags: Prada, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, from department stores only to replace and return them with quality replicas from China. She then sells the authentic bag on eBay at a slightly lower price than the department store charged. A money-making scheme until the police were tipped off.  The surprise ending was delightful, and I really hope this book is purchased by Reese and made into a movie. 🙂