The Assignments

by P.T. Dawkins

Jonathan Black, the notorious Wall Street equity trader, runs his desk with an iron fist. Without warning, unpredictable events turn his world upside down. Following a “friendly” corporate merger, Blackie learns the desk he used to run is gone forever. The job he cherishes has yielded to computerized, algorithmic formulas. Adding salt to the wound, he must defend himself against charges of felony insider-trading, having made $2.5 million using non-public information. He is on the street, without a job and under the gun.

Agent Margaret Stark of the FBI’s white-collar crimes unit, known for her “take no prisoners” approach, investigates Blackie. Maggie is certain that, after many frustrating months trying to unlock an insider-trading ring, she has found the key. Blackie had the means, motive and opportunity to commit the crime. The reader learns of deep personal reasons fueling her desire to take him, and all like him, down.

A direct attempt, forcing him to come clean is a complete failure. Maggie must accept that Blackie is no ordinary felon. She adopts a more subtle approach. On the surface, she will offer him a chance to clear his name by working several stings, including insider trading, mortgage fraud, jury tampering and a Ponzi scheme, where Blackie is the bait. She calls them Assignments. In reality, she designs her projects to give her adversary the maximum opportunity to trip up. When Blackie initially resists the deal, Maggie uses a carrot and stick. She argues a court would look kindly on his cooperation. On the other hand, if he refuses, she vows to continue to use all her resources to take him down.

As the assignments progress, Maggie learns there is far more to this man than his hostile trading-desk persona. While searching for clues about the illegal trade, she discovers that he is hiding his past and leading a secret, second life, including an insatiable and unexplained need for money. The mystery of the man only intensifies her desire to uncover the truth. Concurrently, the target criminals behind each assignment grow progressively ruthless. The stings are thus, increasingly dangerous. Lives, including Blackie’s are at risk.

226 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019

Reviews

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Assignments by P.T. Dawkins is a novel that follows Jonathan Black an equity trader on Wall Street. He knows how the game is played and what the expectations are at the end of the day. He goes hard at his job and expects those he works with to be just as on top of their game. But the only problem he seems to have at his job is that he's aggressive. He goes hard and demands a lot. One of his co-workers isn't up to snuff in his opinion and she's causing him problems. Things get ugly between them, but then she begs him for a favor. Things on the surface seem legit, but the truth is something else. When the company is merged with another, Jonathan finds himself on the outs and with lots of problems. He needs a true out so that he handle his "home" issues. Gotta love it when the FBI comes in and tries to accuse you of a crime on top of everything.
The Assignments by P.T. Dawkins is the first book that I have read by this author. The story is told in two forms...from the first person - Johnathan and then from the third person for Maggie, the FBI agent. The author keeps the story in the beginning at Johnathan's job and the happenings there. The author allows readers to see that something is up with the co-worker that he has an issue with. She's obviously not cut out for the job, but HR won't let her go. This raises the question as to why? I'll admit that I cringed when Johnathan really lays into her in one scene especially when it's revealed that the boss is watching. Now, this is a small trading firm so there isn't the insane chaos that would be found on the trading floor of a bigger place. The author drops hints along the way that something is going to happen soon with the boss/owner acting peculiar. When Johnathan gets the rug pulled out from under him is when the FBI shows up. At this point in the book, things are pretty slow-paced, but I'm pleased that things do pick up a bit and the author begins to go more in-depth with the story as Maggie strives to do her job.
I will say this about this book, I was disappointed when things are so slow in the beginning. I was expecting to be thrown into a fast-paced storyline of trading, phone calls, deals being made, etc. That's not the case at all. The storyline moves slowly, but it comes together piece by piece. Johnathan has his moments of annoying, but Maggie is the one who rubs me the wrong way half the time. She's so intent on him being guilty that I feel like she dismisses the truth just so that she can stay on the path she's on. I also see that she doesn't like it when he's proven right about things. Honestly, there are moments of where I question...how did she get to be in the FBI in the first place? There are honestly moments where she doesn't seem qualified because of how she handles situations. These two are so mismatched that humor is easily sprinkled into the story to keep it from being too dour or boring. Seeing the character development is definitely a plus and helps keep this story interesting as Maggie works to piece together the truth about who Johnathan Black is.
This book is truly a fascinating story when you get deeper into it. You see that Johnathan aka Blackie has his secrets and his problems. Him no longer having a job is just the tip of the iceberg. Maggie browbeating him into "assisting" her only adds to what he has to face, but as each sting happens you see a new layer of this character and that...he's REALLY good at what he does. If you are looking for an interesting crime/thriller novel then this book would be a pretty good choice. I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author for me. But I am impressed by this book. I was not sure this would be my cup of tea but I was hooked by the end of the first page. Action-packed and well-written, this will certainly not be the last book that I read by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me and it's a good story with plenty of action packed moments. The author does a great job of grabbing the readers attention and holding it throughout the entire book. Will definitely be looking for more books from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and interesting characters. Hard to put down. Intense and gripping read that holds you until the end. Would recommend.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.