Final Demand - Tapa dura

Going inside the mind of a pretty, freckled villain who commits a seemingly victimless crime creates a page-turner with just enough moral ambiguity to ensure an unexpected ending.

Brisk and neatly plotted, with a full-bodied cast headed by the irrepressible Natalie.

A suspenseful crime drama doesn't seem like Moggach's usual fair, but her intriguing take on facing the consequences of our actions defies genre, proving that sometimes stories of theft and crime are the most intriguingly human of all.

Tense and splendid . . . Moggach, a versatile writer . . . has all the empathetic and stylistic gifts needed to put a reader inside the lives of a dozen disparate characters and make one care about their fates--even that of a callous protagonist who may (or may not) experience a last-minute redemptive epiphany.--Tom Nolan

Thought-provoking . . . slow-burning . . . notable for its depiction of how our actions affect others, even as it maintains its spot in a moral gray area. Natalie is a wickedly fascinating character.

A chilling, impeccably plotted novel.

Marvelously tricky . . . While some thrillers tick off a checklist of red herrings on a predictable march to the finish, Moggach's creations, with their layered personalities and shifting motivations, throw more guesswork into the mix. And something to ponder, too: matters of morality, complicity and fate.--Becky Aikman

Final Demand neatly captures the soulless sign of the times.--Jerry Brotton, New York Times bestselling author

“A chilling, impeccably plotted novel” (Cosmopolitan UK) by the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Praised as “extraordinarily skillful” by award-winning writer Anita Brookner, Deborah Moggach has written an extremely powerful novel about the beautiful, bright, and ambitious Natalie, who should be doing something with her life. But instead, she’s stuck in a dead-end job and instead of improving her place in the world by her own efforts, takes advantage of the honesty of those around her, ultimately leaving them damaged and broken. Of course she denies responsibility, even when confronted with undeniable evidence that she is involved. So, when she sees a chance to change her life, she doesn’t hesitate to take it, even if it’s at the expense of someone else. After all, it’s only a minor crime. Nobody’s going to get hurt. But Natalie’s actions actually do have unforeseen and tragic consequences, and the ultimate question is will she be capable to meet the final demand to own up to what she has done? Emotionally taut and beautifully written, Final Demand is a cautionary tale about the battle between greed and love, and our own frailty in the face of temptation.