Flash Crash

Jake Rivett #1

by Denison Hatch

David Belov, a quant programmer working for an investment bank in New York is blackmailed into writing an algorithm that will intentionally crash the gold market.

David discovers that his virtual "Flash Crash" was simply a required stepping stone towards the largest physical gold robbery in history, and that's he's been framed for the resulting chaos, the lives of his beloved wife and son on the balance...

With Detective Jake Rivett and the NYPD's finest operators from the Major Crimes Division actively seeking to locate and arrest David, and other, darker elements nipping at his heels, David is forced to confront his own past in order to have a future.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2016

About the author

Denison Hatch is the writer and creator of the Rivett Thrillers:

FLASH CRASH (http://amzn.to/2emptPC)
NEVER GO ALONE (http://amzn.to/2e1PB7V)
TERROR MACHINE (https://amzn.to/2OQwXQ6)

*Each RIVETT novel is a heart-pounding, self-contained thriller. But the series can also be enjoyed in series order*

Denison is a writer in Los Angeles. His original screenplay, Vanish Man, is set up at Lionsgate.


**********
PRAISE FOR FLASH CRASH & THE JAKE RIVETT SERIES:

"Dialogue as entertainingly raunchy as that in The Wolf of Wall Street or the Showtime TV series Billions."- Kirkus Reviews

"An absolute bullseye, reinventing the heist thriller for the information age." - BestThrillers.com

"Theft, murder, betrayal, and computer coding come together in Flash Crash.
Deftly going from the rich world of bankers to the dregs of Chinatown, Hatch's pacing ensures there is never a dull moment." - IndieReader Approved

"The tension mounts with ever increasing intensity. A highly recommended yarn; the launching of a promising writing career for Denison Hatch." - BookPostMortem

"The sooner Hatch writes more in this new Jake Rivett series, the better." - SuccessCircuit

"Fast paced, entertaining read that combines action and adventure with creative code. Readers looking for an exciting thriller will not be disappointed." - DigitalPubbing

"I can say without hesitation that Denison Hatch is the 21st-century's Tom Clancy." - Alexis C. Jolly

"A gritty story of the seedy, sadistic world of crime permeating all levels of society." - Barnes & Noble Reader Review

"With more switchbacks than Route 66, Flash Crash kicks in where other thrillers are rolling the closing credits. Hi-tech Manhattan meets low rent Jersey in this blockbuster first novel." - Goodreads Reader Review

"The detective, Rivett, is like a train wreck of bad behavior and good morals mixed together. He's irresistible to follow..." - Amazon Reader Review"

"AMAZING!!! Flash Crash is a total page-turner with fascinating characters and gripping story line." - Amazon Reader Review

"Hatch bursts with relevance and vigor." - Amazon Reader Review

More from Kirkus Reviews:
"What truly elevates the tale is the author's insider's view of Wall Street traders and how they think and talk. [Flash Crash] succeeds at updating the Masters of the Universe mindset to the present."

More from BestThrillers.com:
"As detectives go, Rivett is hardly ordinary. Among other quirks, he sings for a struggling screamo band in his spare time . . . riding shotgun with Rivett as he unravels this audacious caper is immensely satisfying, and the book's immersion into the financial services culture feels authentic and right. By the time you're finished with Flash Crash, you'll be jonesing for a second Jake Rivett novel."

More from IndieReader.com:
Flash Crash, the first in the Jake Rivett series and Denison Hatch's debut novel, provides plenty of action and thrills. Deftly going from the rich world of bankers to the dregs of Chinatown, Hatch's pacing ensures there is never a dull moment. The plot alternates primarily between David and Jake, occasionally showing Vlad's point of view, and bounces around in time, from the characters' rough childhoods to their present day predicament. Halting the story to explain something that occurred long ago is risky... but Hatch pulls it off, making each scene just as exciting as the last.

More from film & television writer Alexis C. Jolly:
"Having grown up devouring my father's collection of the Jack Ryan series, I can say without hesitation that Denison Hatch is the 21st-century's Tom Clancy. The kinetic characters leap off the page in a superbly twisty plot that feels scarily close to hap

Reviews

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mixture of things I love to read: mysteries, books set in New York and books about financial markets. It was a real page turner right from the start. While this was the start of the Jack Rivett series it was as much about David, the quant, as it was about Jake. I enjoyed following both characters throughout the novel.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indie author Denison Hatch is about to release his first novel, Flash Crash, and the beginning of a series known as the Jake Rivett series. Flash Crash is an algorithm written by David Belov, a computer programmer that works for mega-bank Montgomery Noyes. The Flash Crash program is designed to manipulate the global value of gold on the stock market into a downward spiral and is the beginning of what would be the biggest gold robbery in history. Belov didn’t voluntarily write the program but was coerced into it by an unknown source that had kidnapped his young son and wife. The kidnapping would only be the beginning of Belov’s troubles, as he soon becomes the leading suspect in the gold heist.

There are three main characters in Flash Crash that Hatch spends considerable effort in developing which is unusual in a thriller. Of course, there is David Belov who we learn was the nerdy kid in school that didn’t have many friends with the exception of a mismatched friendship with the class bully Vladimir “Vlad” Zhadanov, who also has a significant role in Flash Crash. Much of the plot of Flash Crash revolves around the friendship and interactions between Belov and Zhadanov. Then there is Jake Rivett, the investigating police officer in charge of the Flash Crash gold heist. Rivett is a nonconformist within the police force, with spiky blond hair and an extreme personality, who also highlights as a singer in a punk rock band and drives a motorcycle to the crime scene. His unconventional attire and behavior is accepting among his peers mainly because of his brilliance as a detective.

To be honest, I had a tough time warming up to these characters. For most of the novel, Belov appears to be the whipping boy for both Vlad and Montgomery Noyes, which left me with the feeling of little respect for this character. Then there is Rivett, who is to be the lead in this series, and like Zhadanov is also a bit of a bully with the exception that he is on the right side of the law. Even though he may be a good bully, he is a bully nonetheless and nobody likes bullies.

The pace of the story in the beginning is fast but slows down considerably with the characterization of Belov, Zhadanov, and Rivett, but picks up significantly for the last third of the book with what would be an exciting ending. My feelings for Belov did change at the end as he did redeem himself by not being quite the victim that he appeared to be through most of the novel. As for Rivett, the jury is still out on this character and I am curious to see how Hatch develops him for the rest of the series. Hatch puts considerable effort in the technological machinations of the gold heist and with a fun ending to the novel, Flash Crash proves to be a worthy read.

[Zippergirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flash Crash is a smash and grab, Wall Street style. The gold market tanks, a hundred million dollar delivery goes missing, and you won’t ever know who to trust.

There's meek David, cubicle slave with smarts he hasn't even used yet, working for the peerless Montgomery Noyes investment bank that turns money into more money. He's swimming with the sharks. Ruthless and bloodthirsty only begins to describe them: the oleaginous upper management types in pinstripes, the old gang down at the boxing gym in Bensonhurst, the reprobate rocker in leather and denim. And one of them has his family.

With more switchbacks than Route 66, Flash Crash kicks in where other thrillers are rolling the closing credits. Hi-tech Manhattan meets low rent Jersey in this blockbuster first novel from Hollywood denizen, Denison Hatch.

[David Huelsmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a quick read this New Year's Eve that captured my attention. The book centers around David Belov who was peripherally involved with the Russian gangs in New York City as he was growing up and still had friends who were likely still involved as adults. David, however, turned out to have lots of smarts in his slight frame and managed to become an expert programmer and be employed by one of the prestigious banks in New York. His employment and smarts get him leveraged to install a program he wrote in the banks blade servers. The program is designed to generate thousands of gold buy orders and then cancel them causing the price of gold to fall to the point that the bank would have to ship at least $120 million in gold bars to the various entities that owned the bars that were stored in the bank's impressive vault. What happens next? You will have to read the book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly good read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all a pretty good read. I liked it. "Flash Crash", from author Denison Hatch is part financial crime story, and part murder thriller. No, I've never heard of author Denison Hatch let alone read anything from him previously. "Flash Crash", is advertised as a "Jake Rivett Heist Thriller". I must admit I was pretty unsure what flash crash meant before reading this novel. Being an old dinosaur a lot of this type of technology floats over my head. I was also surprised that Jake doesn't roll into the plot until about the 25 % mark of this tale. However, I liked "protagonist" David Belov, a $90K/Yr. tech geek at the prestigious investment bank of, Montgomery Noyes. The bank is a big player on Wall Street. The bank's primary trading stock is gold. Belov is a low ranking computer programmer who's looked down upon from the big shot traders within the firm. David is married to Marina, and his son Mikey is 8. One morning upon arriving at work David is forced to insert a program to crash the gold market. At the end of the day the firm has lost considerable assets of gold. Some of the customers who bought up gold from David's firm then demand actual delivery of product not just certificates. Roger O'Neill head of the firm's bank vault prepares the transfer of gold to be delivered to it's various destinations. However, on delivery day things go horrible wrong. The van carrying the gold product is hijacked along with the $120 million dollars of assets it contained. NYPD detectives Jake Rivett, and partner Tony Villalon catch the case. Immediately David is suspect number one. David senses he's been set up and flees to his childhood friend and now Rusiian mobster Vlad Zhadanov. Vlad gets David off the grid but not before David's family is kidnapped. The ransom for David's family is dropping the gold standard another 500 points. The story has a few somewhat interesting twists and turns that really do create and weave a pretty good plot. It was a bit slow opening up, and some of the financial terms tossed around in book get confusing at times. I haven't had an economics class since 1980, and it wasn't my favorite subject either. I do think it was a bit odd, our rock-n-roll singing, and motorcycle riding NYPD detective Jake Rivett didn't pop into the story until about the 25 % mark. Not that this is a bad thing. Early on I just kept thinking if this was a Jake Rivett thriller when do we actually meet him ? David and Vlad were two pretty well developed main characters that help keep this plot moving along nicely. Jake is actually a supporting character and doesn't really have much to do in this book. Author Denison Hatch does tell a nice story. It reads very quickly and there are really no significant dead areas slow to plow through. I would have to say I'd read another Jake Rivett book if the series does get off the ground. But, will David Belov also star in second book ? (Interesting thought). Going with four stars out of a possible five stars for, "Flash Crash" by author Denison Hatch. If it were possible I would give the book 4.25 stars. I enjoyed the read, and recommend it to my fellow thriller readers. So, check this one out. At around 300 pages it flies along nicely. Will be curious to see how a second Jake Rivett book comes out.

[Michelle Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flash Crash is the debut novel of LA-based screenwriter Denison Hatch. If this debut novel is anything to go by, the sooner Hatch writes more in this new Jake Rivett series, the better.

How far would you go to protect your family? That is a question David Belov was faced with when he unintentionally helped to steal over a hundred million dollars in gold bars from the bank, Montgomery Noyes, where he worked as 'a quant' (computer programmer). Flash Crash is a computer algorithm that David was forced to write after his family was kidnapped. The program crashed the global value of gold, sending the stock market into a horrific spiraling crash, which would lead into the biggest gold robbery in known history. Who would you turn to for help in this situation: school friend and the streets hard man Vladimir “Vlad” Zhadanov or the investigating officer in charge of the heist, punk singer and unconventional motorcyclist, detective Jake Rivett?

David Belov is vastly seen as the underdog and spineless computer nerd only there to do the bidding of both Vlad and Montgomery Noyes, but his character is so well written that the reader is kept on the edge of their seat waiting for him to retaliate and stop being the victim. This is a relatively fast-paced book with many intricate characters that seem to intertwine in an exciting and curious fashion.

As for Jake Rivett, the main lead in this new series, I am undecided. I am curious to see how Hatch develops him for the rest of the series, as most of this book was used to develop David Belov, I do hope that we have not seen the end of him! Considerable effort was used in explaining the technical realizations of the stock market crash and the gold heist. Flash Crash is a fun and exciting read, and I look forward to more in this series.

Reviewed for San Francisco Book Review.

[Peter Earle · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Belov has fought his way out of the clutches of his Russian gang childhood to become a brilliant computer tech, cloistered in the depths of an investment bank's innards. He is a timid quant, barely acknowledged by the Ivy-league floor-traders. Then his world falls apart when he is blackmailed into writing an algorithm that will intentionally crash the gold market. Shoring up their collateral involves the bank moving the bank’s physical gold reserves to the vaults of major investors.
The gold disappears en route.
And David is the fall-guy. Jake Rivett of the Major Crimes Unit is after him, convinced of his involvement.
On the run and in fear for the safety of his wife and young son, he is forced to turn to his childhood friend, gang leader, Vlad. Their uneasy history is deftly dealt with in a series of flash-backs which flesh out these two characters convincingly. Confronting his past may just allow him a future...
The tension mounts with ever increasing intensity. A highly recommended yarn; the launching of a promising crime fiction writing career for Denison Hatch, indeed.
For more on the musings and news of this author, go to www.DenisonHatch.com
For our full review, go to www.bookpostmortem.wordpress.com

[Todd Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book. When I first starting reading this story, I only wanted to read for an hour. However, before I realised it three hours had passed. That’s how good it is. When it comes down to it, what would you do if your family were being threatened. Like David Belov, just about anything. I like that David isn’t a big tough guy, and even though he’s a computer genius, he far from being a nerd. This story moves along at a good pace, and there is always something happening. A stand out for me is that every character is quite unique, and I enjoyed the detail the Author has put into each one of them. Great ending. Add this book to your reading list, you won’t be disappointed.

[Jay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and exciting story. The plot revolves around the seizure of a huge gold shipment that was generated by a Trojan Horse app inserted in the servers of a large investment bank. The story is very imaginative and realistic. It depicts the nature of the investment bankers who are profiting from the weak and ignorant. The main characters are well-developed and very realistic. The strongest points of this book involve the mechanics of executing multiple huge gold robberies. I had a little problem with the style of writing, which seemed out of balance and a little disjointed. Otherwise I would have rated it 5 stars.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flash Crash grabs the reader by the lapels and doesn't let go until the very last minute. A high octane ride, that is fueled by the mind instead of brawn and violence. Don't get me wrong, there is violence, but it is secondary to the mental acumen of Jake Rivett and the criminals he is hunting. A riveting game of cat and mouse through the banking world and the sewers of New York (sometimes it's hard to tell which is which). A great start to an intriguing new series.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick reading thriller which will make you think about how big thefts/heists happen in the the 21st century. David is a fine character- exactly what you want in this sort of novel. I could see this as a movie. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC= it's not deep and it's not really complicated but it's fun. A good debut; I'd like to see more from Hatch.

[Magiccats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was definitely in a reading slump. Started several books and just couldn't get into them. Then I started "Flash Crash" by this new author. Well, it had me hooked right from the beginning. Great techno adventure book with a good twist ending that I never guessed.

I see he has a new book out now. Will definitely be reading it as well.

[Quentin Feduchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly imaginative book about secret groups, and about crashing the dollar, the chase to find who is kidnapping whom, how to save America and the world.
The action stretches across America into Canada and down to Cost Rica, then back again.
Wealthy people, secret murders, assassinations, etc.

[James McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Interesting plot with an eclectic cast of characters. The author knows the landscape of
the gold market and crafted a unique scenario.

[Lowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing..

Fairly good plot, and the writing it good, the ending is so weak it spoils the book. Not really recommended.

[Herschel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the writing and plotting was good, but personally, I was not interested enough in the characters.

[Kashish Mehta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started reading looking at the synopsis stopped it at 20 percent

[5ngela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the cover and the tittle. Simple and straight forward. To be honest I nearly give this book 3 stars but fortunately the ending save it.

Flash Crash tell story about 2 men named David and Vlad. At the beginning it looks like both of them are friends and have the same fate. Both of them find a lot of fortune and intend to change their life with the money. Unfortunately, there's sinister plan behind it. It looks like nothing is coincidence. At the end, they choose different paths. The story have several bad guys. That's what throw me at first. You think when you know who is the bad guy, then the problem solved. Quite predictable. The truth is there's another bad guy behind all of it. Even after knowing who is the second bad guy, there's still another things surprising you at the end. The subtlety remind me about False Accussations by Alan Jacobson.

Personally I don't really like the characters. They are just ordinary. Nothing interesting. And the addition of "nightmarish" Jake doesn't help either. One thing that I also don't like in this book is there are too many background. Yes, I love characters background, but not too many. After a while, I just skip many of them. One thing that I don't quite understand why it was said Jake Rivett series. Personally I don't agree with it because I don't see Jake Rivett as the main character nor he is charismatic in this story. But I can understand why the author do it. Fortunately, the ending make me change my rating for this book. Hope the next book will be much better. I recommend this story for people who want to read simple and interesting story.

Rating : 3.51 of 5

www.sharing55tories.blogspot.com

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute bullseye, reinventing the heist thriller for the information age.

When a rogue quantitative programmer intentionally crashes the gold index, it seems that Wall Street’s worst nightmare has come true. In truth, the crisis has just begun. Across town, an armored truck filled with $120M of gold bullion is hijacked by an ingeniously crafted electromagnetic crane and seemingly driven into thin air.

Read the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story that will keep you turning the pages.
David's family is kidnapped and he must set up a flash crash program that will crash the gold market.
While the market crashes a bold gold heist is pulled off. Detective Rivett is determined to solve the crime.
With a few twists and turns that when you think you have this figured out, it just may be the wrong guess. Looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a roller coaster of a ride. Great character creation and development. The story was technically realistic and timely. I never knew what was coming next, yet everything flowed logically with no "magic save" suddenly appearing. Definitely a "can't put it down" story.
I am delighted to see that Denison has released a second novel and I will be reading it soon.

[Carolyn S. Brunsdon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but...

Could not get into this story long enough to follow it. Plot is promising, however it is drowned out by the many metaphors & excessive adjectives. : (