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Undermoney
In the bestselling tradition of Jason Matthews’s Red Sparrow, an electrifying thriller about a group of American patriots who secretly take over the world’s largest dark money operation with the help of a beautiful female CIA agent—written by a seasoned global finance insider.
A group of American patriots, all former military, are looking for a way to get their number one choice, Senator Ben Corn, elected president. Corn is a telegenic, perfect candidate—yet harbors secrets that threaten him. The group’s goal is to implement their own foreign policy and fundamentally restructure American society. Essential to this scheme is Greta Webb, a sophisticated and beautiful CIA agent who is an expert on how global dark money flows, not to mention skilled in lethal hand-to-hand combat.
To achieve their goals, they form dangerous alliances. One is with a woman who manages the largest, and most corrupt, private pool of capital that has ever existed. And another with the brilliant, ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company: a mercenary’s mercenary, who has ties to Vladimir Putin. He has his eye on Greta Webb—and while she would be wise to avoid him at all costs, she cannot.
Journeying across the globe from New York to Washington to Middle Eastern war zones to wine cellars in the French countryside to Putin’s private restaurant in St. Petersburg, the group of Americans become enmeshed in this underground world. And as they discover the secret of the dark money’s pool’s success—which involves manipulating the markets to rake in billions of dollars—they come into ever increasing danger. Ultimately the team of Americans must decide whether their ultimate objectives are worth the cost of ruthlessly sacrificing not just a few but potentially many human lives.
Brilliantly told and filled with jaw-dropping action and unforgettable characters, Undermoney offers a savage look at the secret lives of the world’s richest people.
A group of American patriots, all former military, are looking for a way to get their number one choice, Senator Ben Corn, elected president. Corn is a telegenic, perfect candidate—yet harbors secrets that threaten him. The group’s goal is to implement their own foreign policy and fundamentally restructure American society. Essential to this scheme is Greta Webb, a sophisticated and beautiful CIA agent who is an expert on how global dark money flows, not to mention skilled in lethal hand-to-hand combat.
To achieve their goals, they form dangerous alliances. One is with a woman who manages the largest, and most corrupt, private pool of capital that has ever existed. And another with the brilliant, ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company: a mercenary’s mercenary, who has ties to Vladimir Putin. He has his eye on Greta Webb—and while she would be wise to avoid him at all costs, she cannot.
Journeying across the globe from New York to Washington to Middle Eastern war zones to wine cellars in the French countryside to Putin’s private restaurant in St. Petersburg, the group of Americans become enmeshed in this underground world. And as they discover the secret of the dark money’s pool’s success—which involves manipulating the markets to rake in billions of dollars—they come into ever increasing danger. Ultimately the team of Americans must decide whether their ultimate objectives are worth the cost of ruthlessly sacrificing not just a few but potentially many human lives.
Brilliantly told and filled with jaw-dropping action and unforgettable characters, Undermoney offers a savage look at the secret lives of the world’s richest people.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2022
398 people are currently reading
9491 people want to read
About the author
Jay Newman
1 book60 followersJay spent 40 years in international finance, with a primary focus on managing investments in sovereign debt, including the distressed sovereign debt of Latin American, Eastern European, African, and Asian countries.
He is viewed as “the mastermind” behind an historic 15-year fight to recover billions of dollars in defaulted debt from the government of Argentina. That campaign, which included the court-approved seizure of an Argentinian Navy ship in Ghana with 200 people aboard in 2012, reached a successful conclusion in 2016.
He is viewed as “the mastermind” behind an historic 15-year fight to recover billions of dollars in defaulted debt from the government of Argentina. That campaign, which included the court-approved seizure of an Argentinian Navy ship in Ghana with 200 people aboard in 2012, reached a successful conclusion in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
February 16, 2022
This exceptional thriller will challenge your thinking about the relationship between our financial markets, dark money, greed, morality and terrorism. Shorting targeted stocks prior to natural disasters result in huge monetary windfalls. What happens then when the natural disasters are not natural but planned and executed in advance by greedy players gaming the system with deadly results? A small, dynamic group of SpecOps troops "liberate" a US airdrop of 2.4 billion dollars in an Afghanistan desert designated as a payoff to local warlords. Their motive is to hide the money for years until they can finance a presidential run for their own Lt. Ben Corn who will hamstring the military industrial complex and save American lives.
What follows is a complex story about their subsequent relationships with the worlds largest hedge fund manager, his hidden dark money client and the Russian security company chief with secret objectives of his own. Tough to review this book without recapping it's intricately complex plot but suffice it say, it's incredibly entertaining. Sporting eye opening plot lines, perfectly constructed prose, fascinating characters and frantic pace, it's a smart, original thriller that will take you through worlds you never knew existed.
What follows is a complex story about their subsequent relationships with the worlds largest hedge fund manager, his hidden dark money client and the Russian security company chief with secret objectives of his own. Tough to review this book without recapping it's intricately complex plot but suffice it say, it's incredibly entertaining. Sporting eye opening plot lines, perfectly constructed prose, fascinating characters and frantic pace, it's a smart, original thriller that will take you through worlds you never knew existed.
February 8, 2022
DNF @ 71% way too long. The pacing really needs work. Mr. Newman needs a new editor to chop things down. The idea was there but it was poorly executed.
September 16, 2021
Totally Terrifying Political Thriller
So very current. All the bad guys are there, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia.
The corruption in our government, and all the alphabet services, the inefficient and easily corruptible election process. The easily manipulated investment industry, the foreign banking industry and of course the private security services and private armies for hire.
This is a very readable book and I always love authors that fictionalize current events.
A great read, great character development, you can visualize each character and are emotionally invested in their decisions and deaths.
You would think that this is a more male oriented read, but it is not. The female characters are super strong and of course sexy, but in a good way.
I now feel more like a pawn in the big picture. All current events and rallies and protests are a lot more suspect. Although we all knew they were orchestrated by outside interests and countries.
I strongly recommend this book and will be sending out that recommendation to several book clubs , friends, family and neighbors.
So very current. All the bad guys are there, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia.
The corruption in our government, and all the alphabet services, the inefficient and easily corruptible election process. The easily manipulated investment industry, the foreign banking industry and of course the private security services and private armies for hire.
This is a very readable book and I always love authors that fictionalize current events.
A great read, great character development, you can visualize each character and are emotionally invested in their decisions and deaths.
You would think that this is a more male oriented read, but it is not. The female characters are super strong and of course sexy, but in a good way.
I now feel more like a pawn in the big picture. All current events and rallies and protests are a lot more suspect. Although we all knew they were orchestrated by outside interests and countries.
I strongly recommend this book and will be sending out that recommendation to several book clubs , friends, family and neighbors.
Read
July 25, 2025Note: I received a free copy of this book. In exchange here is my honest review.
I start and stopped reading this one too many times, over the past several months. I’m adding it to my DNF list. To be fair, it’s just not a book that at all interests me- so I’m not rating it. ✌️
I start and stopped reading this one too many times, over the past several months. I’m adding it to my DNF list. To be fair, it’s just not a book that at all interests me- so I’m not rating it. ✌️
December 26, 2021
I was intrigued by the characters. The story was hard to get into due to all the informational detail. Some of which I don't think was necessary to the story. The story itself did build, but I was let down at the end. I didn't feel like there was any resolutions.
Read
February 23, 2022No rating. it's concepts are very real. Yet the execution of this fiction telling is too complex and with too varied of pacing/ jumping intersections - for me to follow. I've stopped at 57% and I still don't "get" at least 50% of what I've read already.
Excessive reality in both corruption and blood money/ hidden payoffs for me too right now. Depressing corrupt and parasitic governments in the news of everyday currently is enough worst news.
Excessive reality in both corruption and blood money/ hidden payoffs for me too right now. Depressing corrupt and parasitic governments in the news of everyday currently is enough worst news.
June 11, 2021
A good story that could be made better with som editing to remove some of the bulk. The story bogs down in several places, and it becomes a struggle to push though and finish. I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.
March 7, 2022
I did not, in fact, finish this book. I would not do that to myself. Newman is living vicariously through his characters to the point that he surpasses Dan Brown. The key difference between the two is that Dan Brown is actually a semi-competent writer if the reader is in middle school.
January 19, 2022
Undermoney is a spy thriller. It is a political thriller. It has a bit of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous thrown in. The book also contains a bunch of facts about the global monetary system and how easy it is to manipulate it.
So why didn’t I like it? The knowledge dumps were immense making the book overlong. In addition, the pacing was way too slow at the beginning for a thriller. Yawn. I also disliked all the characters. Can just one not have evil intentions and/or dirty little secrets?
Overall, Undermoney was a miss for me. 2 stars.
Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
So why didn’t I like it? The knowledge dumps were immense making the book overlong. In addition, the pacing was way too slow at the beginning for a thriller. Yawn. I also disliked all the characters. Can just one not have evil intentions and/or dirty little secrets?
Overall, Undermoney was a miss for me. 2 stars.
Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Read
May 27, 2022I really enjoyed this. Lots of deep thinking about larger global systems and how they interconnect. Financial markets, geopolitics, war, US politics, etc. Very fun to see Newman's high-level interpretation.
January 28, 2022
I’m sure many will like this novel. It’s a political/military potboiler, kind of like “The A-Team” meets “Wall Street” meets “Mission: Impossible” meets any Tom Clancy novel you choose to name.
But I found it to be far from the “electrifying thriller” it’s promoted as. IMO, “Undermoney” is a not credible tale involving shallowly drawn characters chasing unrealistic objectives. It’s also not all that well-written.
As to the plot, a group of current and ex-military comrades set out to make one of them the next President of the United States so that America can be reinvented. To do that, they engineer the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars which they then launder by various means, including one of the world’s richest hedge funds.
It’s difficult to be thrilled when you just can’t care about the characters. While author Jay Newman injects lots of testosterone and machismo into his band of crusaders, even the women, that’s about all there is to them. There’s little to differentiate one from another. All are very competent, but none are particularly human. Kind of like comic book superheroes.
Except that none of them are admirable, or even likable. The villains, of course, are thoroughly evil. But the supposed “good guys” aren’t much better. Stealing billions from the US Government to fund a presidential campaign is, at best, morally questionable. As is having your presidential hopeful involved in an extra-marital affair.
And the messages they spout are so trite and simplistic: Washington’s politicians and bureaucrats are incompetent and corrupt. The nation’s treasure and military have been grossly misused. America is on the decline because advancement and “success” are based, not on merit, but on whom you know and whom you can buy. The solution--to capture the White House so that the new President can re-make American society--so vastly overrates presidential power (especially in our constitutional system of checks and balances) that, for me, the novel’s credibility was seriously undermined.
I found so much else about the novel to be “over-the-top.” The money involved is not millions, but always billions and trillions. A villain makes over one of Manhattan’s most famous hotels for an orgiastic “stag” bacchanal for the super-rich and powerful. (Really? All those smart, savvy men are going to compromise themselves in such a public place?) Another character—an Iranian CIA officer--engages in a lesbian affair with the Latvian finance minister which she expands into a ménage à trois with the head of a Russian security firm? (Titillating? Maybe. Believable? Not so much.) All the settings are exotic or historic. All the liquors are rare. Character clothing and accouterments are only the very best. I suppose I can’t fault the author’s research. But, for me, he way-overdid the glamour bit, which also damaged the novel’s credibility.
As far as the writing goes, it’s no more than okay. I did think there was an overuse of cliches and hackneyed vernacular. And there were so many digressions into backstory and explanations, which interrupted the novel’s flow. Again, I can’t fault the author’s research. But did he have to include absolutely every bit of it? No wonder “Undermoney” is almost 500 pages.
All in all, a two-and-a-half star performance rounded up to three.
But I found it to be far from the “electrifying thriller” it’s promoted as. IMO, “Undermoney” is a not credible tale involving shallowly drawn characters chasing unrealistic objectives. It’s also not all that well-written.
As to the plot, a group of current and ex-military comrades set out to make one of them the next President of the United States so that America can be reinvented. To do that, they engineer the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars which they then launder by various means, including one of the world’s richest hedge funds.
It’s difficult to be thrilled when you just can’t care about the characters. While author Jay Newman injects lots of testosterone and machismo into his band of crusaders, even the women, that’s about all there is to them. There’s little to differentiate one from another. All are very competent, but none are particularly human. Kind of like comic book superheroes.
Except that none of them are admirable, or even likable. The villains, of course, are thoroughly evil. But the supposed “good guys” aren’t much better. Stealing billions from the US Government to fund a presidential campaign is, at best, morally questionable. As is having your presidential hopeful involved in an extra-marital affair.
And the messages they spout are so trite and simplistic: Washington’s politicians and bureaucrats are incompetent and corrupt. The nation’s treasure and military have been grossly misused. America is on the decline because advancement and “success” are based, not on merit, but on whom you know and whom you can buy. The solution--to capture the White House so that the new President can re-make American society--so vastly overrates presidential power (especially in our constitutional system of checks and balances) that, for me, the novel’s credibility was seriously undermined.
I found so much else about the novel to be “over-the-top.” The money involved is not millions, but always billions and trillions. A villain makes over one of Manhattan’s most famous hotels for an orgiastic “stag” bacchanal for the super-rich and powerful. (Really? All those smart, savvy men are going to compromise themselves in such a public place?) Another character—an Iranian CIA officer--engages in a lesbian affair with the Latvian finance minister which she expands into a ménage à trois with the head of a Russian security firm? (Titillating? Maybe. Believable? Not so much.) All the settings are exotic or historic. All the liquors are rare. Character clothing and accouterments are only the very best. I suppose I can’t fault the author’s research. But, for me, he way-overdid the glamour bit, which also damaged the novel’s credibility.
As far as the writing goes, it’s no more than okay. I did think there was an overuse of cliches and hackneyed vernacular. And there were so many digressions into backstory and explanations, which interrupted the novel’s flow. Again, I can’t fault the author’s research. But did he have to include absolutely every bit of it? No wonder “Undermoney” is almost 500 pages.
All in all, a two-and-a-half star performance rounded up to three.
December 30, 2021
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. This review has no specific details that might spoil the book, but it does have a vague comment about the ending.
This book does a good job of explaining the dirty world of money and politics. It's actually quite scary to know what really goes on. Even if some of it is made-up, it is probably pretty close to the truth. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to understand that there are some nasty, powerful people all over this world who are willing to do anything to stay wealthy and powerful.
There are a lot of characters in the story and it was hard for me to follow at times. I remained engaged more at the end because that's where it felt like the story was really moving along. I was not happy with the ending, but I think it's because it was more realistic than what Hollywood has ingrained in us. I recommend this book if you're into thrillers, but you have to be patient and not expect a bunch of crazy action all the time. This is the author's first book and I'm pretty impressed. I'm glad I read his acknowledgements at the end because he thanks the team it took to bring this book to light. I'm sure there are a lot of talented people out there who would also be able to write a successful book if they had those networks. I'm curious to know if the author plans on writing another novel to continue this story, but maybe it's best to leave it up to reader interpretation, who knows..
This book does a good job of explaining the dirty world of money and politics. It's actually quite scary to know what really goes on. Even if some of it is made-up, it is probably pretty close to the truth. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to understand that there are some nasty, powerful people all over this world who are willing to do anything to stay wealthy and powerful.
There are a lot of characters in the story and it was hard for me to follow at times. I remained engaged more at the end because that's where it felt like the story was really moving along. I was not happy with the ending, but I think it's because it was more realistic than what Hollywood has ingrained in us. I recommend this book if you're into thrillers, but you have to be patient and not expect a bunch of crazy action all the time. This is the author's first book and I'm pretty impressed. I'm glad I read his acknowledgements at the end because he thanks the team it took to bring this book to light. I'm sure there are a lot of talented people out there who would also be able to write a successful book if they had those networks. I'm curious to know if the author plans on writing another novel to continue this story, but maybe it's best to leave it up to reader interpretation, who knows..
July 10, 2021
I really wanted to like this book, and there were some really good parts. But, I had trouble getting into it. Im still not sure if there was a protagonist, and if so, who it was; all of the characters seemed crooked and dirty. The historical stuff was fascinating, though.
February 9, 2022
I'd give this a 3.5 and not 4.
That being said, this book has the potential to be an explosive tv show. The story is a beauty, the characters lovable and hatable in equal measures. And dare I say, it sounds all real? This is the real money heist and how the world plays the game in real life.
My biggest gripe is that there is a lot of info dump. From hedge funds to private military companies, everything gets dumped to you. Some necessary, some unnecessary and some you wish you could skim but don't want to miss out anything important.
Undermoney is a story of soldiers who has a plan to set the country right, the ones who got tired of needless wars and deaths. And yet, war is what finds them when they stop being soldiers.
That being said, this book has the potential to be an explosive tv show. The story is a beauty, the characters lovable and hatable in equal measures. And dare I say, it sounds all real? This is the real money heist and how the world plays the game in real life.
My biggest gripe is that there is a lot of info dump. From hedge funds to private military companies, everything gets dumped to you. Some necessary, some unnecessary and some you wish you could skim but don't want to miss out anything important.
Undermoney is a story of soldiers who has a plan to set the country right, the ones who got tired of needless wars and deaths. And yet, war is what finds them when they stop being soldiers.
September 8, 2021
I like this book and it was great. I would recommend it to those who like action and fiction.
January 30, 2022
UNDERMONEY, a dystopian political thriller, isn’t always an easy read, but ultimately it’s compelling. It asks --- and only obliquely answers --- the question of whether or not idealistic ends always justify the dark means.
Under the direction and protection of Army General Tommy Taylor, a group of military operatives steals more than $2 billion, intended for bribes in Syria, to help advance the career of Nebraska's junior senator, Ben Corn, himself an Army vet who is destined to become the next President of the United States. This group is committed to bringing the U.S. back onto the global stage and reversing what it sees as years of short-term thinking about everything from allies to infrastructure. Included in this select enclave are, besides Taylor and Corn, the impossibly beautiful and talented CIA agent Greta Webb and her onetime lover, Don Carter, a former member of Delta Force who is now running his own security company.
They orchestrate the heist in the presence of Fyodor Volk, head of the Parsifal Group --- a Blackwater-like paramilitary organization that is a favorite of Vladimir Putin (here referred to as VVP). Parsifal had contracted to provide backup security for the operation, and when Volk figures out what is being stolen, and why, he initiates a relationship with Webb. Ultimately, he helps Webb figure out how to launder the $2 billion --- but, of course, he wants his cut. When the group settles on using a hedge fund, Industrial Strategies, and its founder, Elias Vicker, it’s no surprise that Volk and his middleman, Lorenzo Gonzaga, get involved. They manipulate events around the world that result in huge gains for the fund, and for a time all parties seem content with the sometimes horrifying consequences.
As author Jay Newman analyzes American policy failures in relation to Russia and China, he toys tantalizingly and sometimes frustratingly with the idea that an alliance with the former may be necessary to combat the latter. He has startling insights into how finance and politics intertwine that will force the lay reader to rethink his or her worldview, even as it bogs down the narrative. Meanwhile, high-end brand names --- from Armani to Heckler & Koch arms and Oberwerk binoculars --- and exotic locales (St. Barts, Cannes) are continually touted, as though Newman wants to both titillate and disparage the greed of it all. And speaking of which, the sex scenes are over-the-top, bizarre and geared to, one assumes, indiscriminate male readers.
The takeaway from this everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink, but still important, novel is that even a seemingly pure and honest candidate doesn’t want to risk losing for lack of money. The good that will come from victory justifies the source of the money, but alas, it’s still undermoney.
Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley
Under the direction and protection of Army General Tommy Taylor, a group of military operatives steals more than $2 billion, intended for bribes in Syria, to help advance the career of Nebraska's junior senator, Ben Corn, himself an Army vet who is destined to become the next President of the United States. This group is committed to bringing the U.S. back onto the global stage and reversing what it sees as years of short-term thinking about everything from allies to infrastructure. Included in this select enclave are, besides Taylor and Corn, the impossibly beautiful and talented CIA agent Greta Webb and her onetime lover, Don Carter, a former member of Delta Force who is now running his own security company.
They orchestrate the heist in the presence of Fyodor Volk, head of the Parsifal Group --- a Blackwater-like paramilitary organization that is a favorite of Vladimir Putin (here referred to as VVP). Parsifal had contracted to provide backup security for the operation, and when Volk figures out what is being stolen, and why, he initiates a relationship with Webb. Ultimately, he helps Webb figure out how to launder the $2 billion --- but, of course, he wants his cut. When the group settles on using a hedge fund, Industrial Strategies, and its founder, Elias Vicker, it’s no surprise that Volk and his middleman, Lorenzo Gonzaga, get involved. They manipulate events around the world that result in huge gains for the fund, and for a time all parties seem content with the sometimes horrifying consequences.
As author Jay Newman analyzes American policy failures in relation to Russia and China, he toys tantalizingly and sometimes frustratingly with the idea that an alliance with the former may be necessary to combat the latter. He has startling insights into how finance and politics intertwine that will force the lay reader to rethink his or her worldview, even as it bogs down the narrative. Meanwhile, high-end brand names --- from Armani to Heckler & Koch arms and Oberwerk binoculars --- and exotic locales (St. Barts, Cannes) are continually touted, as though Newman wants to both titillate and disparage the greed of it all. And speaking of which, the sex scenes are over-the-top, bizarre and geared to, one assumes, indiscriminate male readers.
The takeaway from this everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink, but still important, novel is that even a seemingly pure and honest candidate doesn’t want to risk losing for lack of money. The good that will come from victory justifies the source of the money, but alas, it’s still undermoney.
Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley
December 1, 2021
“Undermoney” is a dark read. It is not a fun read. But, it is a compelling read. I didn’t like any of the characters, but I still wanted to know their stories. Why they did what they did.
It takes a lot of money to be elected to public office, especially to President of the United States. While it is nice to think that someone could be elected President with just small contributions from everyday citizens, author Jay Newman makes it clear that even a seemingly pure and honest candidate doesn’t want to risk losing for lack of money. The good that will come from victory justifies the source of the money: Undermoney.
Senator Ben Corn is the perfect candidate: a handsome football star, veteran, Rhodes scholar from Nebraska. A senior senior has taken an interest in him and thinks Ben owes him, but Ben doesn’t like owing him.
Some of Ben’s less monied supporters find a way to give his campaign a big money boost. Initially, it is simple enough and maybe not unethical. But getting the money to him is complicated. To launder the money, these people, a general, a CIA agent and veterans who served with Ben find they must work with some ruthless criminals. Is it worth it? They think so. Will you?
It takes a lot of money to be elected to public office, especially to President of the United States. While it is nice to think that someone could be elected President with just small contributions from everyday citizens, author Jay Newman makes it clear that even a seemingly pure and honest candidate doesn’t want to risk losing for lack of money. The good that will come from victory justifies the source of the money: Undermoney.
Senator Ben Corn is the perfect candidate: a handsome football star, veteran, Rhodes scholar from Nebraska. A senior senior has taken an interest in him and thinks Ben owes him, but Ben doesn’t like owing him.
Some of Ben’s less monied supporters find a way to give his campaign a big money boost. Initially, it is simple enough and maybe not unethical. But getting the money to him is complicated. To launder the money, these people, a general, a CIA agent and veterans who served with Ben find they must work with some ruthless criminals. Is it worth it? They think so. Will you?
July 17, 2023
A frustratingly scary book. The author made everything believable. The story had everyone stealing from everyone else and everyone was stealing from various governments. The pursuit of money was the only thing that united the different aspects of the book. Even the supposed good guys were willing to partner with the supposed bad guys to make billions of dollars. If the world is actually being manipulated by the supper rich who don't care if thousands of common people suffer and die then we are all in trouble.
May 26, 2023
One of the very few books I haven't had the will to finish reading. It is realy disheartening and disturbing and honestly, some things in life, I am better off not knowing about. Sad that people in politics, the upper echelon of society and top dogs are above the rest of us, above the law and above God tbh. I read a lot of books on finance, oligarchs, politics and society but this is delving into some pretty weird shiz.
January 16, 2025
Like a Clancy spy thriller, spy, no techno, but without a real good guy. Would have been 5 stars with a more satisfying ending.
Want to read
July 6, 2021Although a bit too long, this is pretty good. It felt quite real at times. Some readers won't like the non-linear structure. Others will like that that breaks it up a bit. I didn't always stay engaged, but like this overall.
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!
March 13, 2022
Matthew 10:16 states, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." As a handful of films have wantonly claimed, Wall Street is a jungle where only the strongest and most predatory survive. More recently, however, and in real life, Robin Hood and Social Media site investors have proven that even the meek and the cunning can carve out a slice of profit, no matter how dwarfed in comparison to the obscene amounts of money generated by the hustlers of south Manhattan's financial district. Ever since the Medici Bank failed in 1494, profits have beckoned, waiting for someone to step into the void to utter 'tieni la mia birra', or in the parlance of the times, 'hold my beer'. Singing of 'Power and the money, money and the power, minute after minute, hour after hour', Coolio reinforces with GANGSTER'S PARADISE that the world of international finance is just that, money never sleeps, and makes the world go round.
Busted right out of CLIFFHANGER, Stallone's ode to staying frosty, UNDERMONEY opens with American currency floating from the sky, just that instead of a few Halliburtons, it's riding pallets towards terra firma. As mesmerizing as Ben Mezrich's RIGGED and Paul Erdman's THE SILVER BEARS and THE BILLION DOLLAR SURE THING, Jay Newman demonstrates (after thirty plus years in the financial industry) with UNDERMONEY that Wall Street and International Finance is a special kind of sleaze, a superb villain, and antithesis of the virtues that America hopes to embody in the eyes of the world. Coming in a close second, however, is the Parsifal Group, a well financed Russkie group modeled after dastardly Blackwater USA and in the business of global disruption to reap profits and power, employing enough rogue muscle to make the Quds force look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. Completing the trifecta are four disaffected former soldiers who go from smoking Black Kush in the 'Stan to working the inside angle, being bone weary of American soldiers dying for the wrong reasons in ill-conceived wars launched without forethought, compelling national interest, or clear definition of victory.
UNDERMONEY is the glue that binds the world order today; it lubes the gears of the global economy and is admittedly a term coined by the author. Not to be taken as chaff, UNDERMONEY is a timely book about Russia, Gazprom, NATO and whether Article 5 would actually be an issue. Honing in on that, the author's got quite the bone to pick with forever wars, self-serving politicians, Wall Street greed, the waste and pretension of NATO, IMF, the World Bank, and Wall Street psychopaths. Unstoppable, UNDERMONEY also deep dives into money laundering, microexpressions, high finance, the global oil and gas industry, and Russian vory. This is to underscore the underlying plot of a lunatic to restore Russia to its rightful place among nations and in turn reinstate its respect as well as its greatness. Sounds like utter fiction, right?
There's a flip side to that coin, and the powers that be are also trying to save America from herself and create a better America that becomes the master, not the victim, of [modern] asymmetric warfare in its many incarnations among all fields of human endeavor. Navigating around sub machine gun toting thugs from Siberian penal colonies to tip the scales, UNDERMONEY exposes the vagaries of international finance, NYSE, investing, and hedge funds. Using concepts and ideas like green rain, stitching, mainstreaming, the Hungarian glide, bearding, disaster creep, the D.C. dipsy-doo, and that nap time is sacrosanct, UNDERMONEY explores the deepest pools of dark money on the planet, fictionalized, of course. Weighty, deep, and informative, UNDERMONEY is leptokurtic--impossible to predict--but highly enjoyable for anyone who does. Can you spot the black swan?
February 9, 2023
I enjoyed reading Undermoney by Jay Newman. The book was interesting, the theme was contemporary and compelling, the characters and dialogue were good, the plot moved along well.
The genre is geopolitical thriller and it involves high level politics, high level finance, money laundering, hedge funds, international espionage, competition between the United States and Russia, The encroachment of NATO Eastward towards the Russian border, and includes a guest appearance by Russian President Vladimir Putin. What else could you want? Little bit of something for everybody. Meaningless violence, gratuitous sex, obscure motives, pettiness, vanity, raw political ambition, greed, avarice, misplaced sense of purpose, individuals with no sense of purpose morals or accountability, a little bit of something for everyone.
There's a lot of interesting backfill, exposition, dialogue, innermost thoughts, explanatory background, All of which is deliciously interesting if you like clever multi-dimensional literature. If that's not for you, then choose one of the many popular writers who have overwritten many times there worth, and now publish using ghost editors or secondary editors.
Other reviews of this book complain that it was too long, could have benefited from major editing.... I think that this criticism is only warranted if short, to the point, easily finished, not complex plot and characters are appreciated above all. Taken from my standpoint as a reader and also as an fiction author (The Surrogate, Vera Mortina, Her Charm Was Contagious, Bloodbird, all on Amazon and Kindle under the writer's name Dimitri Markov) it is commendable that this author put in so much effort, time to detail and plot, and develop interesting background and supportive information and backfill. It's hard to be critical of an author, unless you've done it. Otherwise, it's easy to criticize, just open season and not much else, IMO. You are all adults, put on your big person pants and just read the book. I am confident you can handle it. As an audible version, it's perfect for long walks, jogging, at the gym, air travel or cruise.
Given that many of the other reviews centered around book length, one wonders whether novels such as Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, Exodus, Sapiens, Atlas Shrugged, Grapes of Wrath are also not acceptable because of their lengths. Let he who is innocent cast the first stone.
One last thing I will add is that I did find the ending unsatisfactory, rushed, too simplistic, a little confusing and not helpful to understanding the entire book.
The genre is geopolitical thriller and it involves high level politics, high level finance, money laundering, hedge funds, international espionage, competition between the United States and Russia, The encroachment of NATO Eastward towards the Russian border, and includes a guest appearance by Russian President Vladimir Putin. What else could you want? Little bit of something for everybody. Meaningless violence, gratuitous sex, obscure motives, pettiness, vanity, raw political ambition, greed, avarice, misplaced sense of purpose, individuals with no sense of purpose morals or accountability, a little bit of something for everyone.
There's a lot of interesting backfill, exposition, dialogue, innermost thoughts, explanatory background, All of which is deliciously interesting if you like clever multi-dimensional literature. If that's not for you, then choose one of the many popular writers who have overwritten many times there worth, and now publish using ghost editors or secondary editors.
Other reviews of this book complain that it was too long, could have benefited from major editing.... I think that this criticism is only warranted if short, to the point, easily finished, not complex plot and characters are appreciated above all. Taken from my standpoint as a reader and also as an fiction author (The Surrogate, Vera Mortina, Her Charm Was Contagious, Bloodbird, all on Amazon and Kindle under the writer's name Dimitri Markov) it is commendable that this author put in so much effort, time to detail and plot, and develop interesting background and supportive information and backfill. It's hard to be critical of an author, unless you've done it. Otherwise, it's easy to criticize, just open season and not much else, IMO. You are all adults, put on your big person pants and just read the book. I am confident you can handle it. As an audible version, it's perfect for long walks, jogging, at the gym, air travel or cruise.
Given that many of the other reviews centered around book length, one wonders whether novels such as Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, Exodus, Sapiens, Atlas Shrugged, Grapes of Wrath are also not acceptable because of their lengths. Let he who is innocent cast the first stone.
One last thing I will add is that I did find the ending unsatisfactory, rushed, too simplistic, a little confusing and not helpful to understanding the entire book.
June 11, 2023
Idk, man, this book was weird. There were several times I questioned if I was losing my reading comprehension skills. I almost DNF several times. I’ve never seen so many reviews that said they DNF, but I get it. The acknowledgments said the book was cut down by 25%, which is extremely concerning. This was so bloated. You could take out 100 pages, and there still would be bloat. I think it’s supposed to be complicated to match the systems it’s trying to expose, but it’s just bloat. Was I being lectured or was it part of the story?
You have to suspend your belief for a lot of thrillers, but this required way, way, way too much belief suspension for it to even remotely work. The plots made no sense, and the subplots were even worse. There were also just too many people involved - outside and inside the government. Apparently, they report to absolutely no one because someone in one of several agencies and branches of government would’ve asked where these people have been for months if not years????? Insider threat, etc., etc., except I’m not sure what the government thought they were doing because they absolutely were not spending time on it to the point where I was genuinely surprised when they mentioned several of the people were currently working for the CIA. Not to mention they are all worth millions and millions, and they all managed to hide it without lawyers or accountants and no one knew???? Sure, whatever. Someone would’ve spilled the beans outside of a vague threat thrown out there at the end.
Everyone is terrible. For “brilliant” strategists, they are all idiots, and I refuse to buy into the argument their ego and self-righteousness blinded them. They were just dumb.
Money corrupts and drives every intention was, I think, the thesis of this, but it pretends it wasn’t? Or maybe it wasn’t? And because of this, the ending was…weird? It didn’t match the rest of the book? Or any of their intentions? Or maybe it did?
You have to suspend your belief for a lot of thrillers, but this required way, way, way too much belief suspension for it to even remotely work. The plots made no sense, and the subplots were even worse. There were also just too many people involved - outside and inside the government. Apparently, they report to absolutely no one because someone in one of several agencies and branches of government would’ve asked where these people have been for months if not years????? Insider threat, etc., etc., except I’m not sure what the government thought they were doing because they absolutely were not spending time on it to the point where I was genuinely surprised when they mentioned several of the people were currently working for the CIA. Not to mention they are all worth millions and millions, and they all managed to hide it without lawyers or accountants and no one knew???? Sure, whatever. Someone would’ve spilled the beans outside of a vague threat thrown out there at the end.
Everyone is terrible. For “brilliant” strategists, they are all idiots, and I refuse to buy into the argument their ego and self-righteousness blinded them. They were just dumb.
Money corrupts and drives every intention was, I think, the thesis of this, but it pretends it wasn’t? Or maybe it wasn’t? And because of this, the ending was…weird? It didn’t match the rest of the book? Or any of their intentions? Or maybe it did?
December 15, 2022
Let’s face it. The world’s a red hot mess right now and we’re all left to wonder why. Is it just some kind of chaotic, self-driven, accident or is there something else behind it? Jay Newman’s explosive debut novel is an eye-opener, even for the most jaded amongst us. Do you know that feeling you get when you’re reading or listening to information and it just feels like it’s the truth? Shivers, right? In Undermoney, we learn that there are drivers out there – aiming at destruction, whether they know it or not – patrons of war and profiteering. Monetary-greed, the lust for power, and addiction for “being on top” have led thousands of people at the apex of global society (or trying to get there) to become ruthless, cruel and selfish beyond belief. It’s nothing new, actually, given that history is rife with the stories of conquerors and despots who run over defenseless masses in order to get what they desire. But we live in a time of unprecedented access to the tools - e.g. high-powered weapons, lightning quick communications, internet propaganda – needed to make these people’s actions devastating on a huge scale. The author spent over thirty years working at the top – amongst the moneyed groups, corporations, government agencies and individuals driving it all, and he is sharing what he learned with us. Yes, it’s a novel, so it’s fiction. Or is it?
I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, WA
I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, WA
October 28, 2021
I received the advance reader’s edition from the publisher and gave it a thorough read. It is difficult to know how to categorize this book since the author conveys his deep knowledge of hedge fund and international banking as non-fiction. The drama/thriller is then woven into this material. To me, the focus should have been on the drama/thriller first supported by the banking manipulation and the depraved culture that surrounds it.
The author’s insights are enlightening, and once the real story begins, the thriller aspect is satisfyingly present. If you’re interested in the dark side of the monetary system (undermoney) and how the elite use it to their advantage, this could be the book for you. If you’re looking for a tight drama/thriller, you might find it difficult to wade through all the supporting information. Edited to achieve that magic balance while giving us a character to empathize with, this would be a great book to spend some time with. I’m looking forward to the final version.
The author’s insights are enlightening, and once the real story begins, the thriller aspect is satisfyingly present. If you’re interested in the dark side of the monetary system (undermoney) and how the elite use it to their advantage, this could be the book for you. If you’re looking for a tight drama/thriller, you might find it difficult to wade through all the supporting information. Edited to achieve that magic balance while giving us a character to empathize with, this would be a great book to spend some time with. I’m looking forward to the final version.
May 12, 2022
A violent, sociopathic thriller culminating with the promise of a simpleminded and grotesque Ayn Randian utopia - if the 'protagonists' can just suddenly give up their inhumanity and penchant for corruptibility, of course. A story of people operating well outside the bounds of human decency, if not the spirit of law, as it seems the author is somewhat familiar with. The obvious unconcern for the rest of society outside the financial realm makes this a very creepy and telling book. I will change my review to a positive one, and the rating to five stars, for ten million dollars.
January 16, 2022
Interesting setup but creates a world where the authors personal politics are justified. Also the female characters were clichéd and the way no scene could be complete without a description of boobs was eye rolling. And yes all the females were sex obsessed bisexuals.
February 8, 2022
a mix between a university finance textbook and a GI Joe comic
Absolutely not my style of book: wordy without saying much interesting. The characters are fascimiles: think Ken and Barbie doll dressed up in a layer of intrigue, or an attempt anyway.
Absolutely not my style of book: wordy without saying much interesting. The characters are fascimiles: think Ken and Barbie doll dressed up in a layer of intrigue, or an attempt anyway.
June 24, 2022
This book is AWFUL! None of the characters have any redeeming characteristics. If this is an accurate depiction of the world, I prefer to remain unaware of it. This book left me with several disturbing images I can't unsee and took up too many hours of my life. Just don't read it.
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