Mortal Bonds

Jason Stafford #2

by Michael Sears

From the author of the extraordinary Edgar-nominated debut novel Black Fridays, a sensational story of murder and financial corruption—and one man’s continued search for redemption.

William von Becker ran one of the largest privately held investment banks in North America, until the bottom fell out, and the whole edifice was demonstrated to be a fraud.

After von Becker dies in prison, financial investigator Jason Stafford is hired by his family. There is still a lot of missing money out there, he’s told, and they want Stafford to find it before the Feds do—and certain other parties, some of whom are nowhere near as scrupulous in their methods. Bad things start happening to the people Stafford talks to. Soon bad things are happening to him as well.

Making it worse, his treacherous ex-wife has come to town, ostensibly to visit their young son. Stafford suspects there’s more to it than that, but even he has no idea how much that visit is about to change all their lives—and send him off to the next chapter of his life.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, New York

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2013

Reviews

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I love this financial crime thriller series! Jason Stafford is a terrific, complex character, too.

In this one, Jason is hired by a disgraced family of blue bloods. Their patriarch committed suicide in prison, sent away for perpetrating a Ponzi scheme in which he swindled billions of dollars. A thorough investigation by the feds found most of the money... except for a little more than $2B, which the schemer's heirs sure would like to find.

What I love about this series is that Jason is no squeaky-clean PI. He was sent away to prison for 3 years for doing a bit of creative accounting himself. The terms of his release ensures he can never work on Wall Street again, but for the right client (and fee), he uses his expertise and connections to help people for whom legal channels aren't an option. Plus he's funny, and a fantastic father to his severely autistic 6yo son.

I can't wait to read the next book, Long Way Down.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. After his introduction as a parolee in Black Friday, Jason Stafford has found a new career as a financial consultant, helping to ferret out criminal activity in the financial world. He is hired by the family of a dead patriarch, with a Ponzi scheme hedge fund (e.g., Bernie Madoff.) As in the first book, there are two parallel story lines. The government cannot find any money, but Jason is promised a lifetime annuity if he can find the money. He cleverly goes back over old ground, delving into new areas, and finds the money, making friends and enemies along the way. And his personal life remains very complicated. As in the first book, the body count is high, especially when you wrap in money laundering for drug lords.

[Kristin R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Stafford is back as an ex-con inside trader with an autistic son and a heart of gold. He is hired by the family of a man who was convicted of running a ponzi scheme, who has just died in prison.

I struggle to understand the finer nuances of the financial world Jason Stafford runs in, but I love the scenes involving his son. Sears captures the daily struggle of a parent of a special needs child; trying to balance your immense love with your utter frustration.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am totally captivated by the Jason Stafford financial thriller series. Book two may be even better than the first entry.

Stafford, a former BSD trader who spent time in prison for financial wrong-doing, is an interesting character on his own. But his posse of supporting characters is rich -- especially his six-year-old autistic son. Kid is the soul of the work.

But Michael Sears' plots and insight into financial evils is the key ingredient that makes this all work. And Stafford's clever solving of complex financial crimes makes for a great read.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling financial thriller. Jason Stafford, recently released from prison, is working as a freelance financial investigator. He is hired by the van Becker family to search for missing money - the head of the family's investment bank, William van Becker, had been exposed as a scammer and has died in prison. As Stafford searches for the money, he finds other parties are looking for it too, and his life is in danger.

This is a pacy and intelligent thriller. There are a few info dumps about bearer bonds and other financial instruments, but it would be hard to follow the plot without them, and at least they are clearly explained and integrated into the dialogue. The financial background is interesting and there are some clever twists.

There is a subplot based around Stafford's ex-wife and autistic son - I found this rather long winded and distracting at first, but once they are drawn into the action of the main plot, it became more satisfying.

3.5 stars but rounded up as it was a gripping read and a different perspective on a thriller.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read it in one sitting. It's a financial thriller. Great plot, one that I could follow even though I'm not a financial wiz. Many well-defined characters. Wonderful descriptions of settings/scenes so that I could visualize the people and the places. The author writes very well and with humor in all the right places. I really liked the interplay between Stafford and "the Kid", his autistic 6-year old son. The ex-wife was written perfectly.

Highly recommended!

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 2 in the Jason Stanford series and is about financial crime. Jason is on the search for a very large amount of money and bonds and many people want it when he finds it. He manages to not only make money for himself, keep his son safe, but gets the FBI on his side.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of moving parts in this book, but if you enjoy reading about financial finagling, you will enjoy this one! The main character is an ex con who is a financial genius and is willing to draw outside the lines. There is an interesting side story about his son who is on the autism spectrum.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Stafford is an ex-Wall Street trader, an ex-con and the father of an autistic 6 year old son who is a handful. This is the second book in the series, and in this outing Jason goes to work for an extremely wealthy family whose patriarch was jailed for a Ponzi scheme which lost people millions of dollars. There appears to be some unaccounted for money in the billions that the family wants Jason to find. There are many avenues for Jason to investigate, including to no surprise some unsavory characters. The investigation itself is interesting, but for me this series is all about the characters, Jason, his son, his father, friends, and FBI agent and his ex-wife and her family. These are interesting and engaging people. It is a group with whom I like to spend time. The story moves quickly and is an entertaining read.

[wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a smart, well written book that shows the Michael Sears is not suffering from a sophomore jinx after his Edgar Award finalist debut book Black Fridays. This book's plot centers the embezzlement and laundering of mulit millions in funds and the quest for their recovery. The protagonist, Jason Stafford is called on for that quest. What I like about the book is the balance between the time spent on Jason's private life and that spent on the monies recovery. His ex wife shows up inconveniently, he has an autistic child and a previous criminal record. His family is put at risk as he unravels the mystery. Call me petty but it drives me nuts that his son is only referred to as "the kid" by Jason and all the other characters.

[Jim A · Rating 2 out of 5]

If a reader is looking for a financial thriller, this is probably not the book for you. Very slow getting to the point of the novel. The author once again spends a lot of the book detailing the protagonist's dealings with his autistic son. Throw in his wackadoodle, gold digger, ex wife and there are just too many things going on to call it a thriller.

The financial portion of the novel is modeled after Bernie Madoff and his ponzi 'investment' scheme. Jason Stafford, ex trader, ex con, is hired by the family of the fraud perpetrator to find a missing $3 billion dollars. A good concept taken on its own. But the son/ex wife are just too much of a distraction. It took me forever to read this as it just wasn't compelling.

[Jane Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Sears' book is like eating a fine meal. You start with the appetizer that is just the building block to get your juices flowing for the next dish. The salad is a filler to calm the nerves before the main event. Now you sit in anticipation for the entree and when the waiter finally places it in front of you, there is no hesitation as you dig in and thoroughly enjoy each mouthful. You devour the food - torn between savoring every bite and not being able to eat fast enough. Finally, you come up for air but it's not quite over, there is the sweetness of dessert and the richness of coffee that completes the full meal.
You always walk away both satisfied and wanting more.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice tidy thriller/mystery and Sears does a good job explaining financial items, such as bearer bonds, so anyone can understand them but the pros wouldn't get bored. A quick read and everything tied up in a bow at the end. There was a couple times where things worked out much too easily but it kept the story going. I'd suggest Sears throw some red herrings in his next book to throw off the sleuths!

3.5 rounded down. I didn't read the first one but didn't have any problems following the characters. (Perhaps in the first one it explains how Jason married a model?) Cover fits the story.

[David V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received as an ARC via my employer Barnes & Noble. Started on 10-7-13. Finished on 10-12-13. Even though I know little about high finance, Mr Sears does a good job of explaining terms and procedures. A former Wall Streeter, crooked deals, prison time, an ex-wife, a girlfriend, an autistic son, and numerous friends in high and low places add up to an exciting adventure that moves much quicker than you'd expect. Jason Stafford is not a gun-toting mercenary, he just knows his stuff and he's clever. Never fires a shot or throws a punch, but he knows how to beat people at their own game.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books. The main character is pretty standard but his son, to whom he's devoted, is autistic and so beautifully written. The author makes the exwife out to be a villainous, unsympathetic creature. I'm sure women like her exist but she reads like a caricature. The story is over my head at times. I just don't care enough about the world of trading money to understand it completely but that doesn't hamper my enjoyment of the story. There's just enough action and just enough explanation that the story moves on very well.

[The Behrg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Sears is a stunning author. I loved his first book Black Fridays and the sequel is just as riveting. Though the life and death suspense never felt as intense as in the first book, I could follow these characters just about anywhere. Looking forward to book #3.

[Pat Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really like this series. The plot is complicated enough, the characters very well developed, the narrative blessedly non political, the dialogue snappy and good. And I learned a lot about bearer bonds as well. All in all, a very good read.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent addition to the Jason Stafford series!
I liked this book more than the first.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio -- I really do not understand traders and bankers. The inclusion of the autistic son did not enhance the story.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, this was a good action packed who-did-it. I like that it wasn't another police procedural but the guy is a reformed Wall Street crook. I will read more by this author.

[D Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish book - read 100 pages but story did not hold my interest at all.

[retronerd Steinkuehler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved the first book. This one was too much The Kid this, Angie That, and a convoluted plot. Hope #3 is better or I will stop the series....

[David Vitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in one of those "take one, leave one" mini book exchanges in a local park. It's a sequel to something called "Black Fridays" which I hadn't read first - perhaps that was what was lacking in this offering? Hopefully the main characters were laid out and developed better in Book 1, but I had trouble caring about what happened to most of the characters in this one. Also, the author uses far too much profanity for my taste. There was a pretty good twist near the end which I didn't see coming. Not very believable, but clever. One pleasant surprise was the inclusion of a 6 year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome. Based on how the author portrayed the child, I suspect he has some first-hand experience with children on the Autism Spectrum. As a parent of a child on the spectrum, I respected his handling of that topic; however, I'd prefer the father use a more respectful term for his child than, "The Kid." Overall, this falls short of a must-read.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW//suicide
Before this point, I wasn't familiar with Michael Sears' work at all, but after reading this book I see why I need to be. William von Becker was the leader of one of the the largest private investment banks in America, until he gets exposed as a con man. After he dies by suicide in prison, private investigator Jason Stafford is hired by the family to get to the bottom of what really happened and to recover some missing money. I loved the pacing of the novel and the mystery within it,as well as the relationship between Stafford and his son,as he is very understanding towards him. A very fast paced, heartfelt and surprising read!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one, 2nd in the trilogy first, because found it on Friends of the Library sale shelf. So good I got the other 2--and they sure were thrilling, too. Not only a twisty Wall Street thriller gone international, but also a treasure trove of perfect quotes. Sub-plot of small autistic son painful and consoling--but the intricacies of the bond world and of those who dive in to exploit it in dark ways is the meat of this one!

[Janet Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters in this mystery series. I must admit that the actual plots of financial white collar crimes goes over my head often. Lots of stock market references that are beyond my scope of knowledge and interest. This makes it tough to follow sometimes. But, like I said, I am drawn to the characters of Jason and his autistic son so I accept not understanding all of the financial details.

[Janice Llewellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book, and I really liked it. Enjoyed the plot lines, and the Father/Son relationship between Jason Stafford and The Kid. Very different from any of my previously read books. I enjoyed reading a different type of "action thriller". I haven't read his first novel, but will soon. And will look for his next.

[Sharon Sample · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining crime novel with interesting characters. I particularly liked how Sears handles the protagonist 6 year old son who is on the autism spectrum. The boy is an unusual character for a crime novel, but he adds a sense of humanity among the variety bad guys. Story moves quickly, and has a good sense of place. Audiobook.

[Scott Breslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another 3.5. Very good writing, raw and emotional. Different Wall Street type stuff from the first book, but still stuff I didn't understand that got skimmed, but mixed with enough action that it didn't bother me. I look forward to picking up the rest of the series.

[Alex Carbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of a sophomore slump here for Michael Sears but I nonetheless enjoyed that sequal to Black Fridays. I hope the third installement doesn't follow the same pre cut mold he seems to be following but I will surely give it a try.