The Gods of Greenwich

by Norb Vonnegut

Forget about Bernie Madoff or Gordon Gekko—there’s a new villain on Wall Street… Norb Vonnegut didn’t realize how close he skirted to non-fiction when he was writing his spectacular debut Top Producer . Penned before tumultuous revelations and scandals rocked the financial world in late 2008, Vonnegut’s novel depicts, with an insider’s solid knowledge, the tricks that the industry’s real top producers pull in their frenzied pursuit of billions. Now Vonnegut sets his electrifying follow-up in the high-rolling world of hedge funds, lending his seasoned perspective to a riveting thriller. Jimmy Cusack is the tough kid from a blue-collar neighborhood who made good on Wall Street. Well, almost. After a sterling start to his career, things have soured. His hedge fund has collapsed. The bank is foreclosing on his upscale condominium. And his wife is two months pregnant. That’s the good news. When Cusack takes a “must-have” job with Leeser Capital, a Greenwich fund impervious to the capital market woes, his real troubles begin. Vonnegut’s unique insider’s perspective and his intuitive, darkly humorous writing are once again on full display in this fast-talking suspense thriller. A high-stakes poker game of a book, The Gods of Greenwich is a timely and gripping read that will keep you glued to the edge of your seat until the last card is played.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Book Club

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2011

About the author

"Author of glittery thrillers about fiscal malfeasance...his own improbably sexy genre." -Janet Maslin, the New York Times

When money talks…I listen. Always have. I'm fascinated by what can go wrong and spent years on Wall Street dealing with the problems of wealth. Morgan Stanley, Paine Webber, and Kidder Peabody—I've been around the block. Back then, my job was to protect clients from market disasters.

Today as an author, I'm still asking what can go wrong. Only now, my goal is to take readers on a thrilling ride through the wilds and what-if of Wall Street. The characters in my stories, whether I'm writing fiction or non-fiction, are perfect fodder for an irreverent look at what happens behind the scenes in the bare-knuckled world of finance.

I believe every book should begin with a big idea. In my latest novel, The Trust, I examine how some criminals hide behind the First Amendment and its guarantee of religious freedom. The villain in this story, a real sicko, infiltrates a family's finances before they suspect anything is wrong. And it's up to Grove O'Rourke—stockbroker, good guy, a recurring character in my fiction—to put things right.

Other thing to know about me: I graduated from Phillips Exeter in 1976, Harvard College in 1980 and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1986. My family and I split our time between New York City and Narragansett, Rhode Island. I'm an avid cyclist and a Trustee with the American Foundation for the Blind. And I absolutely love books on tape.

I have two new ideas for the Grove O'Rourke series. But these days I'm working on my first non-fiction book. I hope you will check back every now and then. Because, I look forward to telling you a true story about the American dream colliding with American justice. Hint: This is not your father's Law and Order.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will confess: my first thought in checking this out was "God, I hope he doesn't do the Vonnegut name a serious disgrace..." I said that not knowing he is related to his more famous cousin, and how I wish I hadn't known. This was disappointing, to say the least. Norb Vonnegut clearly has an abundance of information to build finance industry based novels on, and with better editing and more variety in language, it actually could be a 4-star read instead of 1.5 stars. The plot is there, albeit a hollow shell of a plot. He has a fairly original way of bringing a fast-paced light read... but the writing is unimaginative and redundant, horrribly redundant, as if he is stuck on a set of his favorite fifty words and is determined they are what to utilize every time a person or place or event is described; it makes the characters flat; you never care about any of them, save, perhaps, one elderly gentleman early in the story, the one who escorts her home (that part had my hopes high, only for the rest to be horribly monotonous, slight variations on the same central theme). Every single character's internal dialogue, in seeing the main female character, a seductive aid to a wealthy doctor, is near-identical: they assess her as being buxom, for instance, a word that truly needs to be used at most once in an entire book (because how many people think "what a buxom beauty!" in modern day New England?).

Without tipping off any of the plotline, which would effectively tell you the entire story apart from how it ends (which is actually a rather good IDEA, certainly the best part of the book, just frustrating in its execution!), let me simply say that the initial outline of this book certainly had promise... but actual humans have much more depth and variation and nuance than the author invests the time to describe them as having. The moral compass has, essentially, about three vague, under-explored levels instead of a deeply conflicted full range. You have those who are truly good, often naive to the evil around them, those who are truly bad and knowingly so, and those who are doing things that are destructive but are either "just trying to care for the family" or are not aware of the impact of their actions. What about the bad committed by someone usually good or the good that overwhelms a horrible person... nope, not in this world. Heaven forbid there be an option to forgive; it's way easier to have a super villain. Humanity simply doesn't WORK like that, and it makes this really unbelievably shallow. Even fiction needs to grip me with SOME sense of connection to the place and people. Try again, and get a MUCH better editor (or don't, actually--don't quit your day job)! Whoever edited this missed some serious errors (like the language being so limited, characters being hollow and under-defined, language being less believable for everyone who isn't speaking finance jargon) and seems to have simply been a spelling and grammar editor; I can't point out where the story inconsistencies are without far too many words and spoilers, but despite a creative enough idea, it simply was not made believable or enlightening. It read like an average 8th grader created it and their hedge fund parent edited it to refine the industry specifics. There's no reflection on our internal struggle or sympathy for those in the industry or even a feeling of being where the characters are. Generic, rudimentary, and bleak.

[Sameer Garach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vonnegut returns with a unique financial thriller that revolves around hedge funds, the stock market, and life insurance. He starts off with what seems like several unrelated pieces, then slowly brings them together for a big bang at the end. Jimmy Cusack, the main character, is right in the middle of the action from start to finish. I wasn't sure whether this book would be worth my time after reading Top Producer, also by Vonnegut, but The Gods of Greenwich delivered on every page.

[Jon Nielson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love financial novels, but this sucker went off the rails and couldn't find the track. By the end of the book it wouldn't be surprising if the jolly green giant made an appearance.

[Alma LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than finance, fiction. Entertaining, light read.

[David Lentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book as I live in Greenwich and have spent years working in financial services. So curiosity got the better of me concering what Vonnegut would do with his rich subject matter. I have seen more than my fair share of driven, materialistic, egomaniacs flaunting their vast wealth vainly among the profilic Maseratis and mansions of Greenwich. Conspicuous consumption may well have been invented here. Ayn Rand is alive, well and much too revered in Greenwich. If a hedge fund manager were any kind of a god, it would be properly a Narcissus like Cy Leeser. I admire the grasp that Vonnegut has of the inside track in the hedge fund world and of the market forces which drive global investing. I was intrigued by the highly inventive "secret sauce" he prescribed in the hedge fund model of Cy Leeser. Vonnegut's style is a traditional, straight-ahead, omniscient narrative favoring terse sentences and the craftmanship of the book is certainly presentable as a mainstream thriller. I enjoyed his characters and found myself intrigued by what happened to them. I intensely disliked the villainous Cy Leeser of whom I have known many and admired the noble Cusack. The dialogue among the characters was taut and credible -- I loved the immortally witty quotes of Dorothy Parker. His portraits of Greenwich seemed somewhat hyperbolic in places -- my wife works in Two Greenwich Plaza at the old school, law firm to which he refers. He missed out on the real beauty of Greenwich in the beaches and shore on Long Island Sound in which its residents revel. The novel seemed rather real until the surreal denouement which was, frankly, a tad absurd even for a thriller in which I was willing to suspend generously my sense of disbelief because I enjoyed the characters. The novel seemed somewhat of a shallow dive in places but I grant that its theme does deal with the artifice, vanity and ultimately the absurdly chauvinistic pursuit of wealth, which is an excellent theme. I did very much become immersed in this novel until the last 30 pages when the author just lost me in the story line. I was disappointed because I had become invested in the characters. I did find Cusack inspiring and he struck me as a sort of Wall Street Odysseus because of his resourcefulness and gift for decisive action. It's definitely an original novel and I picked up some new perspective on the Crash of 2008. This is not great literature, folks -- it's simply a beach book with a fair amount of entertainment value if you enjoy Wall Street thrillers. No new literary invention in the writing, no great literary contribution, no transformational epiphanies, no literary awards forthcoming, I suspect. The book is selling quite well because of its broad appeal on a hot topic. This novel will have little enduring literary value and I did not wish that I had written it. I started to read "Top Producer" after finishing "GOG" but lost interest early on in that novel also because of excesses in the story line at the outset. This is the sort of novel that America loves to read at the beach: if you're heading there this summer, you may want to take a copy with you for its entertainment value. Sorry, I wanted to like this book more but honestly it was just asking too much -- subjectively, there was simply too much artifice and too little art for my taste.

[Jennifer Defoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that when the opportunity to review this book was presented to me I did it simply because the name Vonnegut was on it. Now I know he's just a distant cousin, but how great would it be for two (even distant) members of the same family are great authors??

I really liked Cusack, the main character. He was so likeable. He has charisma and could probably sell anything to anyone, but he never was out to get anyone (well at least until the end of the book, but I can't give that away!). His wife Emi I saw as being so cute and innocent looking, the kind of person you couldn't hate if you wanted to. I didn't care for Cy, his wife Bianca, Victor, or Rachel. But I think that was the point. Although I wouldn't do it, what Bianca does to Cy was fun to read. She went about things in the wrong way, but revenge is awesome :-)

This one kept me guessing all the way through. We know Rachel is a murder but we don't really figure out how she's tied into the story for quite a while. We're told about the Art dealer and the Banker in Iceland are in huge problems of their own, and while we're clued in a bit to what's going on between them and Cy I didn't really catch on completely for quite a while. This one was so well written that I gave up even trying to guess how it would end because I was so engrossed in what was going on right now. I really liked the ending. It tied everything up pretty well, it wasn't cheesy, and it wasn't a "everyone is happy" ending.

Even though this was about Wall Street, which is something I have very little interest in, the story was so engaging that even when I didn't understand what the characters were talking about I didn't feel bored by it. There was so much going on, so many different parts to the story, that it was hard not to get caught up in the middle of everything.

So I picked this book because it had the name Vonnegut attached to it. Was I disappointed? NOT AT ALL! I think there's something in that blood line somewhere. I can honestly say after reading The Gods of Greenwich that two of my favorite authors share the same last name. Even though the writing was totally different it was written so well that there's really no comparison. It's like comparing your favorite jeans to your favorite desert. They're both great, which is why they're your favorites, and it would be really hard to pick which one you like better.

This book was provided to me for review. This has in no way influenced my review. This review is truthful, honest, and is my sincere opinion.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Gods of Greenwich' is the seond book by norb Vonnegut and second one I've read and I like this book better.

This is another venture into the wild and woolly world of finance. Vonnegut does an excellent job depicting the business and entwining a mystery in it. The setting, characters and dialogue are all well done.

Unlike the first book, this one swirls outside the world of finance and takes in other aspects of the outside world. I like how Vonnegut handled this. Most authors would write their story out of the financial world because they don't know it well to focus on areas they do know. This interesting reversal also accentuates the bit of stumble in the book.

There is a stark contrast to the writing of the inner sanctum of hedge funding and the other areas of the book. Vonnegut is not as strong in these areas. It doesn't really hurt the story in that Vonnegut writes the outside world as any author might as his writing of the "hedgie" world is head and shoulders above other writers.

Now to find Vonnegut's next book!

Bottom line: I recommend this book: 7 of ten points.

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about the money ! ! !
As I write more reviews while I'm semi-retired, I become more aware that I'm a reader, not a writer. I purchased this First Edition Hardcover book on Amazon.com on August 14, 2012. I'd only begun reading more since finding myself between projects as a Building Construction Manager, due to the bursting of the financial bubble. I'd already divested myself of most of my 'upside-down' real estate and I was making plans to move to the Philippine Islands, where my wife is from. In that state of mind, reading Mr. V's book was a real pleasure, because I could picture some of the a**h*l*s who were at least partially responsible for the downturn in the economy. My life's work has been in producing buildings with my hands and body, using my mind to do the math needed to do that work in the most efficient way. Reading 'Gods' helped me learn that I'm glad to be who I am and what I am ! ! !

[Vonetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a finance MBA student, this book was right up my alley. As a writer with an English degree, it was basically an insult to my craft. I tried to get past the flat, redundant, uncreative prose, but I couldn't. I wasn't sure that Vonnegut knew any actual people because no one -- not even psychos -- think as one-dimensionally as these characters. The dialogue outside of the finance-speak did not ring true at all. Go for this book if you're into books solely for the plot, however thin it may be. Basically, if you like Dan Brown's books, you'd probably be a fan. If you have any regard for literature as an art, don't even touch this book.

[Salsadancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The picture Vonnegut portrays of the Wall Street mindset is both frightening and fascinating. Greed isn't merely good, it is the only thing. Gods of Greenwich excellently fills a niche in the thriller genre for stories set in the high-stakes world of global finance. I particularly enjoy Vonnegut's ability to create a world that he personally knows well, having worked in wealth management for decades, and show it to us. His characters are well-drawn and truly live up to the word "character." They are quirky, memorable, sometimes vile, sometimes likable, sometimes a combination, all individually unique.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler alert

I typically do not read this type of book. But I grew up in Greenwich for 20 years and wondered how the town and people would be portrayed. All and all I liked book. It was well paced, easy to read and interesting with the money meltdown in the backdrop. I found the face blindness an unneeded element and i did not really think the twist of emi being a witness was needed. For me it made the book a little over the top.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the book because it was about hedge funds and shorting stock -- two concepts I've struggled to really understand. After reading the book, I do feel I've got a much better handle on hedge funds, why they are being blamed for the financial crisis of our day, and also agree with the need to put more checks and balances in place. The story line is pretty good and it was an enjoyable way to learn about this stuff!

[Harvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember liking Vonnegut's first "financial thriller" but found this to be slow, and less than thrilling. The first third sets a good pace to expect a big payoff but then it just crawls to inevitable conclusion you don't care about. Some Harold Robbins-esque atmospherics about life in Greenwich/The Hamptons/Martha's Vineyard thrown in at no extra charge.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This screenplay (or is it a novel)? keeps you reading but doesn't strain your brain too much. The first half is something o a roman a clef set in the financial world during its recent collapse; the second half reads like a Tom Clancy novel, but with hedge fund managers instead of spies. It's a fast and fun read.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced and interesting. While this was a work of fiction, the description of the market meltdown of 2008 and what it must have really been like to live and work in Greenwich at that time was captivating. I enjoyed the overlap of story lines and how they came together.

[Lucy Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was not a literary masterpiece, but was an engaging read -- a mystery with the 2008 financial crisis as a backdrop -- and especially interesting having recently read Michael Lewis' (non-fiction) The Big Short about investment banking during the same period.

[Melissa Acuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, fun read--a very good beach read. The description of how the financial collapse of 2008 played out within the hedge funds was credible and compelling.
Despite being a little dismayed that I'd inadvertently selected another serial killing story line, this one was believable.

[Dennis McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real good summer page turner. Just the tonic after reading a bunch of non-fiction related to the financial collapse, hedge funds etc. Having read about the 'real' thing, it enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Change of pace from Michael Connelly. Well written and suspensful story about the dark side of the finance industry, hedge funds. Pleanty of detailed and little known information about how big time investment managers work. Good read.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read another book by this author a few months ago and was entertained with his story telling talent. This book would appeal to anyone who enjoyed the movie Wall Street. I did think the ending felt rushed.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really good plot, but poor prose in places. Needs a good editor. His first book had a good plot, but was also let down by poor writing. This one is definitely an improvement and as I like his main character and love financial thrillers, I'll probably check out his third book.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story revolving around an elaborate scheme to hedge. There were some twists to the story but you began to realize what was going to unfold a few pages before the author took action. Overall a good read.

[Katie Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, he is related to Kurt (4th cousins). Yes, I googled it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not like finance, hedge funds bewilder me, but I could still enjoy this novel, not great but good.

[Peg Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and interesting summer thriller read that manages to combine hedge funds, Greenwich, CT lifestyles of the wealthy and infamous, and a good ole' fashioned mystery.

[Sue]

from Janet Maslin's "Summer reading list"

[Hannah Meehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy summer read.

[Marianne Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great summer read! I couldn't put it down, had to race through it. Similar to summer read experiences of the past that were fabulous ""The Firm"" and ""Jurassic Park."

[Matthew Dixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glib and unconvincing.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my new favorite authors...