The Last Trade

by James Conway

Drew Havens made a killing for the Rising Fund, which, thanks to his prognostications, was the only hedge operation to anticipate and capitalize on the mortgage crisis of 2008. For Havens, it's always been about the numbers. He sees things others can't, from the collapse of the American real estate market to the multibillion-dollar rise of his ruthless and charismatic boss. Havens is now rich beyond his dreams, but his work at the Rising Fund has cost him his marriage. And now it may cost him his life. It starts with the brutal murder of his young protege and, over the course of six explosive days, six other brokers around the world, each killed after executing a trade linked to the Rising Fund. As the violence escalates from South Africa to Sao Paulo, Hong Kong to Berlin, Havens frantically tries to construct a model that will reveal the catastrophic event that only he can see coming--and confirm that his boss and the Rising Fund are at the center of it. The Last Trade is a relentlessly entertaining, adrenaline-fueled thriller about the forces that shape our culture--and a lone man desperate to achieve redemption.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

1 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ian]

Interesting premise, parts of it were a lot of fun. Characters were too simplistic by and large, and it is clear that the author is still figuring out his way as a novelist, but still an engaging read if you like finance and live in New York (the book is set in NYC and focuses heavily on the local geography).

[Neil McCrea]

It took me a while to get around to writing this review, and I feel as though I should apologize although I'm not sure to whom.

I've enjoyed the work that James Othmer wrote under his own name, but I was a little hesitant about this one. Mass market thrillers aren't normally my bag, and books (fiction or non-) about Wall Street "masters of the universe" tend to make me want to light things on fire. My misgivings were unfounded. The Last Trade is fast paced, fun and . . . er . . . thrilling.

The danger with a novel focusing on high finance is overwhelming the reader with exposition info-dumps. Othmer sidesteps this issue by keeping the chapters short and jumping all over the globe with great rapidity. A little exposition is given with each jump, and these changes build momentum and give a sense of urgency even during sections where not much action is taking place.

This novel ought to have broad appeal as light holiday/summer reading.

Something I may have missed:

Salvado doesn't realize a bomb is part of the plan until Lazlo races to set it off. Havens figures out the explosives are hidden in the boxes marked as containing Salvado's autobiography when he realizes that Salvado never finished his book. If both of those things are true, then what the hell did Salvado think was in those boxes? He watched them being delivered to the room.

[Onur Yilmaz]

James Conway daha önce başka türlerde kitapları yayınlanmış olan James Othmer'in farklı bir tür olarak yazdığı gerilim romanında ilk kez kullandığı bir takma ad.

Kitap 2008 küresel krizinden olağanüstü para kazanmış bir fonun, küresel ölçekte bulaştığı işlerin gerilim dolu hikayesini anlatırken, hem küresel sermaye piyasalarının işleyiş biçimine, hem de para ve hisse hareketlerinin arkasında buzdağının görünmeyen kısmına dair ortalama okuyucunun okuyabileceği bir terminolojik tercihle son derece akıcı metin sunuyor. Kitabın çevirisi, kendisi de yatırım bankacılığı alanında çalışmış biri olan Elif Sema Mutlu tarafından yapılmış ve finans sektörüne ait terimlerin isabetle çevrildiği, oldukça iyi bir çeviri.

Türkçe financial-thriller fazla örneği olan bir tür değil. Ama finans dünyasında geçen bir gerilim romanı olarak Büyük Vurgun iyi bir başlangıç.

Kitaba www.matbuat.com.tr adresinden ulaşılabilir.

[Patty]

An excellent, suspensful thriller. If you like conspiracies and international plots, this one is for you! It even has high flying kicks, although it doesn't have quite enough chase scenes, I'm sure they'll fix that when they make a movie version. :)

[Shannon]

This felt like an eighties thriller with cell phones. For some reason I like old feeling mysteries, but like my thrillers fresh.

[Sara]

Wasn't interested enough to finish (listened to 7 of 9 parts)

[Rich]

Slow start but became a desire to not put down. Great ending!

[Lopsided]

DNF - Not pulled in. 2.25 audio

[Monzenn]

Was an all right book. Nice finance connection but too much conspiracy for my taste

[Raenie]

The action switches from New York City, to Hong Kong, to Johannesburg, and to Berlin. You get to know each of the different brokers who place the trades, as well as the officials who notice that strange trades are being made. Can't wait to find out what will happen to each person, and who is behind this plot!

If you like numbers, computers, stocks, and mysteries; you'll like this book which includes them all!

[Rick]

I enjoyed this. I've never read a financial thriller so what do I know, but it was a good time. It's sorta got a Hyperlink Cinema feel to it, with its globespanning-plot and interconnected feel. Coincidentally I've been reading No Logo by Naomi Klein at the same time and they went together well, sorta like diet coke and red wine. Try it.

[Lynn]

The most intriguing thing about this book is that it was written under a pseudonym, which made me wish I was as adept as numbers and patterns as the characters and could figure out who wrote it. I wasn't surprised to find out it was a first novel, because it had some flaws, but its intriguing premise and a glimpse into global high finance kept me completely engaged.

[Greta]

Just couldn't stay engaged. I thought the characters had a synthetic quality that I just couldn't get past. Original subject matter, but little depth. Also, the story moved too slowly for a thriller.

[Kathy]

I liked this thriller, didn't love it. It could be that I don't understand the Long and Short thing in derivatives trading and that was a bit less interesting to me. Liked the characters and thought their flaws made them more intriguing. Well plotted.

[Mhd]

Very technical financial conspiracy/terrorism thriller. It does make you think about what causes stock market fluctuations. It has its moments and the last 40% is very good, but that first 30% seems awfully technical. My favorite character was killed early on and that's always sad, too.

[Sam McManus]

There was a great pace to this book, and I enjoyed the two protagonists immensely. Getting to try and solve the numbers problem while also enjoying pieces from classic literature was a bonus. I highly recommend it to other readers who like suspense.

[Lulu]

I won this book from the first reads giveaways and I am so excited to read it. Thanks.

[John]

In Madoffesque style, international intrigue, finance and terrorism. Fast paced read.

[Sandy]

Even after the Bernard Madoff fiasco, did not believe this mystery about a global financial catastrophe. Guess it could happen, but hope not.

[Joann]

I loved this book! It's fast-paced, and holds your interest from the first page to the last. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

[Lydia]

Poorly written. I don't know that this author is a writer but the subject was so interesting and I did not guess the killer at all. Great ending.

[Irene]

audio -- I tried but I do not know enough about 'the market' to enjoy the discussions.

[Ruth]

This book is like french fries - quick, easy to read and easy to like. I zipped through it but it kept my attention until the end. This will no doubt become an action movie very soon.

[Lynne]

stock market manipulation - it was pretty good.

[Sally]

Good, fast moving, suspense....even though I'm far less that "well versed" in stock market manipulation. Listened to this one which probably made it more of a thriller. Worth the read/listen

[Monte Lamb]

A fun book with a lot of twists and turns in an international financial conspiracy. It will keep you reading to find out what happens.

[James Wilde]

Pretty good and very entertaining audio book. I enjoyed it on all my commutes.

[Cindy B.]

Like the plot - it even made stocks interesting! Worth reading!