The Lies We Trade

A high-powered Wall Street career, a beautiful family in a quiet suburban neighborhood--she seems to have everything. Which means she has everything to lose.

Meredith Hansel should be having the best week of her life. After establishing herself as a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, she's in the national spotlight for the innovative funds she created. But as Meredith prepares to celebrate, the plates she's kept spinning for years begin to crash: Her strained marriage reaches a breaking point. Her conscientious teenage daughter acts out under mysterious pressures. Someone vandalizes her home with disturbing graffiti. And Betsey, her most trusted ally at the financial firm, goes rogue, and Meredith is forced to sign a restraining order against her.

Then her worlds collide when she receives a thumb drive and a cryptic note from Betsey threatening to reveal a secret that could have devastating effects on Meredith's family . . . unless she can figure out what Betsey wants and deliver it in time.

As Meredith begins to dig into the data, however, she begins to suspect that it's no coincidence her life is crumbling. That maybe what's happening to her family is connected to what's boiling beneath the surface at her investment company. Soon Meredith realizes there's only one way to avoid taking the fall, and it all hinges on Betsey's true motives. Was she really threatening Meredith or trying to warn her?

Great for fans of Colleen Coble, Laura Dave, Dani Pettrey, and Lisa Scottoline
Clean, high-stakes women's domestic suspense with workplace secrets and family drama
A stand-alone Wall Street thriller
Includes discussion questions for book clubs

These discussion questions were provided by the author, Kristine Delano.

Book club questions for The Lies We Trade by Kristine Delano

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The Lies We Trade pulls back the curtain on Wall Street while weaving in plenty of twists and shocks. Which moments surprised you most? Did you discover anything about the industry you didn’t know before?

Meredith feels her personal and professional lives unraveling at the same time, forcing her to choose where to focus her energy. Were there points when you disagreed with her choices? Have you ever experienced a season when multiple pressures collided? How did you navigate it?

Meredith and Clint’s marriage is strained by old wounds, unspoken truths, and secrets that surface at the worst possible times. Did you find yourself siding with one of them? Did your perspective shift as their story unfolded?

Clint wrestles with insecurities about the couple’s age difference. How does shifting life stages influence the way you see yourself and your relationships?

When Meredith and Clint uncover what’s really happening in their daughter Erika’s life, their reactions are a mix of helpful and harmful. How did you interpret their parenting choices? If you were in their shoes, what would you have done differently?

Meredith recalls her grandmother’s faith, so different from her mother’s focus only in what can be seen or controlled. Which outlook resonates more with you? Where do you think Meredith ultimately lands on the question of faith?

After the betrayals and losses she endures, Meredith struggles with questions of trust and forgiveness. In what ways do you see her trying to move forward? What next steps would you advise her to take?

Overall, did you view The Lies We Trade as more a story of ambition, survival, or redemption? Why?

The Lies We Trade Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the The Lies We Trade discussion questions