Counterfeit, Chen - B+

                     This excellent book is written in the first person by Ava, a Chinese-American Stanford grad, lawyer and mother, who narrates her confession to an anonymous  detective. Along the way we receive an insightful and witty peek at the Chinese industry that makes brand name knock-offs, the perils of growing up as the child of Chinese immigrants, the complex pecking order amongst young SF moms, ditto Stanford alums, and a myriad of other first-world concerns. Ava's former college roommate of but a few months recruits/steamrolls her to work in a scheme whereby one buys a top-of-the-line handbag, returns a cheaper but equally exquisite copy, sells the original on E-Bay, and pockets quite a bit. Together, the two hire and build a pyramid, thus magnifying their profits, until their eventual facing the music. This is a blast.