The Navigator

by Michael Pocalyko

Wall Street comes to Washington in Michael Pocalyko's The Navigator . On the darkest night of 1945, a 20-year-old B-24 navigator assists in the liberation of a German concentration camp. His haunting trauma is prologue to destiny. Flash forward to present-day Manhattan. Warren Hunter, reigning master of the financial universe, is poised to close the world's first trillion dollar deal. ViroSat is the Street's biggest-ever technology play―an entirely new worldwide communication system. It will catapult his investment bank and the global economy into a bright future . . . if the deal goes through. In Washington, ViroSat captures the attention of Senate political aide Julia Toussaint. Meanwhile, battered tech start-up veteran Rick Yeager has just landed his dream job at a mysterious but well-connected financial firm whose partners want a piece of the action. Warren, Julia, and Rick are caught in a web of intrigue, money, power, and dangerous secrets. Coincidences are not what they seem as the past collides with the present in a way that will change their lives forever. A gripping story written by a consummate insider from both Washington and Wall Street, Michael Pocalyko's The Navigator is a furiously-paced parable of our troubled age.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Brianna Barry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Pocalyko is one of the reasons a young girl has recently committed suicide. He is a despicable man who does not deserve your support nor does his work deserve your attention.

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sent me on a wild ride. You know why? Because I haven't read it, and the author is a murderer. He is responsible for the suicide of a young trans girl which he got deported to Saudi Arabia where she was detransitioned, causing her enough mental distress to drive her to ending her own life. Do not read this book. This man killed someone.

[Keep Yourself · Rating 1 out of 5]

the author is a murderer, and he will face unrest for all of his days for what he has done to eden. so mote it be. god bless

[gabs⭐️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

don’t waste your time reading, especially since the author is nothing but a low level bastard for driving a trans woman to detransition, go back to her transphobic parents knowing damn well they wouldn’t support her and where she suffered and was in pain every single day, and ultimately causing her death. he has blood on his heads, and surely isn’t an author worth supporting.

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

michael pocalyko is a responsible for facilitating the murder of an innocent woman.

[Taylor Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy is a human trafficker, a murder, and the book looks boring af. Spend your money somewhere else.

[Sophia]

Fuck this dude, hope him and ellen receive a nice pipe in their mail

[Michael "Murderere" Pocalyko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Pocalyko manipulated a young girl into getting trafficked to Saudi Arabia, and stole her passport, until she killed herself. He is utterly disgusting, but probably will never be held to justice. Beware

[Ari L · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man manipulated a young woman into killing herself, he gave her no choice. Ruthless animal.

[Tate Montgomery · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man actively worked to help end the life of a trans woman. May he rot in hell.

[Hellothere2424 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dude is responsible for a transwoman's death

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Navigator is not my usual type of novel. I don't like books that are suspense-filled, they make me anxious. I listen to most mysteries that I "read" so that I can't look at the last pages to relieve my stress. I can hardly sit through a movie where the hero or heroine is in any type of danger.

That said, I am glad I read this story. I was caught up in finding out what happens next from the prologue onward. I wanted to know what all the connections were and how the pieces would fall together. How exactly was Warren Hunter going to put together his trillion dollar deal?

I don't know anything about finance, Wall Street, banking or Internet Next. So I can't say that Pocalyko gets those parts right or he gets them wrong. I do believe he gets the people right and he makes me want to see if they succeed or fail.

I recommend this story to readers who can stand the suspense, to folks who like to see very disparate parts come together at the end of the novel and to anyone who wants to experience a new author who brings their own life experience to his novel.

Disclaimer: Michael Pocalyko and I attended college together. We were both English majors at Muhlenberg College. I received a free copy of his book at Book Expo America.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew a book about bankers could keep you on the edge of your seat with murder, hit-men, and hundred year old conspiracies?

The Navigator is great mystery/thriller that resonates with the soul of Washington DC.

The international, financial, political, and military milieu of the nation’s capital weaves its way through the trials of two brothers as they unwrap a family mystery that has waiting to be uncovered since World War II.

Highly recommend, an excellent read.

[Michael]

I'm on a good streak with the random library finds. This was a fun read, call it a "business thriller"? I liked the finance aspect and am strangely pleased that I understood that part without needing translation. Who knew! I've picked up a lot. All-around a good story. Far-fetched sometimes, but not out in "no way" land.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not in the mood -- too much like work, reading financial stuff.

[Christian D'Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by a skilled craftsman of thrillers. Pocalyko has managed to do something remarkable: make the complex mechanics of a financial scheme into a rip-roaring page turner, complete with intriguing historical resonances and compelling characters. I feel like I got a glimpse behind the curtain of how power is brokered in DC, from a writer who's obviously privy to the inner workings of both Big Capital, and The Capital.

[Uriel Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning but wanna know something else?

This man is also best known for sending a trans woman back to Saudi Arabia to her death and forcing her to detransition which led to her suicide with the help of Ellen Cole)

[g · Rating 1 out of 5]

The guy who wrote this is partially responsible for a young trans woman taking her life. Please read up on the story behind if you have capacity because this shit is beyond sickening. But it’s really important we bring this heinous behaviour to light.

Rest gently, dear Eden 🤍

[Cezar Aybara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man has blood on his hands

[Bobby Dewgewd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Pocalyko is a murderer who gets off to seeing young girls being tortured.

Oops better be careful on what I say so he doesn't ship me to Saudi Arabia too.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Pocalyko Is complicit in the murder of Eden Knight, and that's both more horrible and emotion inducing than this book could ever hope to be.

[Fallon O'Neill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written by a human trafficker and unworthy of being published.

[Coral Cruz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Murderer

[Ariane · Rating 1 out of 5]

murderer

[Deacon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author killed a trans woman.

[Dumbb · Rating 1 out of 5]

author is a human trafficker and responsible for the suicide of a young woman

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book--the search to locate long-lost Jewish funds dating back to WWII and the Holocaust--was extremely interesting. But I felt like I grasped this book in only the most superficial way, because understanding the technological and (especially) the financial plots required a lot more knowledge than I have. The author, as befitted his background, went into extreme detail in the "follow the money" part of the book, and much of the time, he lost me. As a side quibble, I found it irritating that every time there was a conversation between two characters, they would use each other's name several times. Common sense says once, max, at the beginning of the conversation. A good editor should have jumped on this.
The book was full of characters (I suspect Warren Hunter was the author's favorite) who for the most part didn't particularly stand out, possibly because I was trying to figure out their role in the financial scheme. This book could have, should have, been better than it was.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a read for a certain type of geek. I am one of those type.

You get the usual murder and mayhem, and secret cabals running about and behind causing it all, but the first murder in the book isn't of a person but of a financial firm. (Spoiler: the U.S. Attorney did it.)

It's tightly written, alternating speaking voices, mostly, between two brothers and tying back to incidents at the end of WWII in Germany that wind up profoundly affecting and influencing just about every major person in the book.

There are some MOSSAD-ish characters sprinkled in that don't really add much, but overall everyone who's there is there for a good reason. Most of the present-day action occurs within the Beltway, and you read about a lot of the same kind of insider intrigue that permeates the US version of House of Cards. This book made a nice lead-in to the return of THAT particular obsession of mine.

[Wdmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

High-finance "thrillers" are often duds. From personal experience putting together a big deal means long, boring hours of work nailing down every last minute detail so it doesn't came back and somehow bite you in the ass.

The author glides over all that and puts together a nifty and suspenseful thriller with it's roots in the horrors of WWII, the machinations of modern-day Wall Street and every evil bastard in DC trying to get a piece of the Wall Street action.

Throw in assassins, betrayals and hot babes and the author has put together a very readable book.

If you like this book, consider reading Black Fridays
by Michael Sears

[SHEN · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. The premise-locating long-lost WWII Jewish funds is new to me.
2. I am kind of a tech guy so lots of jargons in this bood do not hamper my understanding.
3. The plot is not very exciting or susbensing.
4. The later half is more intriguing and has a faster pace. I would give a five star if the whole book is like that.