Rating: 
Summary: A bit far fetched... but Fun!!
Review: Going on vacation? Need a quick read for the airplane or the cruise? This is the book for you. Basically, a wealthy woman loses her husband and her inheritance to an interloping French "Countess." The remainder of the story outlines how she continues to get her feet knocked out from beneath her and her subsequent plot(s) for vengenance. Hitchcock keeps you turning the page to see how exactly the story will play out, as there are several options. A great summer read and a story that most women (who have been scorned at one time or another) will enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Social Crimes
Review: Jo Slater is a very wealthy, very powerful socialite. She serves on the board of one of New York's most prestigious museum, she owns one of the worlds most impressive collection of eighteenth century furniture, she throws the best parties and has friends in all of the right places. Jo worked very hard to get to where she was, as she was not born into this life. However, it the blink of an eye all that Jo had worked so hard to attain was ripped away from her upon her husbands death. That is thanks in part to the beautiful French Countess Monique de Passay who began an affair with Lucius Slater, Jo's husband of over twenty years, a little over a year before Lucius' death. Lucius' will leaves all of his assets split between the Countess and his son leaving Jo virtually penniless and in a lot of debt. After years of obsessing over revenge, Jo finally devises a plan to bring down the Countess and regain her standing in society.I thoroughly enjoyed this novel of New York's socially elite and how quickly it can all be taken away. "SOCIAL CRIMES" is a very enjoyable book that will have you rooting for Jo all the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Seems so real - it's almost scary!
Review: Social Crimes is the most fun, interesting book I have read in years! I would recommend it to anyone! I can't say enough about this book - yet i can't stop talking about it - and I'm not even finished with it yet! (2 more chapters to go! I don't want it to end!!!)
You would think the author herself went through this ordeal - the writing and story seems so real, with every detail and emotion spelled out. The reader almost feels as if she's sitting down with an old friend over coffee or vodka as she tells the story. Amazing.
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Summary: Social Crimes goes down like a glass of French champagne!
Review: Social Crimes was one of the best novels I have read in along while, the story was brisk and fun often lending itslef to old money cliches. It was truly the best book to read on a rainy day when going to the wonderful glamorous world of Social Crimes was the best escape!
Rating:
Summary: It Ain't All Beer and Skittles
Review: Being super-rich must have a downside---somewhere. It couldn't happen to a nicer person than Jo Slater, our luxe heroine of this finely crafted psychological novel. Jo started off poor, became the mistress and later the wife of an obscenely rich man. She paid her dues, was the perfect wife and hostess, educated herself and became an arbitrator of Society. Jo knows her 18th century French furniture, her Porthault linens, her couture wardrobe----knows it all except her incredibly conniving older husband and her former great friend, the young Countess de Passy. Husband dies suddenly in shocking circumstances, and Jo finds she is left with nothing but her jewelry and wardrobe while the Countess is left half his fortune. Hell hath no fury, etc., but Jo's is focused on the Countess to the point of obsession. However, it's tough to successfully scheme when all the bucks are on the other side. Picture a cross among psychological thriller writer Minette Walters, "W"'s savvy society columnist Suzy, and the light hearted wit of George Plimpton and you will have an idea of what Ms. Hitchcock is about here. Jo is so likeable even when she is thinking her darkest thoughts that you feel like you want her for your new best friend. Though "Social Crimes" is eminently readable and witty, it is no fluffy beach book. The author zeros in on the pain and belittlement of obsession and humiliation; how even the best of us can become emotionally crippled by a sudden change in our fortunes. Revenge is a very cold dish indeed. Can't say enough good about Ms. Hitchcock and "Social Crimes." Do yourself a favor and read it!
-sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Great read, but some loose ends
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only for the light it shed on the inner-workings of New York society, but also for the symbolism and references to Marie Antoinette that Hitchcock continuously made. I bet that many of these details would have enhanced the story even more, but because I do not know much about Antoinette, they went over my head. Perhaps it's time for me to open up a book on France's history instead! At the end of the book, I definitely felt that a sequel would be appropriate because of the loose ends with Oliva and Shreve. I hope Hitchcock does indeed follow through with one.
Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Jane Stanton Hitchcock weaves a gripping, delicious tale
Review: A brilliant story of betrayal and deception, Social Crimes kept me awake all night reading -- each time I turned off the lights and tried to go to sleep, my mind raced with images of the heroine, Jo, and I had to keep reading. Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock keeps the reader hanging on her every word with a talent for description that brings the people and places into full color, without being verbose or overbearing. I never would have thought I could identify with a character who is a millionaire socialite, but by the third chapter, I was crying and plotting along with Jo. Sinful and decadent like a rich chocolate dessert, Social Crimes is a must read. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's hoping for a sequel.
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Summary: Life Among the Rich and Famous Can Be Deadly!
Review: In the tradition of Edith Wharton, and with a clever and witty look at New York society, Jane Stanton Hitchcock presents a fast paced read with her newest book, Social Crimes.
This is the third book I've read by Ms. Hitchcock and this is her best book so far. With an almost tongue in cheek approach, the author presents less than sterling characters in a plot readers will long remember. Jo Slater is living a life beyond her wildest dreams. A former restaurant hostess from the Midwest, Jo is now married to an enormously wealthy older man. She has become a true society lady owning an estate in the Hamptons, a fabulous apartment in Manhattan and a collection of priceless art and antiques, which includes a necklace owned by Josephine Bonaparte. But Jo is about to suffer a fall from grace when she befriends a French Countess whose background is quite mysterious. When Countess Monique has nowhere to stay for the remainder of the summer, Jo graciously offers her their guesthouse. And while Jo and Monique become fast friends, and Jo reveals a bit too much about herself, Monique is soon to prove to be quite the manipulator at Jo's expense.
All too soon, Jo is living on the other side of great wealth and society life, while Monique is now one of New York society's latest society ladies. After a period of disbelief as to what has happened to her, Jo moves into high gear and learns that revenge can have a higher price than she thought possible. Like The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, Ms. Hitchcock has a fine eye and ear for depicting life among the very wealthy. One reads this book with a chuckle and realizes at the end that position and wealth can be fleeting at the best of times.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner !!
Review: Loved the book - it was gripping - kept me wanting more like any good book should.
Even though i do not lead this kind of socialite life, this story put me there- very descriptive. There was a sense of energy that came from routing for this heroine. Jo's bad fortune is something we can all fear.
I was mostly satisfied with the finish , however one part left me wondering, Why Jo did not conclude with any reflection on her husbands need to have her not only financially but emotinally suffer?.There seemed to be no substantial foreshadowing to this.
Some deeper reflection on this would have given more depth to the story.
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