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Meltdown
A sophisticated and electrifying debut thriller writer breaks cover!
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First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 1, 2019
Camus meets Chandler with a touch of Hitchcock!
The narrative offers insights into the complex workings of the world's financial systems.
True enough, the subject matter may be daunting to some. Furthermore, those without some prior knowledge or interest in the topics forming the background to the novel may endeavour with the opening chapters to fully appreciate and indulge into its themes & panache. That said, those who do persist with Meltdown are rewarded with a well thought out plot and a story which essentially remains interesting and thought provoking from beginning to end.
The decade plus which it took Baker to research and write the book has made him a true master of his own subject matter. He can therefore be forgiven for the complexities and difficulties which may arise for the average reader. A fluid writing style and interesting story offers compensation for this. The ease with which the narrative flows belies the fact that this is the author's first novel.
He is adept too at depicting the conditions of contemporary life with which his novel deals. 'Billions of dollars moving around the world invisibly' is a nod to the vastness of today’s technological possibilities whereby money is less a physical entity and edging further towards the abstract. 'That undefinable entity called the market' hints at the helplessness of the common man or woman in trying to understand how monetary systems work in a world where power is concentrated more and more into the hands of those with the ability to confuse others. 'Truth is what can be confidently asserted and plausibly maintained' also makes reference to this.
It is apparent to see Baker’s influences. The existentialist, Albert Camus, is name checked several times - a passage from Exile and Kingdom is quoted as Meltdown draws to a close - while Samuel Spendlove's on-the-run status conjures images of Hitchcock's North by Northwest (or, indeed, a host of other films by the master of suspense). The work, for its murder mystery leanings, could even draw comparisons with that of the 'hard-boiled' novelist Raymond Chandler. Additionally, the one-man-against-the-world theme whereby the protagonist comes to feel guilt for something he hasn't done but is nevertheless accused of, coupled with use of phrases such as 'old urban pantomime' means thoughts of Kafka are never far away.
The narrative offers insights into the complex workings of the world's financial systems.
True enough, the subject matter may be daunting to some. Furthermore, those without some prior knowledge or interest in the topics forming the background to the novel may endeavour with the opening chapters to fully appreciate and indulge into its themes & panache. That said, those who do persist with Meltdown are rewarded with a well thought out plot and a story which essentially remains interesting and thought provoking from beginning to end.
The decade plus which it took Baker to research and write the book has made him a true master of his own subject matter. He can therefore be forgiven for the complexities and difficulties which may arise for the average reader. A fluid writing style and interesting story offers compensation for this. The ease with which the narrative flows belies the fact that this is the author's first novel.
He is adept too at depicting the conditions of contemporary life with which his novel deals. 'Billions of dollars moving around the world invisibly' is a nod to the vastness of today’s technological possibilities whereby money is less a physical entity and edging further towards the abstract. 'That undefinable entity called the market' hints at the helplessness of the common man or woman in trying to understand how monetary systems work in a world where power is concentrated more and more into the hands of those with the ability to confuse others. 'Truth is what can be confidently asserted and plausibly maintained' also makes reference to this.
It is apparent to see Baker’s influences. The existentialist, Albert Camus, is name checked several times - a passage from Exile and Kingdom is quoted as Meltdown draws to a close - while Samuel Spendlove's on-the-run status conjures images of Hitchcock's North by Northwest (or, indeed, a host of other films by the master of suspense). The work, for its murder mystery leanings, could even draw comparisons with that of the 'hard-boiled' novelist Raymond Chandler. Additionally, the one-man-against-the-world theme whereby the protagonist comes to feel guilt for something he hasn't done but is nevertheless accused of, coupled with use of phrases such as 'old urban pantomime' means thoughts of Kafka are never far away.
January 16, 2009
One of the few financial thrillers that really works.
September 23, 2012
Love financial thrillers.
February 12, 2026
I really struggled through this book, in fact I nearly gave up. While billed as a thriller, there are very few thrills. The plot is interesting but the author spent far too much time on the financial markets trading and intrigue and not enough on the murder and crime aspects. There is also very poor character development, we have sudden trust and intimacy with no buildup, the police are like cartoon villians, the traders crazy and God like. There is really no-one to like or care about. I am largely giving it a 2 to reward the authors effort (a decade of writing and research and 13 versions!) but it is really a 1 for me.
December 8, 2022
This was a very long book which I had to keep forcing myself to read. It did have some really good moments but also some long dreary moments and I struggled with the whole market traders language and how it all works. When action was happening, this was interesting but all the in between moments ruined it for me
September 22, 2024
Slow at the start, entertaining in the middle, drawn out ending.
Read
June 12, 2020I like to think that I will give any book in any genre a fair chance and thrillers are a style of book I particularly enjoy. The story should be compelling but not too technical, the main character likeable - or at least worth respecting - yet realistically flawed. It should have some excitement and intrigue but stay - mostly - within the realms of the real world.
I felt Meltdown did not live up to these expectations, which was disappointing as it started promisingly. The blurb seemed to suggest a good thriller was to be found within the cover. However, the old adage `do not judge a book...' rings true here.
The first criticism that arose was the technical nature of Martin Baker's writing. I found it difficult to understand some of the scenarios and transactions that were being written about. I set this criticism to one side initially, however, feeling that a book of under 400 pages can only offer limited explanations and perhaps it was also intended to add an extra level of mystery to the book. By the end, I found the increasing use of jargon and technical phrasing frustrating and somewhat tedious. This applied to both the style of writing and the storyline itself. The book seemed to be one violent, sexual, unusual or just plain random occurrence after another.
Secondly, I found some of the scenarios in the book highly implausible. Highly intimate or personal interactions between characters that had previously had little contact occurred more than once. I didn't feel Martin Baker developed enough rapport between any of the characters to justify the subsequent intimacies or sharing of information. I hate to say that by the end of the book I was rolling my eyes at some of the things coming to light or taking place.
Finally, the main character. A gifted academic, who turns out to have an incredible talent at playing the stock market. However, by the end of the book I still couldn't decide whether or not I liked this character - nor, for that matter - any of the others. The character development is extremely limited and there does not seem anything remarkable about Samuel Spendlove at all. Half an hour after putting the book down, I was hard pushed to remember his name, let alone anything else about him.
I am happy to give any book a fair chance even one with a bad review but I can say that having persevered with this until the end, nothing would induce me to give it a higher recommendation or read it again.
I felt Meltdown did not live up to these expectations, which was disappointing as it started promisingly. The blurb seemed to suggest a good thriller was to be found within the cover. However, the old adage `do not judge a book...' rings true here.
The first criticism that arose was the technical nature of Martin Baker's writing. I found it difficult to understand some of the scenarios and transactions that were being written about. I set this criticism to one side initially, however, feeling that a book of under 400 pages can only offer limited explanations and perhaps it was also intended to add an extra level of mystery to the book. By the end, I found the increasing use of jargon and technical phrasing frustrating and somewhat tedious. This applied to both the style of writing and the storyline itself. The book seemed to be one violent, sexual, unusual or just plain random occurrence after another.
Secondly, I found some of the scenarios in the book highly implausible. Highly intimate or personal interactions between characters that had previously had little contact occurred more than once. I didn't feel Martin Baker developed enough rapport between any of the characters to justify the subsequent intimacies or sharing of information. I hate to say that by the end of the book I was rolling my eyes at some of the things coming to light or taking place.
Finally, the main character. A gifted academic, who turns out to have an incredible talent at playing the stock market. However, by the end of the book I still couldn't decide whether or not I liked this character - nor, for that matter - any of the others. The character development is extremely limited and there does not seem anything remarkable about Samuel Spendlove at all. Half an hour after putting the book down, I was hard pushed to remember his name, let alone anything else about him.
I am happy to give any book a fair chance even one with a bad review but I can say that having persevered with this until the end, nothing would induce me to give it a higher recommendation or read it again.
November 29, 2008
Can't say I was too impressed, but then to be honest, didn't really expect to be. The finance bits didn't stack up technically and was unbelievable. The crime bits were not intriguing or clever enough. Erotic bits were added in for the hell of it... the book just tried to do it all, without doing any one thing properly. The basic framework of the story was interesting enough, but the content around it was too fantastical. Explanations and descriptions were just not sufficient.
I didn't really fully grasp a number of things...however, in defence of the author, it might just have been because I wasn't concentrating too hard for boredom. Hanging thoughts...
1. How does Khan actually manage to manipulate the market? The technicalities behind it were not really explained in a believable way.
2. Samuel gets out of tricky situations too easily! There was no suspense, he seemed to be able to just dodge his way out of situations with his omnipresent sidekick.
3. The "climax" was such an anti-climax...the final scene with Khan and the stray bullet was laughable...
4. What was the relevance of the S&M scene?!
I didn't really fully grasp a number of things...however, in defence of the author, it might just have been because I wasn't concentrating too hard for boredom. Hanging thoughts...
1. How does Khan actually manage to manipulate the market? The technicalities behind it were not really explained in a believable way.
2. Samuel gets out of tricky situations too easily! There was no suspense, he seemed to be able to just dodge his way out of situations with his omnipresent sidekick.
3. The "climax" was such an anti-climax...the final scene with Khan and the stray bullet was laughable...
4. What was the relevance of the S&M scene?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2009
Not a bad book but not one that would keep you up all nite just so that you can read the next chapter.
Basic plot is beliveable and enjoyable although when delved into, various issues arise for realism. The characters didnt particularly appeal and i think the writer relied on the readers imagination to fill in blanks, without doing much to fan the readers creativity.
Almost felt like a first draft that the publisher should have sent back to him with the words, "Like the plot, but needs more character definition, and fill in those plot holes - then we'll talk!"
Basic plot is beliveable and enjoyable although when delved into, various issues arise for realism. The characters didnt particularly appeal and i think the writer relied on the readers imagination to fill in blanks, without doing much to fan the readers creativity.
Almost felt like a first draft that the publisher should have sent back to him with the words, "Like the plot, but needs more character definition, and fill in those plot holes - then we'll talk!"
April 18, 2013
This book wasn't too bad, but it could have been a lot better.
There were little things such as the main characters surname 'Samuel Spendlove' which I found corny. Perhaps it's a more common name in Britain or Europe however this reader, an Australian, has never heard of such a surname and it became rather annoying to read again and again.
Then there were larger things like the extremely unlikely conspiracy.
Overall it's not the sort of book that will keep you up all night because you have to finish it yet there is enough there for it to be entertaining.
There were little things such as the main characters surname 'Samuel Spendlove' which I found corny. Perhaps it's a more common name in Britain or Europe however this reader, an Australian, has never heard of such a surname and it became rather annoying to read again and again.
Then there were larger things like the extremely unlikely conspiracy.
Overall it's not the sort of book that will keep you up all night because you have to finish it yet there is enough there for it to be entertaining.
June 11, 2017
Just finished it. I had to practically forced myself through it. It was slow and boring mostly but for someone who understands markets and economy, it might be interesting. The real thrill begins in the middle of the book and I liked the realistic approach of the story. The powerful will be powerful no matter what.
December 22, 2008
Could have been a good book, but really stretched the bounds of credibility in every area it went to. Slid pretty quickly into melodrama, so if that's your thing, you'll probably like it. Not as many plot holes as the Da Vinci Code, but similarly unbelievable.
Read
July 28, 2008A pretty good try for a first novel.
March 2, 2009
Struggled throughout to keep interested in the plot....kept going just in case it improved....the title is the 'lively' part of the book
February 12, 2023
read, gave-up-on
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews