Trust Fund: A Novel

by Stephen W. Frey, István Janáky (Translator)

A deathbed reconciliation with his estranged father brings Bo Hancock home to make amends for the wild ways that turned him into a political liability. Once the black sheep of Connecticut's most influential clan, Bo is now back at the helm of Warfield Capital, the multibillion dollar investment firm at the heart of his family dynasty. But his return sparks a rapid-fire chain of events that could destroy the family and its vast fortune.

First, Warfield is left vulnerable to every Wall Street shark out to make a killing. Then a sudden rash of real killings forces Bo to confront the specter of a sinister conspiracy—and brings him face-to-face with one shocking truth after another, shattering the world and the family he thought he knew, leaving him utterly alone and running for his life. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Finance, Ebooks, Suspense

358 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

For the last 15 years I’ve been lucky enough to be a novelist. Until recently the books were set in the worlds of Wall Street and Washington. In addition to writing, I’ve also had a career in finance with specialties including merger & acquisition advisory and private equity at firms like J.P. Morgan in New York City and Winston Partners just outside D.C. in northern Virginia.

So, it seemed natural to write about those two worlds and, fortunately, the publishing industry agreed. My first book was published in 1995, The Takeover; about a secret group of men who were trying to destroy the U.S. monetary system by engineering a massive corporate takeover. I have followed The Takeover with 13 more novels all set in high-level finance and national politics.

Recently, I decided to alter the theme. The novels will still have a financial focus, but Wall Street won’t be the backdrop. We’ll get out into the world more. And there will be a man versus nature element for the hero in every novel. Hell’s Gate, available August 2009, is set in Montana and involves forest fires and why many of them start.

I live in southwest Florida with my wife, Diana, and we have since 2004 after moving down here from northern Virginia. Given the new direction of my books, it seems like a hurricane ought to make an appearance in a novel sometime soon.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turning easy read

[Anne Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally finish books but I couldn’t do it with this one. After 100 pages I had to out it down.

[Nan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book veered from the others I've read by Frey as it was centered on a family, rather than on a financial institution. There are dire warnings in this book, written 12 years ago, which are coming to fruition (or maybe have already come to fruition) in our world. It's a good accompaniment to "The Circle" which is new and which I just read.

My main complaint about this plot is that too many characters were killed off. You really needed a program to keep up with who was killing and who was being killed... or not killed ... and why not? Whew!

In spite of the negatives, it was a good and enjoyable read as well as a frightening harbinger of the emergence of Big Brother (from 1984).

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not painful. The pages keep turning. But ho hum…

This book has some promise in the beginning. I thought I was going to learn something new. But, alas, this author was only interested in writing action (yawn). I don't know if he bothered to research the interesting intricacies of finance and technology or just decided the reader wasn't interested. Wrong guess. Why can't we get some Tom Clancyish detail about finance here? Now that'd be fun.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Fry's finance books are awesome. And this one proves no different. To what lengths will a brother go to for getting his entire share of the inheritance? This thriller lays that out with a usual twist. While outlining a fund manager's job, the tensions in family business are also detailed here

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply awesome! To hold the reader's interest a book should be "unputdownable" always making the reader curious to know what happens next. This book serves the purpose. The plot is superbly drawn and the action is fast paced. Since I have a financial background, I enjoyed this book immensely. Waiting to get hold of other books by Stephen Frey.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little hard for me to get into but once I did it was ok. I wasn't to impressed with the ending.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

just a dumb, fast read... Sometimes you need one.

[Roseofpat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book - sometimes the good guys win and do the right thing for the right reason.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, quick beach read. The red herrings had me going to the very end. The high stakes field of finance was very well done.

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If my only consideration is if I liked the book, I would have given this five stars. The plot was meaty enough, typical of a thriller; the financial aspects were juicy (some sections could even be used as learning material). I loved every second of reading it.

Unfortunately, the book suffers the same fate as the typical thriller. In fact it does more than that: it reads like your average telenovela. The MC was what?? And the sister?? And two of the siblings did what with the same guy?? And of course we get the inevitable chase scene, complete with the quite capable MC. Near the end I kept rolling my eyes at the obvious structure and the clear-as-day character traits (while enjoying the read, mind).

Still, if you can get this for cheap, I'd recommend the book. I have several more Frey novels in my unread stack, which should be fun.

[Armaan Garg · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read about this book, I thought that I might not be able to understand it because of the financial complications involved in the story and I didn't. But the fact is that the author has so crafted the story that for the ignorant people like me can still understand the story and enjoy every moment of it. The plot has been so beautifully planned that one keeps on reading and speeds up as the storyline hastens. Moreover, the author has presented an end that teaches you that things going back to normal is not the only way to have a happy ending, sometimes there's more to it than money.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this author and I am now looking forward to reading other books by him. This is family saga with a black sheep, children who are priviliged, back stabbers, and sometimes it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Fast paced read which I really enjoyed. I loved the ending!!

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a "fun" read - especially while sitting by and floating in the pool. But it was published in 2001 (which is why I wasn't worried about getting it wet), and technology has advanced a lot since then. Still, the intrigue and duplicity were believable, as sad as that may be.

Author Frey is an enjoyable and imaginative writer; I'll look for more of his books while passing this one along.

[Levi Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In true Stephen Frey fashion, you are sweet up into the world of Wall Street. What I really liked about this book is the main character was more vulnerable and human. Typically, Frey makes his main characters perfect. No Hancock was not perfect. He was an alcoholic and the black sheep of a family. I appreciated the change in perspective.

[Carlos Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

I liked the book. It is a great page turner. The only drawback is that it is a little over the top, I know it's fiction, but still too much. The good thing is, it keeps you interested during the hole book. I couldn't stop reading.

[Shane Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatest book I have read. Stephen Frey is now my all time favorite author. This is up my alley considering I was never a big reader at all growing up. I could not put this book down. Am looking forward to the next read.

[shashank bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book.
Definitely a page turner.Action packed til the end.
One time read .Could have been more better if the characters were more deep.
It is worth a read and very entertaining.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good!

[Mark Pierson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable thriller wrapped around the finance world. Got a bit lost towards the end with the wrapping up but overall I enjoyed it.

[Johnnie Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, and the author is on of my favorites. He has written a couple of books I didn’t care for, but this isn’t one of them.

[Lynne Block · Rating 3 out of 5]

O.K. read/storyline stretch, but readable

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trust fund children of Warwick Capital duke it out in a made-for-TV drama.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thriller.......

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corporate shenanigans at the highest level.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was a book that I truly enjoyed. Two thumbs-up and a "Highly Recommended" label. Thank you!

[Wanda Gibbons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story until you realize that the main character must never sleep or eat. He just runs all day and all night too for days on end. That part was just a little unbelievable. Review is just from the back of the book.

A deathbed reconciliation with his estranged father brings Bo Hancock home to make amends for the wild ways that turned him into a political liability. Once the black sheep of Connecticut?s most influential clan, Bo is now back at the helm of Warfield Capital, the multibillion dollar investment firm at the heart of his family dynasty. But his return sparks a rapid-fire chain of events that could destroy the family and its vast fortune.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Frey is one of my favourite authors. There is never a wasted word, no padding, no over-the-top descriptions, just a good past paced plot. Yes, it is sometimes hard to believe that seemingly an ordinary person or persons can become a ruthless killer, but this is fiction. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction anyway. He has added political intrigue to his normal financial thriller and a lot of infighting between a rich American family. If you like this type of genre, this is a must.

[Greer Andjanetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better than average mystery involving a wealthy family, managers of a large hedge fund and some shady US senators and their super electronic spy/surveillance programme. It all works out in the end but the story is quite readable (typical of this author) and the mysterious events made clear eventually.