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The OSSI Model - The Gannon Transcripts
The 1983 Unification Agreement for Banking Reconciliation and Security (UARS) has been signed. Now, seven families will fight for control of the new data driven financial infrastructure. For the first time ever, live the untold story behind the people whose job it is to move money, weapons and gold through the international markets.
How will they build and secure a system that not only thrives amongst FATF and CFATF recommendations, but also prospers in today's globally regulated banking environment? In this vivid tale of money laundering and South Asia outsourcing, you'll get a moment in time glimpse into the influential families and banking empires that keep money, weapons and power flowing between sovereign nations and the black markets they serve.
During the mid-1980's, proceeds from the Latin American drug trade and Soviet-Afghan war flowed into these banks at a rate of over six hundred million dollars per month and with little global regulation, the families grew in wealth and political power, quickly adding billions in cash and real estate to their already vast portfolios.
By the late 1980's, these families were faced with a digital landscape that would change everything. The data revolution was taking hold and the old ways would no longer keep them in power or safe.
This work has been published from a recorded audio book narrative as told by K. Stern. The Kindle e-book follows the original script format.
How will they build and secure a system that not only thrives amongst FATF and CFATF recommendations, but also prospers in today's globally regulated banking environment? In this vivid tale of money laundering and South Asia outsourcing, you'll get a moment in time glimpse into the influential families and banking empires that keep money, weapons and power flowing between sovereign nations and the black markets they serve.
During the mid-1980's, proceeds from the Latin American drug trade and Soviet-Afghan war flowed into these banks at a rate of over six hundred million dollars per month and with little global regulation, the families grew in wealth and political power, quickly adding billions in cash and real estate to their already vast portfolios.
By the late 1980's, these families were faced with a digital landscape that would change everything. The data revolution was taking hold and the old ways would no longer keep them in power or safe.
This work has been published from a recorded audio book narrative as told by K. Stern. The Kindle e-book follows the original script format.
2307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Kent Stern
8 books6 followersAs Director and Lead Data Mining Security Architect for CodeCenters International, you will find him resolving infrastructure security issues between long haul flights and teaching information intelligence to the next generation of data architects. For the last 30 years, his work has focused on data architecture, pre and post incident/attack reconciliation and AML auditing. In the classroom, he’s known for his creative teaching methods for analyzing everything from high volume enterprise packet flows to insider threats. He randomly quotes “one-liners” from dubious sources and refers back to his calculations and mining models as a basis for all things to be reconciled and true. He has worked in niche areas ranging from anti-money laundering to ship tracking and lectures on advanced analysis methods for the same. In keeping with his background, his writing follows the ever-changing technology world and the lives of the diverse people who work in the field of data analysis and enterprise reconciliation.
“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion”
Kent Stern
The OSSI Model: The Gannon Transcripts
“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion”
Kent Stern
The OSSI Model: The Gannon Transcripts
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 22, 2016
It was an excellent read. It was fast, direct and had me questioning everything until the very end. After finishing, I realized that everything from the first chapter to the last sentence is important to the plot and the hidden puzzle. The storyline constantly builds momentum as the cast continues to grow and we get to know Kali, Shivani, Peter and the rest. Personally, I liked Shivani the best, but I’m a guy so that would be expected. As the advert says, it’s great for anyone in banking, IT or law enforcement. If you are looking for a love story, yes, it even has a love story. After we badgered the author for a whole week, he agreed to give us the opportunity to read it before the release. The one condition was that we try to solve the mystery within (he said encrypted puzzle). Once you know that there is a mystery hidden between the lines, the book takes on a new and more technical appeal. As I was reading, I found myself constantly searching the internet and going back into past chapters looking for more clues. The story itself was very engaging and is as realistic as it gets. I’m wondering as one of the other reviewers mentioned, it’s listed as fiction, but knowing what the author does for a living, how much of it is autobiographical?
The OSSI Model - The Gannon Transcripts
The OSSI Model - The Gannon Transcripts
April 27, 2016
It's a script, so the more you read, the faster you go, the faster you go, the harder it is to put down. There’s so much going on. Now that I have finished, I think the author has either hidden one of his training manuals or his memoirs between the lines. I don’t believe I am one to understand how to unravel what is hidden, but it was three weeks of reading pleasure. I do recommend it, very enjoyable.
June 11, 2016
Totally opposite from what I was expecting – In a very good way!
When I heard he was releasing another book, I immediately called and asked for an early copy in return for a review. He did warn me “There are no puffy clouds and elaborate descriptions that set the scene. It’s what’s happening and what happened. Google what you don’t know” Aptly forewarned, I dove in with my eyes open, still expecting a long technical drama. As I swiped passed the tenth page (Kindle) I immediately found that I was knee deep into a scene that had nothing to do with money, banking or computers. Moreover, I was getting in deeper with each press of my eBook. I will give you what I think is the good and bad:
First, his work is completely different from other books I have read on Kindle. I say that for both content and format. First the format: It is written as a script and formatted for the Kindle reader. As a script, he has given us only two types of paragraphs: Action and dialog. There is very little to no padding and very little inner voice. Therefore, with more than 304,000 words, the author must and in this case does, use a compelling story, a very fast timeline and strong direct dialog to keep our attention. For me, it worked perfectly. I found that without all of the fluff and dramatic wording, I was able to better visualize the story, which made it more captivating. Some readers may prefer the standard POV formats and that would be a personal choice. Currently, it is only on Kindle, so if you are not a digital reader or prefer short stories, you will need to pass on this one.
The story: The story begins in the mid 1980’s during the height of the Caribbean drug wars. It quickly flashes forward twenty years to the Caribbean island of Saba, where Peter Gannon (the protagonist), Kalika, Rodolfo and Marina have gathered to transcribe some of Rodolfo’s memoirs. From there, it flashes back to the mid 1980's and continues with Peter finishing his enlistment in the US Coast Guard. This is where the majority of the characters are introduced and the plot is set. As the cover suggests, many of the characters are of Indian descent, with a full cast of Dominican, Pakistani, Israeli, English and Trinidadians to keep you fully awake. One minus in this area is that they do move around from place to place and time does pass quickly. You will need to pay attention. The last third of the story comes back to our current time (mid 2000’s). This is where the author has done his best work to keep us on the edge and moving forward. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to hear the author lecture on data security in New York. I was worried that he would follow his roots and go far too deep into technical jargon. This is not the case. There are times where they do explain the projects, but it is necessary to the overall storyline. If you are looking for a deep dive into banking, money laundering or computers from an expert on the subject, this may or may not be for you. This is a fast paced adventure, which spans twenty years and goes from Antigua to Hyderabad and everywhere in between. Overall, it was an excellent read and completely opposite to what I was expecting from the author. As an educated woman, I started out hating Peter and loving Kali and I ended up loving Peter, wanting to yell at Kali and hating Layla and Ana. So yes, I am looking forward to the next installment. My only question to Mr. Stern is “How much is true?”
The OSSI Model
When I heard he was releasing another book, I immediately called and asked for an early copy in return for a review. He did warn me “There are no puffy clouds and elaborate descriptions that set the scene. It’s what’s happening and what happened. Google what you don’t know” Aptly forewarned, I dove in with my eyes open, still expecting a long technical drama. As I swiped passed the tenth page (Kindle) I immediately found that I was knee deep into a scene that had nothing to do with money, banking or computers. Moreover, I was getting in deeper with each press of my eBook. I will give you what I think is the good and bad:
First, his work is completely different from other books I have read on Kindle. I say that for both content and format. First the format: It is written as a script and formatted for the Kindle reader. As a script, he has given us only two types of paragraphs: Action and dialog. There is very little to no padding and very little inner voice. Therefore, with more than 304,000 words, the author must and in this case does, use a compelling story, a very fast timeline and strong direct dialog to keep our attention. For me, it worked perfectly. I found that without all of the fluff and dramatic wording, I was able to better visualize the story, which made it more captivating. Some readers may prefer the standard POV formats and that would be a personal choice. Currently, it is only on Kindle, so if you are not a digital reader or prefer short stories, you will need to pass on this one.
The story: The story begins in the mid 1980’s during the height of the Caribbean drug wars. It quickly flashes forward twenty years to the Caribbean island of Saba, where Peter Gannon (the protagonist), Kalika, Rodolfo and Marina have gathered to transcribe some of Rodolfo’s memoirs. From there, it flashes back to the mid 1980's and continues with Peter finishing his enlistment in the US Coast Guard. This is where the majority of the characters are introduced and the plot is set. As the cover suggests, many of the characters are of Indian descent, with a full cast of Dominican, Pakistani, Israeli, English and Trinidadians to keep you fully awake. One minus in this area is that they do move around from place to place and time does pass quickly. You will need to pay attention. The last third of the story comes back to our current time (mid 2000’s). This is where the author has done his best work to keep us on the edge and moving forward. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to hear the author lecture on data security in New York. I was worried that he would follow his roots and go far too deep into technical jargon. This is not the case. There are times where they do explain the projects, but it is necessary to the overall storyline. If you are looking for a deep dive into banking, money laundering or computers from an expert on the subject, this may or may not be for you. This is a fast paced adventure, which spans twenty years and goes from Antigua to Hyderabad and everywhere in between. Overall, it was an excellent read and completely opposite to what I was expecting from the author. As an educated woman, I started out hating Peter and loving Kali and I ended up loving Peter, wanting to yell at Kali and hating Layla and Ana. So yes, I am looking forward to the next installment. My only question to Mr. Stern is “How much is true?”
The OSSI Model
June 7, 2016
Fast, always changing, unpredictable and highly recommended. I have collected the author’s technical work for years and with tongue-in-cheek, it’s great to see him finally move into the 21st century. The printed books have caused a noticeable slump in my bookshelf and the new Kindle format is perfect for this type of reading. I have come to expect a high level of simplicity in his writing and an equal and opposite complexity in the meaning behind the words. For those of you that are new to his work, The OSSI Model is an excellent read on its own. If you are more interested in the meaning behind the words, I can tell you from his past work, everything is related to a number or the number of something repetitive within the script. From that number, a question is posed. Out of the five questions I have taken on, I have solved only one.
Overall, I enjoyed the read immensely. It is fast, always changing, unpredictable and highly recommended.
Overall, I enjoyed the read immensely. It is fast, always changing, unpredictable and highly recommended.
May 19, 2016
This is my first time reading this type of book and I am hooked! You can tell the author has been doing this for a while. He has a very minimalist writing style which keeps the action going without the need for filler. Great character and story arcs! Two steps up from the ordinary canned thrillers, highly recommended.
May 2, 2016
It's written as a script and it is quite long. It took me three weeks to finish, but it was worth every minute. I felt like I was watching a film. Very original!
July 7, 2016
Very original, excellent.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews