The Midas Bomb

Detectives Chen and Castilblanco #1

by Steven M. Moore

The murders of a Wall Street analyst and a Navy SEAL in Manhattan only miles and minutes apart seem unrelated, but two homicide detectives discover a connection. As the strange cases merge and they chase down the killers, even with federal stonewalling, they uncover a terrorist plan to destroy two American icons and generate a financial crisis bigger than the Wall Street implosion of 2008. Hiding in the background are webs of international intrigue taken from today's post 9/11 world.

219 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Hi there. First a reader, but also an author, yet I'll be brief: I'm a native Californian, former Colombian resident, and now living in the Northeast. For more bio info, please see my author profile and/or website.
Books are my life right now. While I am a full-time writer, I read a lot, and not just in the genres I write in. Those are mystery, thriller, and sci-fi, by the way...and you'll find them in short stories, novellas, and novels. My latest novels are Rembrandt's Angel (Penmore Press), Goin' the Extra Mile (Carrick Publishing), and The Last Humans (Black Opal Books)--yeah, I'm now a mongrel, although I was never 100% DIY before either.
While I don't give away free novels (they're sometimes on sale at Smashwords for my email newsletter subscribers), I give away my short fiction. So does my collaborator A. B. Carolan. See my blog categories "Steve's Shorts," "ABC Shorts," and my list of PDFs free for the asking on my webpage "Free Stuff & Contests" at my website.
I'm a member of International Thriller Writers.
Around the world and to the stars!
In libris libertas!

Reviews

[Michael Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually "3.5" stars.

I would like to thank the author, Steven Moore, for a free copy of The Midas Bomb, in exchange for an honest review.

The protagonists are Detective Chen and Castlblanco, two New York City cops with military backgrounds. Though they are not partners, they work together to solve two separate murders that occurred at the same time. As the investigation develops they discover the murders may be related to each other and are only a very small part of a much larger diabolical plan.

I would write more on the storyline, but I don't want to spoil this for future readers.

Before I give my critique of The Midas Bomb, I would like to preference this by saying I rate a book based on how I enjoyed it. I only address the issues I find prominent and not micro analyze it as I see other reviewers have done. That being said, this is my reasoning behind my "3.5" stars.

The Midas Bomb had many positive aspects making it an overall, enjoyable read. Mr. Moore is a very good writer. He writes clearly and to the point without being verbose. I particularly enjoyed the many different genres the author includes: thriller, mystery, psychological, political and a little romance to top it off. Mr. Moore's knowledge on a variety of fields; physics, police procedure, South American politics and our criminal justice system is very evident through out the book, making it very realistic.

I certainly could have given this book 5 stars, but there were a few small things I found to be a concern for me. To begin, the author switched between first person and third person throughout the book. This disrupted the flow of the story. I had to stop many times to figure out who was actually speaking. In addition, the author introduces many different characters in the beginning of the book making it hard to remember who's who. Again, I had to stop and go back and figure out who the character was. I believe if the characters were more developed, at the beginning of the story, it would have made identifying them easier. Finally, the author did bring everything together, I did find the ending anticlimactic and flat. I would have enjoyed more of a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. It was somewhat predictable.

Overall, not a bad read. I look forward to reading Mr. Moore's other books.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The midas bomb by Steven m moore.
NYPD detectives Chen and Castilblanco partner up for the first time to solve two different murders that become intertwined in a complex terror plot backed by an unscrupulous hedge fund manager. Packed with action and suspense too near today's headlines, this novel describes what could happen when Wall Street schemes with al Qaeda.
This was a slow but good read. With good characters. I liked chen. She was my favourite character. 4*. Netgalley and bookbuzz.net.

[Travis Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I typically enjoy a detective thriller, the Midas Bomb was hard for me to get into. There are a lot of moving parts, many different factors, and too many groups for me to try to keep straight. The characters aren't as well developed early on as you might hope or expect, making it hard for you to have a more personal connection to them as you would with other novels. To me, that is what draws me in to astory, making me want to read more. I want to have a connection, an interest in the character. I want to know who they are, more than just from where the story starts.

[Beverly Garside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of the crime thriller genre, but this story was a different - sticking true to the genre but also going a bit beyond to round itself out with hints of philosophy, psychology, and the vagaries of destiny. Basically, Castilblanco is my kind of cop hero - none of the stereotyped tough guy bravado and cynical quips here that are often the standard for this genre. Castilblanco engages the world beyond his cases, fitting his investigations and his analysis into a tapestry of experiences, education, and an astute awareness of human nature. "Castilblanco never forgot what Franco did to Spain, what Mussolini did to Italy, and what Hitler did to Germany. But what gave him the nightmares was to think of all the stupid people that swallowed their lies."
And in his current case, the lines between the smart and the stupid could not be more stark and distant. A complex conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes is led by a villain who considers himself a genius and the rest of the world's population mere sheep lining up for slaughter. Connecting all the dots and twists here is not for the faint at heart, but as the picture emerges from the fog, it is clearly worth the effort, as it is a picture perhaps never seen before in a thriller. Steven Moore opens our eyes to a whole new target area of society with vulnerabilities rarely contemplated by our leaders and defenders, and a new consciousness as to who among us we may really consider to be on our side.
Bravo to The Midas Bomb. Its explosion certainly has my attention!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven Moore knows his stuff when it comes to politics and issues-based discussion, as any reader of his blog knows. That "expertise" carries over to this novel, THE MIDAS BOMB, which follows the exploits of two New York detectives Rolando Castilblanco and Dao-Ming Chen as two murder cases become linked and develop into something more sinister. The detectives' skill and intuitions are put to the test as they face a number of very bad characters, including one Vladimir Kalanin, who pops up in future novels quite a lot.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller which approached a potential terrorist threat from a number of directions. It made me think, and perhaps is even more interesting given the recent events in Boston. I've read several of Moore's more "science-fiction" novels (though I have always preferred the label "speculative fiction", and I feel it fits better with Moore's works), and this one was different. A straightforward action thriller with great characters and great attention to detail.

I'll be starting ANGELS NEED NOT APPLY soon.

[Jackie Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Carrick Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest and open review.
Two murders only a few miles and minutes apart seem totally unrelated. One is a Navy Seal and the other a Wall Street Broker.
In the first of a new series Detectives Chen and Castiblanco set out to solve them.
They uncover a terrorist plot to generate a financial crisis.
It is obvious, while reading this, that Mr Moore has done a vast amount of research of the subject.
I loved the quotes that were included, particularly H, G, Wells' who describes history as a race between education and catastrophe.
This isn't a book you can flick through. There are so many characters and sub-plots that you need to concentrate 100%.
The frightening thing about this book is that it could happen!
I look forward to reading many more of Steven Moore's novels.

[Carolyn Rose]

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller and the thoughts and realizations I had because of the plot and the quotes Moore used within the story. (Thomas Jefferson's musing that a banking establishment is more dangerous than a standing army and H.G. Wells describing human history as a race between education and catastrophe.)
Readers will have to pay attention because there are many characters and sub-plots that weave together and it's important to keep up with the time notations and point-of-view shifts.

[Pattyh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read the Midas Bomb. This is a thriller with a politcal backdrop.
Written in a fast paced manner, there are alot of things going on so you really need to pay attention as it all comes together in the end.
Well written, strong character portrayal, and relevant.
Good Read.