Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the acclaimed, award-winning debut novel Black Fridays, comes a story of murder, greed, and corruptionand the lengths to which one man will go for his family.
He approached me in the streetbone-thin, gray-bearded, holding out a small envelope. The man said youd give me five bucks for it.” Inside was a one-word message: RUN.
Two years in a federal prison has changed Jason Stafford, is still changing him, but one thing it has taught him as a financial investigator is how to detect a lie. He doesnt think Philip Haley is lying. An engineer on the verge of a biofuel breakthrough, Haley has been indicted for insider trading on his own company, and Stafford believes him when he says hes been set up. Haley does indeed have enemies. He is not a nice man. Doesnt make him a criminal.
It does make him dangerous to be around, though. The deeper Stafford investigates, the more secrets he starts to uncover, secrets people would kill for. And thats exactly what happens. Soon, it is Stafford himself who is under attack and, worse, his familyhis fiancée, his young sonand he is a fugitive, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of both the killers and the law.
Review
“Sears is terrific at generating momentum and suspense” –
Publishers Weekly
“This stunning first novel…is one of the year’s finest crime debuts. The writing is fresh and vivid…[and] the book is thrilling and haunting at once.” – Booklist
“Exciting and compelling” – Wall Street Journal
“Author Michael Sears clearly knows his way around the financial world. What makes his debut novel, Black Fridays, stand out from other financial thrillers s Stafford’s devotion to his 5-year-old son, who is severely autistic…Black Fridays is definitely worth the investment.” – Associated Press
“It’s been awhile since I’ve read a pop thriller so immediately captivating…[and I am] anxiously waiting for Sears’ next book.” – Dallas Morning News
“A Great read. It’s also a window into the fascinating slice of Wall Street…Black Fridays is a book you’ll enjoy and remember.” – Fortune.com
“Black Fridays is the real deal: a compelling, beautifully written thriller offering a fascinating insider’s view of corruption in high places.” –Jonathan Kellerman
"One of the best books I've read this year -- a novel for people who like thought with their thrills. No cartoons here -- you feel that you're really beginning to understand the workings of the crazy Wall Street underworld. Jason Stafford is a cool, edgy character who will do almost anything for money, and will do anything to protect his young autistic son. By the end of the book, so will you." –John Sandford
"Extraordinary! Michael Sears has a knack for completely complicated, thoroughly likable characters caught up in a deadly web of lies, greed, and financial corruption. Never has Wall Street been so interesting and so dangerous." –Lisa Gardner
"Black Fridays has it all: superb writing, a riveting plot, and a hero I'm still thinking about days afterwards. A must read!" –Tess Gerritsen
"Black Fridays is a taut and compelling thriller, a vivid story of sleaze beneath the slick surface of Wall Street. But what sets the book apart, and gives it its heart, is Jason Stafford's quest to reclaim his life and make a home with his autistic son. Stafford's voice really grabbed me -- Michael Sears has got the goods. Gripping.” –Meg Gardiner
"An exciting and fascinating tale of big money and even bigger crime, an insider's glimpse into a world where fortunes can be made or lost at the click of a button and the stakes can be life and death. More than a gripping procedural, it's a moving ,deeply human story." –Joseph Finder
"Jason Stafford is a totally endearing and winning protagonist. Michael Sears has a permanent place in my portfolio and in my heart." –Jennifer Belle, bestselling author of High Maintenance and The Seven Year Bitch
"A riveting book. Black Fridays is required reading for anyone who wants a great modern thriller -- and anyone who wants to know how a bunch of obscure, arrogant, cranked-up financial whiz kids can bring an economy to its knees. So timely it's scary." –Tim Hallinan, Edgar-nominated author of The Queen of Patpong and The Fear Artist
Review
Praise for Mortal Bonds
“Searss knowledge of investment banking makes the plot compelling . . . Deft, witty prose is a plus.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for Black Fridays
“Its been a while since Ive read a thriller so immediately captivating as Black Fridays. In the end, Stafford pulls of a stunt that would bring a smile to the face of Lisbeth Salander. It left me anxiously waiting for Sears next book and the further adventures of Stafford and the Kid.” - Dallas Morning News
“A great read [and] not only a window into a fascinating slice of Wall Street, but an unexpected and illuminating look at autism. Black Fridays is a book youll enjoy and remember. Jason Stafford is reportedly at work on a new assignment that will be covered in an upcoming book. Stay tuned.” - Fortune
“An emotional roller coaster. Black Fridays is definitely worth the investment.” - Associated Press
“An exciting and compelling thriller with an anthropologists eye for the diverse types encountered in high-stakes trading rooms.” - The Wall Street Journal
“Sears delivers a thoughtful, intricate cautionary tale in his impressive debut about greed, mismanaged money and thrill that the unscrupulous get from cheating the unsuspecting. But Black Fridays also works well as an excellent character study about a man coming to terms with his own limitations and trying to be a good father. An intriguing debut from an exciting new talent.” - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Sears is terrific at generating momentum and suspense while juggling a convoluted plot and an enormous cast of characters. An impressive first novel, one of the best of a recent crops of financial thrillers” - Publishers Weekly (starred)
“A stunning first novel, one of the years finest crime debuts. The book is thrilling and haunting at once.” - Booklist (starred review)
“A memorable debut. Much more than a financial thriller. Its about theft, deception and dishonesty, but also about love, redemption and what is ultimately important at the end of the day, when the dust settles and the smoke clears.” - Bookreporter.com
Review
Praise for Mortal Bonds and#8220;Staffordand#160;is a cool, edgy character.and#8221;and#8212;John Sandford
and#8220;A hero I'm still thinking about days afterward.and#8221;and#8212;Tess Gerritsen
and#8220;A twisty tale of greedand#8230;
Review
Praise for Long Way Down
“As soon as Stafford tears into his new assignment, a buzz starts that wont let go. The sequence of lies and betrayals that constitute the plot are revealed in action scenes and confrontational dialogue with wry undercurrents, sort of Ian Fleming by way of Woody Allen…the tension and suspense are genuine and gripping, as is the view of a world where billionaires, like drug cartels, have hit squads.” — Booklist
“It is not a stretch to say that this will be one of the best thrillers of 2015. The story has a touch of kindness and love between a parent who is struggling to do good for his autistic child, as well as twists and turns based on absolute greed and corruption, making this a thriller that will be unforgettable to suspense fans everywhere.” — Suspense Magazine
"Sears is at his best explaining financial wrongdoing, and Stafford is a fine and fully rounded protagonist." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Mortal Bonds
“A twisty tale of greed, double-crossing and family bonds both good and very, very bad.
Synopsis
Sometimes a man can be redeemed. But not in the way he expects.
Jason Stafford is a former Wall Street hotshot who made some bad moves, paid the price with two years in prison, and is now trying to put his life back together. He’s unemployable, until an investment firm asks him to look into possible problems left by a junior trader who died recently in an accident. What he discovers is big – there are problems, all right, the kind that get you killed.
But it’s not his only concern. Stafford has another quest as well: to reclaim his five-year-old son, “the Kid,” from his unstable ex-wife, and then learn just what it means to make a life with him. The things Stafford discovers about himself in the process are every bit as gripping as his investigation, and when the two threads of his life come together – the results are unforgettable.
Black Fridays marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer.
Synopsis
From the author of the extraordinary Edgar-nominated debut novel Black Fridays, a sensational story of murder and financial corruptionand one mans continued search for redemption. William von Becker ran one of the largest privately held investment banks in North America, until the bottom fell out, and the whole edifice was demonstrated to be a fraud.
After von Becker dies in prison, financial investigator Jason Stafford is hired by his family. There is still a lot of missing money out there, hes told, and they want Stafford to find it before the Feds doand certain other parties, some of whom are nowhere near as scrupulous in their methods. Bad things start happening to the people Stafford talks to. Soon bad things are happening to him as well.
Making it worse, his treacherous ex-wife has come to town, ostensibly to visit their young son. Stafford suspects theres more to it than that, but even he has no idea how much that visit is about to change all their livesand send him off to the next chapter of his life.
Synopsis
Ex-Wall Street trader, ex-con, and devoted father to an autistic son, Jason Stafford first appeared in Black Fridays, and#147;one of the yearand#8217;s finest crime debutsand#8221; (Booklist).and#160;Now, in Mortal Bonds, he goes to work for the wealthy family of a financial criminaland#133; and#160;
William von Beckerand#8217;s multibillion-dollar fund was limited to only the luckiest investors. Or so they thought.
and#160;
After the house of cards collapses and the disgraced von Becker commits suicide in prison, his family asks Jason Stafford to find out where the money isand#151;and who is targeting them with attempted kidnappings. There are plenty of angry suspects to take a look at. But with roughly three billion of von Beckerand#8217;s ill-gotten dollars floating around somewhere, there are other interested parties as well. Theyand#8217;re determined. Theyand#8217;re powerful. And theyand#8217;re not nearly as polite as the Fedsand#133;
and#160;
About the Author
Michael Sears spent more than twenty years on Wall Street, rising to become a managing director at Paine Webber and Jefferies and Company, before leaving the business in 2005. Black Fridays was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Shamus, and ITW Thriller Award, winning the Shamus. He lives in Sea Cliff, New York.