Money Bags by Michael G. Browne

Fiona Campbell’s high-flying businessman husband breaks the law and is currently in jail. Fiona wants to sell the house and move out of Australia for good. Her husband’s arrest has gathered a lot of (unwanted) media attention so she wants the sale to be as secretive as possible. She chooses real estate agent Ben Freeman for the job.

Soon, Fiona and Ben start having an affair. A prospective buyer is found and that is when things start to change for the Campbells and the Freemans. Jealous husband, a vengeful cop, a motorcycle gang, money laundering and portable toilets, Fiona and Ben are in for a chase of a lifetime.

There are some books that grab your attention from the first paragraph and Money Bags is one such book. The story starts with Fiona wanting to sell her house. She contacts Ben and they meet for lunch. The lunch takes them to the backseat of the car for a ding-a-ling. This might be the start of an affair and a house deal gone right but there’s more to the story.

Charlie, Fiona’s husband, befriends a member of the Flying Fux (the spelling mistake is deliberate). Mel is a detective with the Sydney Police Fraud Unit. Recently married and already unhappy, Mel has to juggle between her husband’s desperation on wanting a baby right away and the caseload. Mel was one of the officers who testified against Charlie. However, she is not convinced that all of Charlie’s (illegal) properties are confiscated.

Mel soon learns of the sale and starts to show interest in the ‘closed’ case. From keeping tabs on Fiona to stake outs, Mel is hell-bent on making Charlie rot in jail.

We do have a couple of twists in the story. Fiona and Ben are on a run once they receive the money. But they are not safe – Fiona knows not only Charlie but Mel too is onto them.

The mystery element is well-maintained throughout the book. I wouldn’t call Fiona and Ben’s chase a nail-biting adventure but it certainly keeps you hooked on to the story until the end. The character portrayal is excellent. Each of the characters have their own backstory; as the story proceeds, we see how these characters come face to face with their dejection and resentments (especially Ben and Mel).

Michael G Browne’s a master storyteller. I absolutely enjoyed every bit of this book. If you are looking for an entertaining, intriguing and engaging read, Money Bags by Michael G. Browne is THE book for you.

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I received this book from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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