Michael Sears - Black Fridays (Jason Stafford #1)
If you were to ask what impels me to pick up a debut novel I’d likely give you a variety of reasons depending on the moment, it could be attributed to planet alignment, a recommendation from a fellow bookworm, eye-catching cover art, or my insatiable curiosity upon reading the synopsis on the back cover. In this case, it was the back cover that tweaked my interest.
Jason Stafford doesn’t sound like your typical thriller hero. After serving two years in prison for illegal trading practices he is now concentrating on gaining custody of his autistic son. Seems rather bland until you throw in his current consulting job at a high profile firm, where he is asked to audit the trades of a junior partner who has died in an accident. Or was it an accident? The further Jason digs into the trading history, the more questions and layers of cover ups emerge, all the while Jason is trying to cope with a completely new lifestyle as he attempts to bond with his son.
Michael Sears writes passionately about Wall Street trading and gives the reader a small window into what goes on behind the scenes without boring or making it hard to grasp for the common reader. I for one am uninterested in how it works, but for the purpose of the story I was able to follow along and grasp the important aspects that made it so personal to the protagonist. And Jason is a guy I found myself rooting for. From someone who seemed to have the world on a platter, to a guy struggling to put his life back together, we watch a determined individual try to make sense of the craziness around him and discover what matters most.
An enjoyable read and an author to watch in the future.
Jason Stafford doesn’t sound like your typical thriller hero. After serving two years in prison for illegal trading practices he is now concentrating on gaining custody of his autistic son. Seems rather bland until you throw in his current consulting job at a high profile firm, where he is asked to audit the trades of a junior partner who has died in an accident. Or was it an accident? The further Jason digs into the trading history, the more questions and layers of cover ups emerge, all the while Jason is trying to cope with a completely new lifestyle as he attempts to bond with his son.
Michael Sears writes passionately about Wall Street trading and gives the reader a small window into what goes on behind the scenes without boring or making it hard to grasp for the common reader. I for one am uninterested in how it works, but for the purpose of the story I was able to follow along and grasp the important aspects that made it so personal to the protagonist. And Jason is a guy I found myself rooting for. From someone who seemed to have the world on a platter, to a guy struggling to put his life back together, we watch a determined individual try to make sense of the craziness around him and discover what matters most.
An enjoyable read and an author to watch in the future.