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The Day Trader
Augustus McKnight senses his dead-end life is about to change when he makes a shrewd online investment and earns an impressive windfall. But before he can tell his wife about his success, she reveals an adulterous affair and demands a divorce. A day later, she is found brutally murdered- leaving Augustus as the sole beneficiary of her million-dollar life insurance policy. To escape his anguish, Augustus plunges into the world of the full-time day trader-and discovers that he has become both a pawn in a complex game of manipulation . . . and the target of a twisted quest for revenge. Now, he's not only gambling with his fortune, but with his life.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
38 people are currently reading
615 people want to read
About the author
Stephen W. Frey
28 books280 followersFor 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 23, 2010
I would describe this book somewhat like a Chinese dinner. Immediately after reading it you are hungry again.
What makes books like these usually good is that they are reasonably believable. Alas the author in this instance missed the mark by a bit. He does a good job of explaining the life of a day trader but in the end the story falls short with some unbelievable twists and turns.
If you are looking for a mindless light read then you might have found the right book. If not I would recommend something else.
What makes books like these usually good is that they are reasonably believable. Alas the author in this instance missed the mark by a bit. He does a good job of explaining the life of a day trader but in the end the story falls short with some unbelievable twists and turns.
If you are looking for a mindless light read then you might have found the right book. If not I would recommend something else.
December 28, 2012
The Day Trader (Pub. 2002) is one of the best books I've read in the past six months--it definitely makes my top three. This is Stephen Frey's seventh novel, and from checking out his website he's written a total of nineteen published novels to-date. I really loved this story (my first read of this author's works)--for several reasons, and will be checking out his other books ASAP!
Day Trader is a combination finance thriller/who-done-it. I have to admit that it's been a while since I've read a finance thriller, so I think that was part of the juice for me - it was a nice change. It appears from his other titles that this genre is Frey's specialty, and he is in the finance industry himself (or was, back in the day). Frey does a fantastic job of inserting factoids related to stock market trades in an easy-to-absorb way, weaving them in amongst the real meat of the story in a quick in/out way. I felt like I learned quite a bit about the stock market while being greatly entertained, which is always the ultimate for me in any book I read (learning facts while being entertained).
The story moves at a perfect pace and will suck you in from page one, whether you enjoy Wall Street stuff or not. By page 20, the MC, Augustus McKnight, has been blackmailed by his boss for using company euqipment at his low-paying job to do day trades, and threatened with divorce by his wife of eleven years. It only gets better from there. I read this 347-pg (paperback) book in less than eight hours. I would have finished it sooner but I fell asleep, aarrggh.
The story is written in first-person, present tense, which often times can ruin a book for me, but the author does such a smooth job of it, I didn't even really think about how he was writing the story per se. Frey uses first-person to the best degree, deep POV, while somehow still giving us a good hard look at the other supporting characters. The author makes Augustus McKnight come to life in a very real way, but yet subtly, nothing feels forced or fake or overwrought. And yet, the story is so well thought-out, the details of the plot, the characterization, as well as those great factoids, are all woven together in an irresistable way. The prose is simple, yet spot-on. The who-done-it is not easy to figure because Frey gives us several possibilities for the culprit and on top of it, he manages to pull off a couple surprises we have no way of seeing coming toward the end of the book that really kick this story to the tenth power.
Clear you calendar when you pick this book up because you won't want to put it down!
Day Trader is a combination finance thriller/who-done-it. I have to admit that it's been a while since I've read a finance thriller, so I think that was part of the juice for me - it was a nice change. It appears from his other titles that this genre is Frey's specialty, and he is in the finance industry himself (or was, back in the day). Frey does a fantastic job of inserting factoids related to stock market trades in an easy-to-absorb way, weaving them in amongst the real meat of the story in a quick in/out way. I felt like I learned quite a bit about the stock market while being greatly entertained, which is always the ultimate for me in any book I read (learning facts while being entertained).
The story moves at a perfect pace and will suck you in from page one, whether you enjoy Wall Street stuff or not. By page 20, the MC, Augustus McKnight, has been blackmailed by his boss for using company euqipment at his low-paying job to do day trades, and threatened with divorce by his wife of eleven years. It only gets better from there. I read this 347-pg (paperback) book in less than eight hours. I would have finished it sooner but I fell asleep, aarrggh.
The story is written in first-person, present tense, which often times can ruin a book for me, but the author does such a smooth job of it, I didn't even really think about how he was writing the story per se. Frey uses first-person to the best degree, deep POV, while somehow still giving us a good hard look at the other supporting characters. The author makes Augustus McKnight come to life in a very real way, but yet subtly, nothing feels forced or fake or overwrought. And yet, the story is so well thought-out, the details of the plot, the characterization, as well as those great factoids, are all woven together in an irresistable way. The prose is simple, yet spot-on. The who-done-it is not easy to figure because Frey gives us several possibilities for the culprit and on top of it, he manages to pull off a couple surprises we have no way of seeing coming toward the end of the book that really kick this story to the tenth power.
Clear you calendar when you pick this book up because you won't want to put it down!
November 3, 2017
This was my first Stephen Fry book, and as a former Wall Street trader, I was really looking forward to it. Financial thrillers are hard to write and I was curious how he would handle it. Turns out, it plays a fairly small role in the book, which is essentially a murder mystery. I found the characters unique and interesting, the plot creative. However, as the book wore on it broke my suspension of disbelief a few times. Some of the plotting is a bit far-fetched, some characters too convenient, some coincidences too great. The book struggled to find it's identity, morphing from financial thriller, to murder mystery, to ... I don't know. It kinda nosedives into the finish. Yet, it is a page turner and at no time was it at risk of being unfinished. Absolutely held my attention throughout. I would read more Stephen Fry books.
March 3, 2024
Low five. I might as well call it a "popcorn five," as the enjoyment factor is much more relevant than the actual substance of the book. Because let's face it: the book leans on a lot of stereotypes in the industry, and specifically on the independently-minded day-trading industry (and apparently its substantial trading support industry: TIL you can rent out trading spaces as a day trader).
*Sigh* I can't deny the fun that I had reading the story, though. The initial hook of a new part of the trading industry that is presented, the cast of characters that, while annoying at a number of times, did give color to the setting, and the drip of information that led to the final outcome - all of them boosted my interest to six stars.
At its heart, Day Trader is not the most original story. Still, seeing a common trope in a different setting is quite interesting.
*Sigh* I can't deny the fun that I had reading the story, though. The initial hook of a new part of the trading industry that is presented, the cast of characters that, while annoying at a number of times, did give color to the setting, and the drip of information that led to the final outcome - all of them boosted my interest to six stars.
At its heart, Day Trader is not the most original story. Still, seeing a common trope in a different setting is quite interesting.
September 17, 2025
Good writing. Captivating throughout until the end. Too many twists and turns to be realistic.
December 24, 2016
This is one of the strangest books I've ever read. It starts out as a murder mystery where the husband has absolutely no interest in learning who killed his wife, and the police seem to uncharacteristically take no interest in the husband as a subject.
Then, in the midst of his grieving, the husband embarks on a new day trading career using the proceeds from his wife's life insurance policy, and the story takes a whole new direction. We learn about a bizarre cast of characters forced to work together in a small space. We also learn technical aspects of day trading, including investing software and strategies and definitions like "short," "long" and "put." So the reader thinks the book will be about day trading after all. Emotions run high with this group, and there's a hostage crisis and murder that contributes absolutely nothing to the story.
But then the author seems to finally decide that this is going to be a murder mystery after all, and he spins the most complicated, contrived and impossible-to-believe plot ever written. The main character is sprung from jail through the least suspenseful reveal ever, and the ending on the cliff is completely unbelievable.
The writing is full of problems, including bad dialogue and lapsing into the ever-annoying present tense. Worse, the author withholds from the reader critical information that the main character discovers and acts upon, which is a violation of the first-person narrative. Also, the things that the main character learns, once he decides to pursue his wife's killer after all, fall into his lap way too conveniently.
The main character exhibits no consistency at all. He is at time a grieving husband, a financial wizard, a maniacal brute, and a helpful person to strangers. His lifelong friend's lack of loyalty makes him impossible to believe, and his tie to the mob is too predictable.
The author brings in characters to provide one piece of critical information and then get killed off. The police officer and jailer are defined by their uncharacteristic great concern for the suspect. And the whole sex aspect of the wife is not presented in a way that is consistent with the character.
Then, in the midst of his grieving, the husband embarks on a new day trading career using the proceeds from his wife's life insurance policy, and the story takes a whole new direction. We learn about a bizarre cast of characters forced to work together in a small space. We also learn technical aspects of day trading, including investing software and strategies and definitions like "short," "long" and "put." So the reader thinks the book will be about day trading after all. Emotions run high with this group, and there's a hostage crisis and murder that contributes absolutely nothing to the story.
But then the author seems to finally decide that this is going to be a murder mystery after all, and he spins the most complicated, contrived and impossible-to-believe plot ever written. The main character is sprung from jail through the least suspenseful reveal ever, and the ending on the cliff is completely unbelievable.
The writing is full of problems, including bad dialogue and lapsing into the ever-annoying present tense. Worse, the author withholds from the reader critical information that the main character discovers and acts upon, which is a violation of the first-person narrative. Also, the things that the main character learns, once he decides to pursue his wife's killer after all, fall into his lap way too conveniently.
The main character exhibits no consistency at all. He is at time a grieving husband, a financial wizard, a maniacal brute, and a helpful person to strangers. His lifelong friend's lack of loyalty makes him impossible to believe, and his tie to the mob is too predictable.
The author brings in characters to provide one piece of critical information and then get killed off. The police officer and jailer are defined by their uncharacteristic great concern for the suspect. And the whole sex aspect of the wife is not presented in a way that is consistent with the character.
June 14, 2015
Ridiculous unnecessary twists.. i found myself rolling my eyes at the end of every chapter. How can someone so obviously clueless about the people in his life suddenly have superb powers of observation?
April 3, 2009
BORING
December 10, 2018
Our hero is just an ordinary slob with an unfulfilling job, a wife that's cheating on him, and a car that labels him a total failure. But he has just a little bit of money to bet on an IPO, and suddenly his life changes when he manages to win pretty big. The only bummer is that the poor guys's totally hot wife gets murdered, and these odd things (both good and bad) keep happening. Is our hero a murderer? Is he just lucky? Or is he being used as a patsy?
Frey uses 1st person narration here to conceal who's doing what to whom, and is good enough at this to give us some hints that, maybe, our hero is keeping a few secrets from the reader. The problem is there are plausibility holes throughout this fast moving narrative, and the hero alternates from being a total idiot, to shrewder than the cops. The day trading aspect of the plot is a bit smaller than you might expect, but an interesting time capsule into the way the world was around 2002, when we all felt advanced because there was internet and flip phones and Yahoo and e-mail.
Quite good for the beach. Don't overthink the plot, because most of that doesn't make much sense.
Frey uses 1st person narration here to conceal who's doing what to whom, and is good enough at this to give us some hints that, maybe, our hero is keeping a few secrets from the reader. The problem is there are plausibility holes throughout this fast moving narrative, and the hero alternates from being a total idiot, to shrewder than the cops. The day trading aspect of the plot is a bit smaller than you might expect, but an interesting time capsule into the way the world was around 2002, when we all felt advanced because there was internet and flip phones and Yahoo and e-mail.
Quite good for the beach. Don't overthink the plot, because most of that doesn't make much sense.
June 17, 2019
If you enjoy reading in the fast lane, love protagonists that make you wish you could throw the punches, bad guys that deserve what they get and then some, then Stephen Fry's The Day Trader is for you.
And although the pace doesn't lend to reflection, the story is anything but a Sunday drive through the country. Ins and outs, ups and downs, like day trading, the complex world of publicly traded corporate business is matched with a whole host of possible villains, multiple story lines, a complex labyrinth of narrow lanes & winding roads. Yet, in the end, you arrive at your destination, the conclusion, regardless of what stocks were picked, what was wagered, whether you won big or lost it all. Even the craftiest of readers will be surprised.
Take a risk and jump in the fast lane, The Day Trader will keep you guessing right up until the road runs out.
And although the pace doesn't lend to reflection, the story is anything but a Sunday drive through the country. Ins and outs, ups and downs, like day trading, the complex world of publicly traded corporate business is matched with a whole host of possible villains, multiple story lines, a complex labyrinth of narrow lanes & winding roads. Yet, in the end, you arrive at your destination, the conclusion, regardless of what stocks were picked, what was wagered, whether you won big or lost it all. Even the craftiest of readers will be surprised.
Take a risk and jump in the fast lane, The Day Trader will keep you guessing right up until the road runs out.
May 22, 2019
Very dated, the characters go to a firm and rent a station for $1,000/month to have access to Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, and then pay that firm $10/trade to make trades on their behalf. But a story about sitting in pajamas checking e-trade wouldn't be as interesting...
The wife dies in the first chapter, so the widower runs off to start day trading before the insurance check has cleared. Unlikable characters, boring story. 2.5 stars
The wife dies in the first chapter, so the widower runs off to start day trading before the insurance check has cleared. Unlikable characters, boring story. 2.5 stars
June 3, 2017
I found this book in a Free Reading Library in a mall. I didn't like it. I only made it up to page 24. The pace was fast but boring, the emotions the characters were feeling were difficult to relate to since it wasn't set up so well, and the things written down were just hard to believe. Maybe it's just the objective style of writing? I'm not sure exactly, but I just know I didn't like it.
January 4, 2025
While I can’t claim to understand day trading after reading this book, I can appreciate how someone could become addicted to the risk and possible reward. There were some unexpected twists throughout the novel and I’ve found another author whose work I enjoy!
May 4, 2017
Good story.
December 17, 2019
Fast paced, holds your interest.
October 11, 2020
Starts our as a slightly depressing financial thriller, but turns into a good mystery. Recommended
June 29, 2021
I️ am ashamed that I️ have this on my ‘read’ list however I️ am working towards an annual goal.
March 17, 2022
I lost the book and it wasn't good enough that I bought another copy. I did wish that I had been able to finish it, though.
July 18, 2023
I like the book because it makes the reader feel empathy for the main character and just hope all will end good. Its an easily read book. And as others stated a page turner.
August 2, 2024
This was about a 3.5 for me. It was a solid, fast-paced story with a decent mystery. I enjoyed learning some things about day trading and finance.
April 14, 2025
Stephen Frye's writing is as good as Mark Twain's investing. Twain went bankrupt. Frye wrote this cringey book. It's a lesson in sticking to what you know. It's a shame because complex psychology underlies the behavior of traders and markets. But Frye's characters are embarrassingly shallow and one-dimensional, and the story is predictable and riddled with clichés. It's pretty much what you'd expect if a stereotypical Wall Street guy tried to write a novel. The protagonist is a douchey alpha male prone to violence and sexism and utterly lacking self-awareness. He's not an unreliable narrator--it's clear this is Frye's idea of a likeable, relatable hero. You won't find any evocative imagery or rich metaphors in his language. The dialogue all sounds like one person. Investing time in this book is like investing in an overhyped penny stock. Dump it before it goes to zero.
January 18, 2024
The Day Trader, Stephen Frey (thriller, mystery)
Jeff Book Review #250
A 2000 attempt at a Grisham-style murder/theft mystery, "The Day Trader" is about a guy whose wife is cheating on him, divorcing him, and who has had a secret life he doesn't know about, and then she is murdered and he is a suspect. As this happens he quits his lame dayjob and takes a job as a stock day trader during the dot-com mess and gets mixed up with a number of goofy characters who might be connected to his wife's death.
The setup and environment and how all these things play out doesn't always make sense. It is an easy, light, quick read, but Day Trader really doesn't hold up as a strong police procedural or psychological thriller.
Verdict: More silly than thrilly. A lot of over-the-top movie-of-the-week tropes in here, and the sex stuff is just really lame and pathetic. To its credit, I will say Frey keeps some of the murder mystery surprises throughout and it is well-paced.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Jeff Book Review #250
A 2000 attempt at a Grisham-style murder/theft mystery, "The Day Trader" is about a guy whose wife is cheating on him, divorcing him, and who has had a secret life he doesn't know about, and then she is murdered and he is a suspect. As this happens he quits his lame dayjob and takes a job as a stock day trader during the dot-com mess and gets mixed up with a number of goofy characters who might be connected to his wife's death.
The setup and environment and how all these things play out doesn't always make sense. It is an easy, light, quick read, but Day Trader really doesn't hold up as a strong police procedural or psychological thriller.
Verdict: More silly than thrilly. A lot of over-the-top movie-of-the-week tropes in here, and the sex stuff is just really lame and pathetic. To its credit, I will say Frey keeps some of the murder mystery surprises throughout and it is well-paced.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
August 3, 2012
I have to say I like most of Stephen Frey's books. I enjoy the financial aspects of them and they are usually about Wall Stret. This one isn't. It more of a murder mystery. First of all, I must say I knew nothing about day trading and have no idea if that part of the book is realistic. However, I did find it fascinating with the research and the big win of it all. I thought the financials were easy to follow and explained well enough to continue with the story. I thought the book was hard to put down because I didn't see how it was all going to flow together. There are plenty of twists and turns. However, I found it weird that main character wouldn't think he would be a main suspect in his wife's murder. Another thing that bother me was that the main character was extremely stupid in his thoughts and actions. I guess he had to be in order to get the plot to work. I just thought this book was ok and not the great book it could have been. I would recommend it as a bargain book or a library selection.
April 30, 2014
that was a hell of a ride reading this book .. I am really glad to find out about this author stephen frey ... the style with which the book is written is literary the smoothest and the most enjoyable of the english novels I ve read before
the wallstreet trading environment gives u a fake impression that it wil be a hard book to understand but on the contrary it was very easy and even the small technical info about trading was vlearly and beautifully explained
I strongly recommend this book to any one who likes a good crime novel
I admired a lot the fact that he left no loose ends ..means that by the end of the book he had every side of the story covered knowing it was hard as he went in a very complecated areas and that indicates a well prepared writing
finally the story is so good that u will not be able to leave it until it is finished
the only disadvantage I see in the book is the killer's motive which wasnt quite convincing for me thats why I gave the book 4 not 5
the wallstreet trading environment gives u a fake impression that it wil be a hard book to understand but on the contrary it was very easy and even the small technical info about trading was vlearly and beautifully explained
I strongly recommend this book to any one who likes a good crime novel
I admired a lot the fact that he left no loose ends ..means that by the end of the book he had every side of the story covered knowing it was hard as he went in a very complecated areas and that indicates a well prepared writing
finally the story is so good that u will not be able to leave it until it is finished
the only disadvantage I see in the book is the killer's motive which wasnt quite convincing for me thats why I gave the book 4 not 5
November 15, 2016
I have read all his previous six books and scored each one 5*. This one is no different. Although this is another financial thriller, it doesn't involve the high finance backdrop of New York's Wall Street. The rest of the plot is typical Frey. A central character, Augustus, who ends up as prime suspect in a murder investigation, lots of other possible candidates, another great detailed explanation of how the financial system works of (Day Trading, of course) all mixed in with a great plot, well defined characters, simple language (no bid words that get you reaching for the dictionary) and steadily building suspense that has you gripped until the very end. Need I say more?
February 5, 2013
Augustus McKnight seems to be on the right track making a huge score trading an IPO online. Unfortunately he comes home and finds out his wife is having an affair and wants to leave him. The next day she ends up dead and he comes into a windfall as a result of her life insurance policy. He then decides to become a full time day trader. Dogged by a cop and a insurance investigator who are looking to see if he killed his wife he finds out some things he didn’t want to know about his wife while struggling to find out who is her killer. Pretty good book but a little short.
January 6, 2010
I didn't actually dislike this book; it kept me turning pages at a rapid pace - started it while doing the laundry around 9am and finished it (with a 3 hour interruption in the middle) around 5pm. And yet, I'm not really sure that it was very good, either.
The whole thing is written in present tense which made it read somewhat like a meadehall script, which was familiar, and yet somewhat unnerving in a novel. Also, I found the characters to be unplausable and coincidence way overused.
The whole thing is written in present tense which made it read somewhat like a meadehall script, which was familiar, and yet somewhat unnerving in a novel. Also, I found the characters to be unplausable and coincidence way overused.
March 27, 2010
I picked this book up at a thrift shop, liked the title and started it almost immediately. It takes place in Northern Virginia, which I am very familiar with. It is centered around day trading, who couldn't love that! It was a fast read, but I am not sure I like the author's style. There didn't seem to be enough explanation for things happening. It did have a good suspenseful ending. I will try another of his books at some point.
November 16, 2008
I read this immediately after reading Frey's "The Insider," and while I gave them both the same number of stars, "The Day Trader" is much better. It's less predictable and faster-paced.
Frey is a master of making you like his protagonist and wondering which supporting character is bad. Great story.
Frey is a master of making you like his protagonist and wondering which supporting character is bad. Great story.
August 10, 2008
This is a unrealistic story of a guy who, because his wife gets murdered, quits his job to become a day trader. He lies to the cops, hide things from the cops, takes matters into his own hands (to his own folly), yet he is never considered a suspect. Unbelieveable character traits leave the reader screaming "what the hell is going on". Decent story, but pretty far fetched.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews