“Stop feeding the beast!”
In his latest novel, The
Domino Effect, Davis Bunn shines a spotlight on investment banking – and the
trading of derivatives, in particular – and through his heroine issues a
warning for those who are troubled by the continuing economic uncertainty in
not only in the United States but across the globe. Bunn, who studied finance
and economics and worked in the field of international business before becoming
an author, is adept at keeping the financial information flowing in a way that
the casual reader follows easily and still keeps the suspense building.
Esther Larsen is a financial risk analyst for Carolina First
Mercantile (CFM), one of the top ten banks in the U.S. She heads a division for
the bank that identifies potential avenues for growth and analyzes the risk
involved. Increasingly troubled by what she perceives as risky trading, Esther
is finally able to share her fears with a small group of friends. When those
friends share Esther’s fears with their friends, Esther finds herself moving to
help those she can to avoid the inevitable financial crisis she sees coming.
One of the ways Esther disseminates information is through a
website called BookOfEsther.info,
where she provides her conclusions and the information that went into making
them. Bunn, through Esther, gives a six-point plan for people to follow. The
first – get out of debt – would appear to be a no-brainer until a person
realizes just how many advertisements there are for debt consolidation services
or businesses that help people reduce debt, fix their credit rating, or provide
cash advances. People are encouraged to spend money they don’t have. Her advice is found in the first paragraph, above: Stop feeding the beast.
It is perhaps too simplistic to call The Domino Effect a cautionary tale. The fact is that the book
scared me at times with mentions of transactions of stock purchases and sales
that happen so quickly that they can’t be stopped and manipulation of the stock
market solely for the purpose of improving the bottom line of a bank’s ledgers.
Was I the only one who typed in BookOfEsther.info
hoping to see a page where readers were welcomed with a “Now that you’ve taken
the first step . . .” message? (I did check; typing in that web address will
take you to Davis Bunn’s new Kensington Books website, where readers can find
out about Bunn’s current and upcoming book releases.)
Bunn takes a front-page, ripped-from-the-headlines story and
crafts it into a thought-provoking yet thoroughly readable story that will have
readers turning pages to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 Stars
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my
honest review.
