by M. J. Finn.
Softcover (5.5×8.5 inches). 318 pages. 2024.
This self-published novel follows Kate Adams, a Federal Reserve regulator tasked with ensuring banks follow financial rules and regulations. Called in by her soon to retire boss to look at some irregularities at Tech Valley Bank. Under painstaking accounting research, Adams begins to uncover a scheme to intentionally cause a run is being masterminded by the Chinese. As you might expect, that knowledge triggers something more than paper cuts.
That a Silicon Valley bank can fail was amply demonstrated but just such a failure not too long ago. The Feds bailed out the bank because otherwise, companies with uninsured accounts couldn’t meet payroll and other expenses, which could lead to a broader economic problem. Chinese involvement? That’s where fact and fiction diverge.
I can’t say I was ecstatic at the accounting explanations in the beginning, but as that’s the nub of the plan, you have to power through. That’s about the time the TV movie of the week trope pops in: I’ve observed that when a movie drags, out pops either two Nazi thugs breaking in with guns ablazing, or, two hot babes. Finn went with the latter, but not to worry, two Chinese thugs make an appearance later on.
The second half of the book proved far more interesting precisely because you had powered through that previous accounting info. Now you’re talking thriller, especially when her ex-husband in a FBI special agent. And yes, I can see this as a TV movie, or perhaps a multi-part series, with a strong female lead, Chinese thugs, and the cleverly crafted mergers and acquisitions.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
