Top Producer: A Novel of Suspense by Laura Wolfe is the story of a woman who thought she had landed her dream job, but she was not ready for the consequences of making her dreams come true. Mara Butler thought she was the luckiest person to have landed a job with Jacqueline Hendersen, the top realtor in Chicago. She was happy to pay off some of the medical bills as her sister Emma fights cancer. Her new job was supposed to be the answer to her prayers, but it seems like her troubles aren’t going to leave her just yet. Mara finds out that her boss isn’t the most law-abiding citizen and isn’t above breaking a few laws. Jacqueline is obsessed with the Top Producer award and she is ready to do whatever it takes to win it. However, something happens to her boss’s main competitor that makes Mara scared for her life. Suddenly, her perfect job isn’t so perfect anymore. Is Mara at risk of losing more than just her job? Is her boss as deranged as Mara fears?

Intense, fast-paced, and well-written, Top Producer is one of those suspense novels that will have you hooked from the moment the story begins. Laura Wolfe opens with a powerful scene that sets the right tone and makes the reader anticipate what will happen next. The glimpses into Mara’s life are detailed and expansive; the reader gets to see her as a sister, as a provider, as a hard worker and an intelligent, observant woman. The author foreshadowed many things as the story progressed; Jacqueline and Mara were two of them. There was something about how they were introduced and how they acted that made me wary of them. Jacqueline was too wicked and too shrewd for me to like her. I loved the pace of the story; there was never a dull moment. I was engrossed in the story; I was not expecting the ending and for the story to take such a turn. I was genuinely surprised and that doesn’t happen often. Brilliant!

Top Producer is a work of fiction in the suspense and murder mystery sub-genres and was penned by author Laura Wolfe. Written for adult audiences, the novel contains the use of explicit language, moderate sexual content and some scenes of non-explicit violence. The central protagonist of the tale is Mara Butler, a newcomer to the world of real estate who thinks she’s struck it lucky when she gets a job in a top Chicago company. But when Mara follows the wrong advice and competing realtors start ending up dead, a scandal and a saga unfold that pit Mara against her morals and her own ambitions for the future.

Author Laura Wolfe has crafted a truly compelling crime, mystery, suspense, and intrigue-filled novel which is sure to keep readers turning the pages from cover to cover. I loved the cut-throat world that Wolfe presents under the dubious tutelage of Jacqueline Hendersen, and although the characters were larger than life, there was plenty of realistic dialogue and intricate narrative work to keep us grounded in the story. Mara was a wonderful figure to follow as she learns to duck and weave amid the scandals and try to get to the bottom of what’s going on, and indeed that plotline develops into a really exciting and unpredictable rollercoaster as the tale expands. Overall, I would certainly recommend Top Producer to fans of intense female-led drama, high stakes relationship dynamics, and fresh-faced heroines who are here to get into a whole lot of trouble and thrills!

It almost seems too easy when Mara Butler secures a position as assistant to one of Chicago’s top real estate agents, Jacqueline Henderson, but Mara quickly proves her worthiness for the job as Jacqueline piles more and more work on her. But Mara has a need and lots of motivation to succeed: she has a beloved younger sister battling cancer and parents going broke trying to pay the medical bills. Determined to learn all she can about success in Real Estate, and despite some ominous warnings about Jacqueline, Mara constantly reminds herself she is learning from the best. But increasingly, Mara learns there is much more to Jacqueline’s success than meets the eye...and not all of it looks ethical. Jacqueline’s heart is set on becoming Chicago’s top producer and she’ll do whatever is necessary, even if it’s criminal, to make that happen. When Mara finally realizes how she is being used and how it could end her dreams of both success and financial aid for her family, she is desperate to extricate herself from the hell Jacqueline has put her into. How will she do it? Finding out is what keeps readers breathlessly entertained and unable to put the book down.

Top Producer is the most entertaining read I’ve had in a long time! Maybe even better yet, it’s also one of the most enlightening. And time has proven that when a novel is both enjoyable and informative, that author has created a winning combination. Way to go, Laura Wolfe. I truly loved Top Producer. Laura Wolfe is my kind of writer. She has an excellent command of language, uses dialogue easily, and creates characters with which one readily identifies and who are not easily forgotten. You’ll find yourself hoping you never encounter a Jacqueline but don’t kid yourself into thinking that what she does to succeed wouldn’t really happen. I said this book was enlightening: Wolfe captures the heights and depths to which greed and ambition can take a person and how someone as innocent and nice as Mara can be sucked into a whirlpool from which she can’t escape. While you laugh and cry with Mara, you’ll shake your head and be thankful that what happens to Mara is only fiction. Laura Wolfe is a prolific writer and deservedly has enjoyed much recognition in literary circles. I am a huge fan and would never hesitate to pick up another book by Wolfe.