Book Review: Revenge of the Cube Dweller

By Sara Steven

Corporate sabotage was not in Tanzie's job description per se, but she proves to be a natural at it--as well as her own little deceits.

Tanzie Lewis used to have it all. The stylish wife of a successful oil executive at the top of the Houston social scene, she used to spend her days playing scratch golf or lunching with friends at the club. That was before she was dumped in favor of a beautiful younger woman and the global financial crisis wreaked havoc on her divorce settlement. Now, at 52, Tanzie finds herself depressed and alone in Tulsa, watching her waist size grow and her professional opportunities shrink, working as a minion for clueless bosses in the internal audit department of the Bishop Group. So what's a "girlie" to do? Snoop!

Taking advantage of Bishop Group's security weaknesses, Tanzie begins to unravel the intricate warp and woof of corporate fraud, manipulation, and a cover-up that enrages her. Avenging the death of innocent Houstonians after a massive pipeline explosion, and uncovering her own hidden talents for sleuthing and cleverly tampering with the system, Tanzie dishes out her own justice to get even--and to get a little something for herself! (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Talk about girl power! When I was finished with Revenge of the Cube Dweller, I felt empowered, ready to take on the world and the injustices within my own life. I was impressed with all the sleuthing and detective work Tanzie puts forth, in order to right the wrongs she’s been privy to while slaving it in the corporate world. It’s a far cry from the life she’s used to. There was a time when money was no object, only now she has to watch herself, her ever shrinking pocketbook, and the incompetent doofs she’s unfortunately employed with and reports to.

One of the biggest draws to Tanzie is how relatable she is. She’s not perfect. There are flaws that make her believable, and very real. It made it easy to identify with her and understand the sort of transitional frame of mind she’s in, since going through a painful divorce and having to rely completely on herself. I was also impressed by her intelligence. Much of "Revenge" centers around Tanzie’s detective work. There are so many intricacies involved, some of which I’d never even heard of or knew you could do when wanting to spy on or obtain hidden information from someone who doesn’t even see it coming. It made this book a definite page turner!

I also enjoyed the detailed information Joanne Fox Phillips provides to us, the reader. Tanzie is an internal auditor, something I wouldn’t know the first thing about. I really appreciated learning more about this from Tanzie’s perspective. I feel it really helped to round her out even more as a living, breathing character. There’s nothing two dimensional about her. It also lent into her sleuthing skills. She has a calculative, formulaic mind, and it shows. She’s putting her best skills to the test, like any "Sherlock Holmes" would do!

I highly recommend giving this Tanzie Lewis novel a read. Immerse yourself in a little girl power!

Thanks to Joanne Fox Phillips for the book in exchange for an honest review.