The first book in this series, Black Fridays, was released in 2012, and I have been recommending the author and the series ever since. The author and the protagonist, Jason Stafford, share the life experience of being Wall Street types, and the information about that whole complex way of life is interspersed throughout the series…but in a totally fitting way, not pedantic or overly technical…in other words, it just fits!
The other interesting aspect of the series is that Jason’s son is autistic. When I picked up the first one and read the cover blurbs I thought possibly that “Black Fridays” referred to Wall Street or financial events…but no, it refers to the fact that on certain days, the son (aka “”The Kid”) only wears certain colors. Lots of interesting stuff about autism, parenting a special needs child, etc. but again, just totally fits into the story.
So, right off, I love that there is learning going on, about finance and autism, while Sears totally entertains with his tight plotting, excellent pacing, and amazing character development. So, here we are, four years later, and he gives us the fourth in the series. Jason and The Kid are both here, and it is impossible to discuss plot much without spoiling things! If you are like me, even when a reviewer announces “spoiler alert” there is that nearly impossible-to-resist urge to read ahead…I have no shame, I always sneaked a peek at gifts under the tree. So, sorry, no real plot reveal here…
In any case, this is a series, and there have been some seriously significant events happen to main characters, so it may be best (or at least preferable) to begin with Black Fridays and read through the first three. But this one can definitely stand alone.
Michael Sears has real talent, and I am definitely a fan. I only gave this one four stars because I didn’t feel like I learned as much as from the prior ones, and there were some WTF? moments where I questioned the actions of a character, but if you like mysteries/thrillers with excellent character development, you will definitely want to add this one to your TBR list. Four stars, and thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in return for my honest review.