The Finishing School

A Novel

By: Joanna Goodman

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

In this suspenseful, provocative novel of friendship, secrets, and deceit, a successful writer returns to her elite Swiss boarding school to get to the bottom of a tragic accident that took place while she was a student twenty years earlier.

How far would you go to uncover the truth?

One spring night in 1998 the beautiful Cressida Strauss plunges from a fourth-floor balcony at the Lycée Internationale Suisse with catastrophic consequences. Loath to draw negative publicity to the school, a bastion of European wealth and glamour, officials quickly dismiss the incident as an accident, but questions remain: Was it a suicide attempt? Or was Cressida pushed? It was no secret that she had a selfish streak and had earned as many enemies as allies in her tenure at the school. For her best friend, scholarship student Kersti Kuusk, the lingering questions surrounding Cressida's fall continue to nag long after she leaves the Lycée.

Kersti marries and becomes a bestselling writer, but never stops wondering about Cressida's obsession with the Helvetian Society—a secret club banned years before their arrival at the school—and a pair of its members who were expelled. When Kersti is invited as a guest to the Lycée's 100th Anniversary, she begins probing the cover-up, unearthing a frightening underbelly of lies and abuse at the prestigious establishment. And in one portentous moment, Kersti makes a decision that will connect her to Cressida forever and raise the stakes dangerously high in her own desire to solve the mystery and redeem her past.

An unputdownable read as clever as it is compelling, The Finishing School offers a riveting glimpse into a privileged, rarefied world in which nothing is as it appears.

Kept my attention

Disappointing after finishing the home for unwanted girls. Glad I listened and glad it is over.

Mysterious and Compelling

Draws you in and keeps you entranced throughout the journey. Difficult to put down or turn off. Truly enjoyed this mysterious story.

A GREAT Story!

Really enjoyed this book. Well written, excellent narrator. Would give overall 4.5 stars only because the beginning was a little slow but - definitely hang in there because it’s like 5 mins out of the entire story. I was so enthralled I wanted to listen in bed!!

excellent thriller.

I couldn't finish it fast enough. absolutely enjoyed every chapter.i didn't see this ending like that. I'm impressed.

Lot's of twists and turns!

I give this 4 stars because it kept me guessing. A bit long of a story for me but mostly enjoyable. First time I have seen or heard of this author.