THE GRIFTER by Sean Campbell and Ali Gunn #RBRT

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: A multi-millionaire conman vs the homeless man he ruined.

An action packed tale about James, whose life was ruined by crooked financier Kent Bancroft, and his plans to retrieve his lost half a million pounds.  It's also about Kent himself, and how the life of a rich man does not always run as smoothly as you might think.

What I liked about this book:

• The structure - ever since reading Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel decades ago, I've adored alternate POV books, especially when, as with this, the lives are poles apart.
• The pace - the book marches along with just the right amount of inner narrative versus events - there are no boring waffle bits, the characters are well-developed, and all the backstory is nicely woven in at just the right time.  This is something that you may not notice unless it isn't right (like how you don't notice if something is clean, but you do notice if it isn't) - getting it spot on is an art.  
• The writing style - flowing and so readable, so much so that I wasn't tempted to skip-read even when I wasn't too sure about the content itself.  
• The quality of the research that had clearly taken place, about the financial detail, life as a homeless person, the art world and other aspects throughout the book.
• The basic storyline, which appealed to me as soon as I read about it.

What I was not so sure about:

• There were way too many errors that editor/proofreader should have picked up on, such as the phrase 'the gig is up' instead of 'the jig is up', Marlborough cigarettes instead of Marlboro, multiple instances of the word 'invite' that should have been 'invitation' (unlikely to occur at this level of society), numerous backwards apostrophes at the beginning of words. 
• I wasn't convinced that an exclusive gym patronised by the aristocracy would be called 'MuscleBound', which sounds more like an establishment owned by Phil Mitchell from EastEnders.  It's only a small thing but it really stood out to me.
• The story development, which I thought needed more thinking through; many developments/details seemed a tad unfeasible.  An example: a rich financier sharp enough to con thousands of people out of millions but doesn't have an efficient alarm and CCTV system at his house.  

To sum up, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, it's a jolly good, fun book that zips along, entertains and keeps you turning the pages, and for this I commend it; being able to tell a story that amuses and keeps the attention is indeed a talent worthy of note.  Everyone has different levels of belief suspension, and mine are particularly low; most of the reviews for this book are very positive indeed.

CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds

4.5 out of 5 stars

Financial thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's book review team 

When I was about 20% of the way through this novel I described it to someone else as 'immaculate', which is an odd way to describe a book, but it seemed fitting, and still does.  Concealment is flawlessly presented, so well structured, formatted and edited; not so much as a spare half sentence, anywhere!  As someone who hates wading through waffle, I so appreciated that.

Now, I have no knowledge of or interest in high finance, so please note my high star rating and understand that, therefore, it must be extremely good!  It is.  In the first 7% there is a fair bit of explanation about tax shenanigans, and I feared that, despite the fact that it's so sharp and well written, I might not enjoy it so much, simply because I would have to concentrate very hard to understand it.  But if you're a financial dum-dum like me, please don't be put off - it still begins at a cracking pace and soon delves further into the action, the people, the motivations.

This is a murder whodunnit, and protagonist Amy Robinson is determined to find out the answers.  Along the way, though, she has to deal with the repercussions of her psychologically damaging childhood, and a complex tangle of conspiracy amongst colleagues, clients and people she thought she could trust.  It seems that everyone is against her, and worse, but is she just being paranoid?  I loved the way the suspense was built up - nothing like reading that someone will be dead in a few days to keep you reading!

I thought the relationships throughout the book were expertly, and often amusingly, painted.  The characters are all well defined and clear and the writing style made me connect with Amy immediately and root for her throughout, especially as the other characters were all so delightfully unlikeable - some wonderful baddies!  Rose Edmunds has portrayed the slimy boss Ed Smithies, the self-serving best friend Lisa (I hated her!), the two-faced ex-husband Greg and troubled, chauvinistic Ryan so well.  Amy's own descent into psychological hell is fabulously well done, and I found the parts that looked back into her childhood absolutely fascinating. 

If you are particularly fond of financial thrillers you will LOVE this, and if, like me, you don't know your share options from your allocations of divisional overheads (I haven't got a clue what any of that means), you will still enjoy it very much—I read it over a period of two days because (cliché alert!).... I couldn't put it down!

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE

 

BANKERS TOWN by Joel Hames

 3 out of 5 stars

Thriller, financial

On Amazon UK HERE

On Amazon.com HERE

I was a bit disappointed by this - it was one of those books that I buy just through seeing a tweet! Fabulous title, cover and the phrase 'not everyone will make it to drinks on Friday' in the blurb which was what really sold it to me.

My fault, I suppose, for making my mind up what a book was going to be like. I'd imagined a sharp, fast, very readable adventure/thriller (The Job and The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy come to mind) but whereas the writing style is slick, polished and witty, I felt it was far too long-winded, with financial details that will perhaps only be of interest to those who live in this world, or certainly who know a lot about it. I felt it presumed too much knowledge on behalf of the reader. I had to force myself to read and absorb some of the detail so I would understand the plot, but felt as if I was reading a boring text book at times.

Having said all that, it's well written in other ways and the character of Alex Konniger is an excellent one. However, I do think that the inclusion of so much financial minutiae has removed this novel's mainstream blockbuster potential, and slipped it into 'niche market'. For anyone who loves this sort of book, though, I'd say that Bankers Town would be massively up your street.

NEVER SAY SORRY by Rose Edmunds

4 out of 5 stars

Cancer cure conspiracy thriller, high finance

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 31 October 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

I was pretty impressed with this; the plot is very well put together, with few of the traits so often to be found in a debut novel. I was interested in the subject matter anyway, ie, a conspiracy to prevent the widespread knowledge about a cure for cancer, much of which I am sure goes on. It was obvious that Ms Edmunds is well versed in the ways of the high-flying financial world, too. The whole story was very convincing.

A clever plot is nothing without great characters, of course, and although I found some of them a little one dimensional, one of the two main characters, Hugo, a reluctant and atypical city boy, was marvellously portrayed, and carried the whole book, making it more than just a thriller. He was very likeable and I found myself pleased when I got to more 'Hugo bits'.

If you like stories with plenty going on and no superfluous detail, especially those about the world of high finance, I'd say this should be right up your street. Well done, Ms Edmunds!


CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds reviewed HERE