Planted

by David P. Dart

In banking, the deadliest rival is the one who signs the paycheck.

Alasdair Stewart built Cambria Financial's New York branch into a global success story. Profitable, independent, and admired, he seemed destined for the group's top job. But his rise made him dangerous, not to rivals across Wall Street, but to his own boss in Swansea.

Amid the fallout of the financial crisis, Dr. Cadwgan Rhun takes over as group CEO. He has no intention of letting Alasdair claim the crown. Piece by piece, he dismantles forged documents, manipulated systems, and betrayal disguised as loyalty. By the time Alasdair sees the trap, it's too late.

Drawn into the conspiracy is David Wallace, Cambria's new chief technology officer. Hired to modernize systems, David discovers he has walked into a war where every line of code, every alliance, and every choice carries consequences. Standing with Alasdair could cost him everything-but staying silent could make him complicit in a crime that will never be spoken of.

Set against the looming 2008 financial crisis, Planted is a taut financial thriller about ambition, sabotage, and the brutal cost of power. In a world where success paints a target on your back, loyalty can be the deadliest risk of all.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

David P. Dart is a retired senior banking and technology executive whose career spanned more than three decades at the heart of global finance. After leading major digital transformations and navigating boardrooms where billions were on the line, he stepped away from corporate life to pursue a lifelong passion for storytelling. His debut novel, Planted, is a corporate-finance thriller inspired by his real-world experiences — a gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, power, and the blurred lines between right and wrong. More recently he has released his second novel, "Skim" this is based in Atlanta within the emerging Fintech industry.
For David, writing is more than a creative outlet — it’s a way to explore the human stories behind the headlines and examine the ethical dilemmas that shape the modern financial world. Originally from the UK and now based in Florida, he spends his time writing, traveling with his wife, and tackling new projects that keep both mind and body active.
Planted and Skim are the first in a series of thought-provoking thrillers that draw on the realities of high-stakes finance and the moral choices that define us. He is currently working on a political thriller "misconception". This explores the fragile nature of the "American dream" through the eyes of an irish immigrant.

Reviews

[George Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dart’s Planted is a masterclass in financial thriller storytelling. From the first page, the stakes are high: ambition, betrayal, and corporate machinations collide with precision and tension. Alasdair Stewart’s meteoric rise at Cambria Financial is gripping, but the real tension comes from the quiet, insidious sabotage by Dr. Cadwgan Rhun a reminder that in high finance, loyalty can be deadly.

The narrative is crisp, fast-paced, and intricate, with David Wallace’s perspective grounding the technical corporate details in human stakes. The 2008 financial crisis backdrop adds realism, and the layered plotting ensures every decision feels consequential. This is a taut, smart thriller for anyone fascinated by power, loyalty, and the hidden wars behind corporate success.

[Carolyn Simi]

Planted is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, throughout. Dart exposes the underbelly of corporate corruption that runs more rampantly than any of us would like to believe. As the reader, we watch the people who are just trying to do their jobs, get caught up in the mire of intrigue emanating from the highest levels of the bank. It's definitely a good read!

[Rob Woodford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Planted is a razor-sharp thriller that grips from the first chapter and refuses to let go until its explosive final twist. This novel blends atmospheric noir with a tightly plotted investigation that keeps the reader second-guessing every character’s motives.
I congratulate the author on his debut, because this novel lingered long after I closed the cover and put it back in my travel bag.
A gripping, intelligent, and beautifully paced thriller — don’t miss this one.

[Evelyn Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Planted by David P. Dart is a razor-sharp, high-stakes financial thriller that exposes the dark undercurrents of ambition, loyalty, and betrayal at the heart of global finance.

Set amid the tremors of the 2008 financial crisis, Dart crafts a world where power is currency and integrity is a liability. Alasdair Stewart, the visionary leader behind Cambria Financial’s success, finds himself ensnared in a corporate conspiracy that blurs the line between strategy and sabotage. As his empire unravels from within, David Wallace, the new CTO, steps into a battlefield disguised as a boardroom where every decision could mean redemption or ruin.

Dart’s prose is precise, intelligent, and cinematic, revealing the cold elegance of financial warfare with a novelist’s flair for psychological tension. What elevates Planted beyond a standard thriller is its moral gravity a haunting look at the personal costs of ambition and the ethical voids exposed when systems collapse.

For readers of John le Carré, Michael Lewis, and Christopher Reich, Planted delivers both intellectual depth and narrative momentum a timely reminder that in the world of finance, the greatest danger isn’t losing money, but losing one’s soul.