Playing the Game a book by Barbara Taylor Bradford

In New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford's new novel, Annette Remmington, a London art consultant and private dealer, is at the top of her game. She is considered a rising star in the international world of art, and has a roster of wealthy clients who trust her judgment and her business acumen. Her success reaches new heights when a rare and long lost Rembrandt finds its way into her hands, which she restores and sells for top dollar. Called the auction of the year, Annette becomes the most talked about art dealer in the world. Annette is married to her mentor and personal champion, the much older Marius Remmington. For twenty years, Marius has groomed her into the international art star that she has become, not to mention saving her from a dark and gritty past. She is his pride and joy, and as her best advisor, it's with great care that he hand picks only the best journalist possible to do a profile on his beloved wife in a popular London Sunday newspaper. Jack Chalmers is a bit of a celebrity himself, becoming one of the top journalists of his time. Marius believes only he will be able to capture the true brilliance of his lovely wife. But Marius never intends to put his marriage in jeopardy. How could he have known that the connection between Jack and Annette would ignite so many secrets? And how could he know that Jack would uncover a scandal that could ultimately destroy them all? Barbara Taylor Bradford does it again in this epic novel of seduction, passion and international intrigue. Playing the game has never been so thrilling.

Review

From Publishers Weekly

In her 26th book Bradford (Breaking the Rules) embraces all the tropes of the rags-to-riches story. Although London art consultant and dealer Annette Remmington has been thoroughly educated about art by her controlling, much older husband, Marius, it's the sale of a long-lost Rembrandt for the staggeringly high sum of million pounds that ultimately brings her fame. When other paintings in the seller's collection are found to be fakes, however, and Annette's newly minted rep is seriously threatened, she enlists gallery owner Malcolm Stevens, a protégé of her husband, for advice. When Marius persuades a reluctant Annette to be interviewed by a rising young journalist in order to create interest in her next auction, the decision reveals a tortured childhood for Annette and a serious criminal past for Marius. A contrived denouement, trite prose, heavy-handed foreshadowing, and too many subplot tentacles will deter all but the most loyal Bradford fan. (Oct.)

From Booklist

Bradford’s latest is set in the London art scene, where 39-year-old Annette Remmington has just made her first huge sale: a Rembrandt painting discovered by a young man who inherited an estate from his eccentric uncle. Suddenly Annette is the darling of the art world, and her husband, Marius, is determined to make sure she manages her success properly. Two decades older than Annette and very controlling, he hand-selects one journalist out of the many who want to interview Annette for a profile. The journalist Marius picks is Jack Chalmers, a dashing up-and-comer who is 10 years younger than Annette. Despite the age difference, sparks fly the minute they meet, and it isn’t long before Annette and Jack give in to their powerful mutual attraction. But Annette is tied to Marius not just by marriage but also by a secret that she fears could destroy her if it ever came to light. There is plenty of intrigue, secrets, and steamy encounters in Taylor’s scintillating novel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Awarded the OBE by the Queen, Taylor writes international bestsellers of substance and glamor. --Kristine Huntley

About the Author

Barbara Taylor Bradford is the author of 25 bestselling novels, including Being Elizabeth, Breaking the Rules, and The Ravenscar Dynasty. She was born in Leeds, England, and from an early age, she was a voracious reader: at age 12, she had already read all of Dickens and the Brontë sisters. By the age of twenty, she was an editor and columnist on Fleet Street. She published her first novel, A Woman of Substance, in 1979, and it has become an enduring bestseller. Barbara Taylor Bradford’s books are published in over 90 countries in 40 languages, with sales figures in excess of 82 million. Ten of her novels have been adapted into television mini-series starring actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Deborah Kerr and Elizabeth Hurley. She has been inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, and in June of 2007, Barbara was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to Literature. She lives in New York City with her husband, television producer Robert Bradford, to whom all her novels are dedicated, and their Bichon Frise dogs, who sit under her desk while she writes.