Mortal Bonds (A Jason Stafford Novel)
Former Wall Streeter Sears follows up the Edgar-nominated Black Fridays (2012) with a story of Madoff-like financial corruption, murder, and redemption. Former trader Jason Stafford, who has served time in prison for his own financial misdeeds, is hired by members of the family of William Von Becker, whose presumed suicide while in prison for an elaborate Ponzi scheme has left a vacuum contended for by family members and associates. There is the matter of some three billion dollars left unaccounted for and eagerly sought by federal investigators, international bankers, a hugely wealthy Colombian American, and several freelancers. Sears handles the action knowingly if at times incredibly, and Stafford’s own family drama (his autistic son, troublesome ex-wife, and her mother and brother) lend a personal dimension to a complex story. Sears has a good feel for New York, where most of the action is set, for the world of finance (intelligently explained), for dialogue, and for the thriller genre, though he includes too many characters and more than a little needless filler. --Mark Levine