
Fortune
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Jane Oppenheimer
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Jennifer Aquino
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Lauren Ezzo
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Emily Lawrence
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By:
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Ellen Won Steil
In this explosive novel about a decades-old mystery, shocking revelations of the past and the secrets of three women will be spilled when a small Midwest town announces a DNA lottery.
One drop of blood for a chance at a multimillion-dollar windfall. Is it a philanthropic gesture from a billionaire widow? Some suspect a darker motive behind the DNA lottery—one tied to the eighteen-year-old mystery of an infant’s unidentified remains that mars the history of idyllic Rosemary Hills, Iowa. Right after the blood lottery is announced, three local women fall under suspicion of knowing something about that night, and their carefully kept secrets threaten to spill out too.
Cleo is a divorced single mom forced to return to her hometown and accept a strange job reading to an invalid recluse; Jemma is a controversial state senator whose reelection campaign and teenage daughter have her on edge; and Alex, a divorce attorney, copes with a crumbling marriage of her own and the suffocating presence of a cold, overbearing mother.
Soon, unimaginable revelations of the past will collide with the present—and not just for Cleo, Jemma, and Alex. In this seemingly ordinary community, they aren’t the only ones with long-buried secrets.
©2023 Ellen Won Steil (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
“Edie—impressively voiced by Jane Oppenheimer as impeccably composed, often haughty—is determined to understand the 18-year-old cold-case mystery.… Jennifer Aquino convincingly captures Cleo’s vulnerable uncertainties.… Lauren Ezzo, who deftly imbues Alex with a steely control that’s just on the verge of breaking, is even more memorable as Alex’s ruthless mother.… Emily Lawrence voices Jemma and displays the broadest emotional range, energetically enlivening the dynamic politico. The dexterous quartet’s synchronized performances prove virtually flawless, ensuring that Steil’s ingeniously-plotted debut is a thoroughly expert production.”—Booklist (starred review)
“The unique premise of a DNA lottery had me hooked from the very first pages! Ellen Won Steil’s Fortune is an emotionally written tale demonstrating what happens when the power of a woman with the wealth and drive to find out the truth is pitted against three friends from high school with secrets to hide. The suspense culminates with the inevitable countdown to the DNA lottery.”—Georgina Cross, author of Nanny Needed, One Night, and The Stepdaughter
“With an irresistible premise that gets more unsettling by the page, Fortune is so much more than a random game of chance. Every ticket is a potential clue; every character has a fiercely guarded secret. You won’t be able to look away until the final name is drawn.”—Jessica Strawser, author of A Million Reasons Why
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Other than that-
The characters were really well-thought out. I really liked how the author created detail and skillfully explained their past lives, and how she wove those lives and events into their current identities. There is solid conversation, and flashbacks of events that are telling but not in-your-face.
Nothing worse than an unskilled author spelling out every detail bc he or she can't write well enough for readers to figure some things out (like that end-of-novel letter that explains everything -UGH), or when the writer gets lazy, or forgoes research. and leaves gaping holes where details matter. The characters are really solid, and how they got where they are makes sense.
SPOILER--
Only major issue -and it is major-contrary to that point is about how NO ONE knew about the delusions regarding a non-existent child?? Come ON. That nagged at me hard--police figure it out in minutes, but the family and close friends, of someone in the very public spotlight, never noticed????? NO.
So-the event itself is silly. Again, interesting concept, but the circus atmosphere, especially bc the woman in charge was so dignified and intelligent, blew it for me.
The faking thing (which was very obvious, to me, almost immediately). What was going on there, and how it happened -again, a very famous person-?was never explained. Fell totally flat. Eye roll.
The ending wrapped things up pretty well. Don't get why, once the truth was revealed, there wasnt more sympathy for that person from her recent ex-but that might've been too much to add. Understandable.
The characters, and their actions and reactions, couldn't entirely save this book from its own highly-unbelievable aspects, but did make this a decent, easy read/listen.
Unique concept that doesn't quite fulfill its promise
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All came together in the end
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Intricate plot
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Not her best
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Loved this book!
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Disjointed
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Well written
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Fortune
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Meh…
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The characters were believable and distinct, and Henry…. that was a great twist.
Book recommended. Would definitely read this author again.
Great story
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