Meet the Darlings

Cristina Alger’s glittering debut novel interweaves the narratives of the Darling family, two eager SEC attorneys, and a team of journalists all racing to uncover—or cover up—the truth. With echoes of a fictional Too Big to Fail and the novels of Dominick Dunne, The Darlings offers an irresistible glimpse into the highest echelons of New York society—a world seldom seen by outsiders—and a fast-paced thriller of epic proportions.

Carter Darling

A true patriarch, Carter Darling is committed to two things: his business and his family. After years of hard work, Carter’s firm, Delphic Capital, has made him a very rich man, and he has provided his wife and daughters with the life of which he had always dreamed. But now, a scandal with both financial and personal consequences threatens Carter’s empire – and he will do anything in his power to fight for its survival.

Ines Darling

For Ines Darling, appearances are everything. Sharp, beautiful and always perfectly polished, Ines Darling is the quintessential power wife. She has given everything to creating the life that she wants: she has raised two beautiful daughters, maintained two beautiful homes, and has made sure that the Darling family sits at the pinnacle of New York society -- and she will be damned to have it taken away from her now.

Paul Ross

A genuine, smart, self-sufficient Southerner, Paul Ross stole Merrill Darling's heart while they were both at Harvard Law School. Five years later, Paul is truly one of the Darlings: he is not only Merrill's husband, but he is also her father's General Counsel. As he slips deeper and deeper into the Darlings' privileged world, Paul must fight to retain his own identity -- and the strong sense of ethics and morality which made Merrill fall in love with him in the first place.

Merrill Darling

The oldest of the Darling sisters, Merrill is smart, attractive and down-to-earth. After graduating from Harvard and Harvard Law School, Merrill is now a attorney at a prestigious Manhattan firm. While she is deeply loyal to her family, she is also committed to creating a a family of her own, on her own terms.

Adrian Patterson

A handsome Upper East Side blue-blood, Adrian Patterson is the perfect match for his wife, Lily Darling. Unlike Paul, Adrian plays far more than he works. But like Paul, Adrian also works for Carter Darling -- a fact which may put him at the center of financial scandal which threatens to destroy the Darling family.

Lily Darling

Merrill's beautiful and slightly frivolous younger sister, Lily Darling is a true New York socialite. Lily is accustomed to world of beautiful Upper East Side apartments, houses in the Hamptons, and limitless checking accounts, all provided by her parents. It has never occurred to her that one day, she might wake up and find that the world as she knows it no longer exists. Will Lily be able to survive in a new world order?