She made sure their various homes and estates ran smoothly and were fully and competently staffed. Helen travelled with her employers and handled all their social engagements and day-to-day needs. She used a combination of elite-level organization skills, love, and firm boundaries to keep all the irritations of everyday life at bay for Bunny and Benedict Levine.
She has moved from the Yatra Institute where she worked in the first book of the series, Mindful of Murder.
The Levines un-nerve their fellow super-rich by inviting the working class and the middle class and the professional class to functions.
Still many events are with the super-rich. Helen skillfully handles a lunch for the Levine's with billionaire Archie Hightower and his influencer daughter, Cartier.
The Levine's are a profoundly empathetic couple. Their desire to help the less fortunate leads them to head to Nepal to establish one or more schools and to give Helen to Cartier.
Helen’s equilibrium is jarred, especially by the provocative “give”. Her employers swiftly amend their words to the slightly less inappropriate that she is to be loaned to Cartier while they are away. Cartier is in need of “guidance …. A steadying hand … an infusion of wisdom …. Taste”.
Her volcanic father, Archie Hightower, sums up what he consider Cartier needs:
“I think what I want is for her to learn a few things about being a proper … uh, rich lady”.
“Things” include some “depth” and some “manners”.
Currently Cartier is with the Deep State, a group of aspiring internet influencers seeking fame through dangerous stunts. Archie will get Cartier to come home and spend time with Helen and work on learning “a few things” by threatening to cut her monthly allowance of $200,000 to $2,000. Helen considers this assignment her “least promising position”. All would agree Cartier is not ready to handle a multi-billion inheritance.
Cartier’s PA has recently died in a kite surfing accident that Cartier filmed and posted.
Blossom, a member of the Deep State, has also died. She fell, while filming herself in a restricted area, at a waterfall into a rocky river.
The late Bonnie Hightower, Cartier’s mother, had style, unfortunately informed by comic books, superheroes, Star Trek and Star Wars.
Helen’s approach to working with Cartier is a concept that I will keep in mind:
She didn’t know, but for the moment, she would try to respond in a useful way to whatever happened. It was an approach that had never failed her yet.
Still, how do you be useful to the task of improving a spoiled little rich girl in mourning over the losses of her mother and two close friends?
Helen calls upon Nigel from the Yatra Institute to help with Cartier’s trio of yappy, annoying, ill-disciplined dogs.
He explains to her that the key to influencers are followers - “attention economics”.
Helen, with her reserve and modest dress and indifference to the internet, is an exotic creature to the Deep State.
They use Helen in their never ending efforts to get attention. She is irritated by their antics and how they treat her but she carries on doing her best to be useful to Cartier.
While the members of the Deep State appear to be the least mindful people around they should not be underestimated in their dedication to gain fame and fortune as influencers.
When an ugly incident occurs and Cartier is being instantly blamed she is fortunate Helen is there to prevent complete disaster and minimize the attention. On reading the internet accusations Nigel reverts to the basics:
The first rule of modern life was don’t trust the internet, at least not right away.
On the internet “tragic outcomes” are popular.
Desperate for advice in the maelstrom Helen reaches out by WhatsApp to her Buddist teacher, Sayadaw U Nandisara, in Thailand. When they talk upon the phone she is startled that the monks are aware of what happened at the club as younger monks are upon the internet. Sayadaw calms her wobbles.
Cartier is devastated by the thousands of comments and posts attacking her. She senses there is some orchestration. How do you overcome an internet tsunami? Helen, Nigel and Cartier retreat to a ranch in the interior of B.C. Helen starts with the basics.
Helen starts helping Cartier learn to be a “proper rich lady”. Her approach is so clever.
Helen’s mindfulness, even when under extreme pressure and danger, serves her well. Butlers do not panic.
Along the way Helen solves a couple of murders.
Helen is an excellent representative of the butlers of the world.
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Helen sounds like an excellent butler, Bill.. And it's interesting to see the lives of the super-rich through the eyes of their employees. That's interesting task, too - trying to get an entitled, very wealthy young person to develop some compassion and empathy. The fact that she studies Buddhism makes Helen even more interesting.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. She could buttle for me anytime. Her work with Cartier was both interesting and subtle in dealing with the mind of an influencer.
DeleteI am looking forward to reading this book, I enjoyed the first book very much. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteTracyK: Thanks for the comment. I think the second was just as good especially on the interaction between the butler and the influencers.
DeleteI like the sound of this very much - right up my street, what a great setup! But should I start with the earlier book?
ReplyDeleteMoira: You should definitely start with the first book. It was 3rd on my 2022 Best of Bill Fiction list. I am sure you will find it hard to put down. When you are finished you can come back to the blog to re-read my experiences with cruise ship butlers that you kindly commented on at that time.
DeleteIt's coming back to me - I'm sure I meant to follow up on this at the time. Well, now I have ordered the first book, and when I've read it I can come back and read your posts again....Thank you, this sounds like a top recommendation!
DeleteI am familiar with memories faded that come back through a reminder. I am glad you ordered the book. Good reading awaits!
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