Basic Economics

by Grace Ferguson

She made an error. Next comes the cost.

Fiona Manning, a product manager at Hire-Pay Solutions, is tasked with a game-changing project that could drive the company's next phase of growth. Instead of handling the work herself, she illegally outsources it to product designer Stanley Moore. Poverty-stricken, he blackmails her, vowing to reveal their illegal partnership if she fails to pay him five hundred thousand dollars.

Potentially facing thirty years in prison, Fiona surrenders.

To protect her failing marriage, she hides the blackmail from her husband, prominent investment banker Peter Manning. But when the demand escalates to one and a half million, Fiona encounters a crisis that threatens not only her freedom but also Hire-Pay's financial stability.

Can she take down Stanley Moore? Would Peter even help?

Basic Economics is a high-stakes thriller exploring power, leverage, risk, and consequence.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2025

About the author

Grace Ferguson is a fiction writer with short stories in Foliate Oak Literary Journal and The Lamp-Post of the Southern California C.S. Lewis Society. An educational nonfiction writer as well, she has been published by SAGE Publications and Salem Press. Grace's most recent works of fiction include the crime thriller Basic Economics and the contemporary fiction Splendor on Ice.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy from Goodreads.
I found the characters were all very flat and there was not a single redeeming characteristic amongst them.
There were some very odd phrases in the book, " he unfolds from the sectional, towards to the bedroom closet..." and " the most critical day for Virgil headway as 10 a.m. presides".
The plot was too straight, I needed some work and found the perfect thing online, I need someone killed and know a guy. Plus the main plot did not make sense, contracted work to be done, did the work, was paid, then blackmailed and threatened to sue company for millions even though contract was fulfilled. Person may have been fired but not sent to jail.
The ending of the book was just nonsensical.

[Cindy Presson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and was requested to provide a review. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it past Chapter 7 before giving up on it. The writing is choppy and quite frankly boring, as are the characters. The story line has promise, but is underdeveloped like the characters. The “problem” presented itself so early on that I’m not sure how it can be sustained. The editing is sloppy as well, at least in the Kindle version.

My apologies, Ms. Ferguson, and best of luck in the future, but this was a complete flop for me and I find it hard to believe it received such good reviews.

[Quinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many crime fiction books and Basic Economics is one of the better ones.

Great concept, tightly executed. A diverse cast of characters with multifaceted personalities. Readers have to look beneath the surface to see it. These people do very bad things but that's the point.

Deducted one star for the character Kenny. He started out gripping then became insufferable.

Applause for the thought-provoking ending.

[Pnauk Avut · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read. It's a deep gritty story about human choices and consequences. The author has a unique writing style and did a brilliant job introducing the different economics themes into the book. The characters as well are highly complex ( two and three dimensional). There are also a number of plot twists which I didn't see coming. The ending left me speechless. All in all, this is hard crime done well.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short book. It has a lot of twists and turns and started turning into the under ground scene of criminals which I did not expect. Not something I’d usually read either. Do I recommend? Sure, there’s a point to learn about the drug scene and how deep trust will go for family and “friends”.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting stories I've ever read. Heaps of twists and turns. Even God makes an appearance. The writing is strong, but it's the characters that got me the most...intense people paying steep prices for their actions.