Very Bad Company

Rosenblum sends up the tech industry in her entertaining if slightly undercooked sophomore effort (after Bad Summer People). On paper, TV producer Caitlin Levy has it all: a prestigious job in New York City, an adoring husband, and kids who love her. Still, she’s bored. So when John Schiller, CEO of tech firm Aurora, comes knocking with a $3 million job offer as the company’s head of events, Caitlin jumps at the opportunity, despite her lack of experience—or interest—in event planning. Her first assignment is Aurora’s annual Miami Beach team-building event, which becomes a baptism by fire as professional rivalries, petty jealousies, and Schiller’s cutthroat management style flare up. When an executive goes missing and then turns up dead after a wild, booze-soaked night, the main concern on everyone’s lips isn’t notifying the family—it’s how her absence might affect an impending billion-dollar merger. As the group’s efforts to save the company grow more desperate, Rosenblum cycles through the perspectives of multiple Aurora employees, revealing just how much everyone has to hide. The wicked streak Rosenblum exhibited in her debut shows up here, too, but her characters are a little less well-rounded this time out, and the pace flags in the middle. Still, this is a beach read with bite. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (May)