What a crazy ride!
Montecito drops you into a polished, extravagant, and polished world. The suspense never stops.

Hollis Crawford is on the brink. He has lost multiple jobs, and his financial security is slipping. The life he built in one of California's wealthiest enclaves with his lovely wife and two kids is unsustainable. When the Wimby family enters the scene, they offer him a way back in, and the Cox sets up the central tension: how far will someone go to keep up appearances?

The story follows Hollis as he becomes closely entangled with Cyrus Wimby, whose exudes wealth but never explains it. The opportunity Cyrus has offered feels like a rescue, but it quickly becomes clear that the opportunity is one of complicity, one that Hollis can barely stomach.

The pacing is excellent as Hollis slowly trades away his integrity and his freedom. This is a character-driven thriller that focuses less on shocking twists and more on the gradual erosion of safety. What in the world can Hollis do to save himself and his family? The end is stupendous and this is a standout book!

#Montecito #MichaelCox #InveniamViamPress

This book is getting lots of early buzz and should be a summer blockbuster. Set in Monticeto, California, home to Oprah and Harry and Megan (yeah, those ex royals) you know you’re in a tony enclave. The novel opens with Hollis Crawford, living in the wrong side of the tracks, struggling to afford the lifestyle. He’s lost his third job. Enter Cyrus Wimby, who dangles a lucrative job in front of him, but w no cash salary, it’s all in stock options. How far will Hollis risk his family’s security to keep up appearances. And what’s really up with Cyrus and how he attained the status he has? Recommended for public libraries

A gripping crime thriller serialized to rave reviews for 32 weeks in the Montecito Journal. I could not put this down!

A true five star read!

Knowing this was inspired by a true story made it all the more compelling. Hollis Crawford - if you don't know someone just like him, you are likely just like him yourself. Intelligent but invisible, reticent and yet argumentative; he describes his likely neurodivergence as 'the fog'. I can honestly relate to Hollis in many ways. Self-deprecating and really quite funny, and a truly loving family man who just wants to make his family proud. After losing three jobs he feels quite helpless and lost and that's when he literally stumbles into the world of Cyrus Wimby.

Cyrus is like the sun and everyone else oribits around him. Physically commanding and attractive and with a golden tongue, he lures people to his snake-pit in the sun of Montecito. The enclave of paradise for those that can afford it. With platitudes and promises he builds up our friend Hollis to feel like he just might be able to come through with earning the pride of his family after all. A job offer that seems to good to be true leads Hollis to the gateway of greed, fraud and corruption. But Cyrus only ever wanted Hollis as a figure head, someone to sign signatures and dance to the beat of his drum.

It doesn't take long for Hollis to start to suspect something isn't right, but he feels like he just can't take another punch to the gut, so tries to stay positive and trust Cyrus. This is where the reader starts yelling at the book - "Hollis ffs", "You have to do something NOW Hollis", "Don't sign it Hollis, DO NOT SIGN IT"...

And then as things continue to spiral and get dangerous, you sit on the edge of your seat just waiting and WHAT AN ENDING!

I highly recommend this book for the beautiful writing, the fully-fleshed out characters, the perfectly described setting and a truly gripping literary crime/mystery. I can't wait for Michael Cox's next book!

Much thanks to NetGalley and Inveniam Press for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inveniam Viam Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.25-4.5⭐
I loved this book! I truly feel like I've found a buried treasure in this debut financial thriller, recommended by Kirkus. Montecito takes us to the central coastal California paradise where everyone is rich, everyone is beautiful, and where Hollis Crawford, a smart man and loving husband and father can't seem to keep his mouth shut and keep a job.
When what seems like the opportunity of a lifetime falls randomly in Hollis' life by way of the wildly rich and glamorous Cyrus Whimby, he jumps on it. It's not long though before it becomes evident that something is rotten in Denmark (or in this case, Montecito). Hollis is no fool, and his gut is literally screaming at him that he needs to abort mission, but in his desperation to support his family and be the husband and father he wants to be, he convinces himself he's being paranoid and stays put. But things continue to unravel quickly.
This book is smart and fast paced. Cox worked on Wall Street for years and actually lives in Montecito, so he knows of what he speaks, and that's very evident. In the acknowledgements, he reveals that this book was based on a real case he found himself involved in, which makes it even better. There are some twists at the end, both of which I saw coming, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment. They both tracked with the story and weren't silly.
I also really, really loved Hollis and his family. Even though he makes foolish choices, Hollis is very self aware and taking an honest look at some things he needs to work on. It's also a wonderful depiction of marriage, which I certainly don't expect to find in a book like this. Hollis doesn't just love his wife, he admires her, and it comes across as so genuine. It just added to my enjoyment of the entire story and made me even more invested in how this would all work out. It's also a fascinating examination of how even the most successful and brilliant people can be manipulated by a con with the right amount of ego/greed, and charisma. I thought often of Bernie fand Elizabeth Holmes.
I highly recommend this book! It's a perfect summer read, but great any time of year. Great work, Mr. Cox! I hope we hear more from you in short order.