Crash

by David Hagberg, Lawrence Light

The second Great Depression is coming. The world's economies are groaning under too much debt. If one thing goes wrong, the entire rickety system collapses. Now, acclaimed award-winning New York Times bestselling novelist David Hagberg and renowned financial reporter Lawrence Light have combined forces to dramatize--hour by hour--how this all-too-real catastrophe could go down in Crash.

With debt-burdened governments and businesses worldwide about to go bust, a cabal of Wall Street big shots plot to destroy the globe's stock exchanges. To provide that one thing that goes wrong. In 24 hours, a powerful computer worm will smash the exchanges and spark an international panic, pushing a debt-laden world into the abyss. The Wall Street gang's investment bank will be the last one standing, able to make a killing amid the ruins.

But one person, who works for their bank as a computer expert, spots the worm embedded deep in its network. Cassy Levin invents a program to destroy the cyber-intruder. Angered by Cassy's discovery, her bosses order her kidnapping.

Her boyfriend, a former Navy SEAL, is alarmed at Cassy's disappearance and unravels the plot. Ben Whalen only has until the next morning to save the woman he loves and prevent the economic apocalypse.

This story is based on the genuine threat posed by towering debt, which will make the 2008 financial crisis look puny.

Genres: Suspense

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2020

About the author

aka David Bannerman, Sean Flannery, David James, Robert Pell, Eric Ramsey

David Hagberg is a former Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than twenty novels of suspense, including the bestselling High Flight, Assassin, and Joshua's Hammer.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidh...

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story of possible financial future apocalypse.

[Christopher]

Just an observation:

The cover is HTML ripped from the NYSE's website. Hope they got permission.

[Michael Roberson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Story With Annoying Flaw

The story is interesting and timely. The ”Debt Bomb” is a real problem, especially after recent events.

Where I have problems is with the description of how financial markets work. Treasury auctions are nothing like described in the book. Also, when a stock begins trading, the company has raised the expected funds at the issue price. While the company executives want the stock to rise or stay even, a drop would not force a secondary capital raise.

The flaws detract from a fast paced story.

[Tony Perona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the beginning, but that said, I'm fascinated by the mechanisms of the stock market and was looking forward to a thriller that promised an inside look at how bad things could go with the worldwide debt being as huge as it is. The book mostly delivered on that promise. I thought the premise was certainly plausible and the authors wrote convincingly of it. I thought it was more suspense than thriller, though, for a couple of reasons. First, the financial meltdown really never occurs. There are negative signs and the market drops 10% and then 20%, but the market is volatile anyway. We have already lived through those kinds of drops (remember the Great Recession). So the threat of a complete meltdown is just that, a threat. It's all about what might happen if the Abacus worm isn't stopped. The second reason is that the heroine (Cassy's) life is in danger practically from the beginning and that screams suspense, not thriller. I also thought that it took a long time for the authors to use the character of the Navy SEAL-boyfriend, Ben Whalen effectively. Through most of the book we're told he's a tough guy, and we expect that kind of character to bust a lot of heads, but we never see that. Even when he sets about rescuing Cassy, he ends up shooting a lot of people, not fighting. Is that being a tough guy? Kinda, but kinda not. But the suspense was maintained all through the book. It was compulsive reading, and I had a hard time putting it down. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you are interested in economics.

[Anne Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel set over 48 hours within the environment of America's financial institutions, markets and a New York based bank. The recidivist schemers who survived the crash of 2008 are back with an even bigger scam to bring down the world's markets, re-set the globe's insurmountable "debt bomb" and come out on top even richer and more powerful than they already are. It's all a game, and those at the top operate without ethics and morals, winning again and again over the American Government and the "little people", proving that market manipulation really does pay, so long as you aren't caught. Enter the heroine of the story, Cassy Levin, employed as a cyber-security analyst within the bank Burnham Pike, and her heroic boyfriend ex-navy SEAL, Ben Whalen. Cassy vigilantly uncovers a powerful and potentially catastrophic worm which will bring down the bank's trading systems before infiltrating the systems that underpin the world's markets. She unknowingly triggers retaliatory actions from those at the top who are behind the creation and deployment of the software which will decimate the global markets while leaving them to prosper. It all makes for a fantastical read, but sobering when considered alongside the authors' bios - extensive global political and financial experience suggesting that although the extremes of the story are fictional, the day to day manipulation of the markets and the personalities of those that do the manipulating are probably very accurate.

[Peacejanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mystery book about an effort to crash the world economy by high flying economic "experts" and evil wall street barons. The mystery is no big deal - a special computer virus and a lowly employee who notices some weird trades. The Russian mafia is involved; one of the powerful men is a true sexual pervert and the employee who spotted the virus is grabbed by the Russians. The real point of this book is a lesson in world economics. There is a world economy; a dip by one side causes a bounce in another place, etc. And the true value of the book is the four page afterward by Lawrence Light. It is clearly written, easy to understand, and current. Light is an award winning financial analyst and his afterward is frightening. He details the situation in the US today - high government debt, almost no personal savings of citizens, China holding much of the debt of the US government. The pivoting point of this story is a financial breakdown in China; China then turns to the open market to sell the US securities at undervalued prices. I know a little about economics and the financial market but this book absolutely scared me. Folks, hold on to your cash. Do not buy any new expensive toys. Just as we are dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic, this book paints a possible picture of a situation much worse. A boring mystery. A refresher course in world economics.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An up-to-date scary story involving financial wizards of Wall Street and their attempt to cause world-wide turmoil in the financial markets by planting a virus called Abacus into the computers of the stock exchanges around the world. Lawrence Light, the co-author of CRASH, takes us on a journey through the workings of the markets, something I, personally, and not closely familiar with. David Hagberg adds his usual dose of intrigue and suspense to this exciting financial thriller. Together they present a plausible, and perhaps even probable scenario where the world financial markets will crash due to the high debt carried by government and business. Very concerning.

[Tom Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read. A Wall St. thriller, it was written well, and the characters were spot on. The story moved at a great pace, building up as the plot moved along. I did have to lop off one star for the inclusion of some nonsense with a navy seal and a gang of Russian spetznaz that was nothing more than a distraction. My advice, just ignore that silliness, and enjoy a very good Wall St. thriller.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel set in 2020 about a global financial crash has a refreshing left-of-center political bent. But it is embarrassingly out of touch.
No mention of cryptocurrency? Everyone rides in taxis instead of Ubers? And young techies still play foosball?
I literally had to look up the pub date because I could swear the book was written in Y2K.
Yikes!!

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A departure from Kirk M novels and doesn't really concentrate on one main character but rather a couple. Each one is not clearly the main focus. It does make you think about our national debt and the cast of characters in the financial areas.

I prefer the action hero part of it but it was only a small part.

[Ron Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've failed to finish. I failed to follow my own standards..if a book doesn't grab you in the first two chapters, give the book to charity. This book moved at a snail's a BFF d was plain BORING BJ

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a Kirk McGarvey book.. but the story of an attempted crash of the New York Stock Exchange which would have turned the economic situation upside down for the entire world.

very well written. a lot of activity and suspense.

[Christopher Geraghty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors explained how, just like with a physical bomb, "the debt bomb" is very volatile and unstable. A very frightening book.

[Alan Perlman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started slow and got worse. I stopped reading when the slamming of capatalists and Trump started. I read for a break from all the angst and anger.

[Ernest · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too dry for me

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wall Street intrigue, unscrupulous characters, etc. Lots of financial terms, but a decent read.

[Larry Stephans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Very current, very insightful and very knowledgeable.

[Bob Stenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good but it took a while to get going.

[Michelle Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book. not my typical read

[Joseph Hilden · Rating 1 out of 5]

authors failed to entertain