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Wealth Management
For Fans of Jess Walter and Gary Shteyngart, a Breezy Thriller Set in Geneva, Switzerland, Featuring Three Wealth Managers who Must Put their Lopsided Love Triangle Aside to Snare Perpetrators of Financial Crimes.
In the lush world banking capital of Geneva, Switzerland, three old friends from Harvard Business School find their lives and their work unexpectedly intertwined. Catherine and Majid are handling investments for clients with dubious pedigrees. When troubled investments are “fixed” by murders and bombs, they come to realize that their clients are Mafiosi and terrorists, but by then they are accomplices, under threat, and have no easy way to extricate themselves. When their friend Rafe—now an undercover agent with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence after a moral awakening of his own—shows up in Geneva, he claims to be just another start-up hedge fund manager. But Rafe is secretly investigating his old friends, one of whom was his former lover. Catherine is seeing Majid and sleeping with Rafe again while her biggest client appears to be leading her into a trap of co-conspiracy. Majid is jealous of Rafe, but he’s got bigger fish to fry when he realizes his biggest client shorted a Nigerian oil company stock right before causing a catastrophic “accident.” Innocent lives are lost and the body count is mounting. As the CIA closes in on the terrorists themselves, Rafe, with the help of a Nigerian police officer, Detective Okoro, works to find a way to save his friends and the world at the same time.
Fast-paced, entertaining, witty, and fun, Wealth Management shows that Emmy award-winning TV writer Edward Zuckerman is at the top of his game.
In the lush world banking capital of Geneva, Switzerland, three old friends from Harvard Business School find their lives and their work unexpectedly intertwined. Catherine and Majid are handling investments for clients with dubious pedigrees. When troubled investments are “fixed” by murders and bombs, they come to realize that their clients are Mafiosi and terrorists, but by then they are accomplices, under threat, and have no easy way to extricate themselves. When their friend Rafe—now an undercover agent with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence after a moral awakening of his own—shows up in Geneva, he claims to be just another start-up hedge fund manager. But Rafe is secretly investigating his old friends, one of whom was his former lover. Catherine is seeing Majid and sleeping with Rafe again while her biggest client appears to be leading her into a trap of co-conspiracy. Majid is jealous of Rafe, but he’s got bigger fish to fry when he realizes his biggest client shorted a Nigerian oil company stock right before causing a catastrophic “accident.” Innocent lives are lost and the body count is mounting. As the CIA closes in on the terrorists themselves, Rafe, with the help of a Nigerian police officer, Detective Okoro, works to find a way to save his friends and the world at the same time.
Fast-paced, entertaining, witty, and fun, Wealth Management shows that Emmy award-winning TV writer Edward Zuckerman is at the top of his game.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2022
32 people are currently reading
1845 people want to read
About the author
Edward Zuckerman
3 books12 followersEdward Zuckerman began his career as a journalist, writing about zombies, killer bees, talking apes and other subjects for Rolling Stone, Spy, the New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, and many other magazines. He wrote two well-reviewed nonfiction books, "The Day After World War III" and "Small Fortunes," and then moved into writing for television dramas, including "Law & Order" (50+ episodes) and "Law & Order: SVU." He has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and an Emmy for his work on "Law & Order." He lives in Manhattan and Manhattan Beach, California. WEALTH MANAGEMENT is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 6, 2022
Okay, so I immodestly gave my own book 5 stars. A guy's got to try, right? Now, moving on to books I did not write...
August 25, 2023
A financial thriller revolving around the Swiss banking system from the Emmy-award winning writer of more than 50 episodes of Law and Order. Very funny. Very sexy. Deliciously thrilling!
June 23, 2022
I honestly could not get into this book. It drug by in the first few chapters. Not the one for me. Maybe it will be for you.
September 21, 2022
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S WEALTH MANAGEMENT ABOUT?
Not that long ago, Catherine, Rafe, and Majid had attended Harvard Business School together—they were competitors, friends, and (at least briefly) more than friends. After graduation, they'd each gone their separate ways, but life has brought them all back together in Geneva, Switzerland.
Catherine is working for a large and important bank, Majid and his partner run a fairly new hedge fund management firm, and Rafe...well, there's what he tells people and what's really going on with him. The personal entanglements have started/resumed before we see the reunion of the trio, and they become more entangled after the book begins. As do the professional dealings—and here's where it gets messy.
It turns out that one of Catherine's more significant clients seems to be involved in some money laundering (and is dragging her along with him)—and possibly some worse crimes. Majid's firm is in serious cash problems, that might have been saved by one client—but he and his partner are concerned about this client and how he knows just the right stocks to sell short. And Rafe just might be able to save both of them from these, shall we say, complications.
There's at least one murder, a terrorist act or two, some CIA agents, a persistent (and possibly honest) Nigerian police detective, and other assorted criminal and conspiracies afoot as well—and once Majid and Catherine become aware of them (and/or stop lying to themselves about how complicit they may be), it looks like Rafe's help isn't only attractive—but their sole lifeline.
Can Rafe help his friends/lover/frenemies? Can they uncover—and maybe stop—a terrorist plot?
THE FINANCIAL SIDE
Like I said last week when talking about Nineteenth Century Monetary Crime—I'm not particularly interested in, or seemingly that capable—of rolling up my sleeves to get into the nitty-gritty of the World of Finance. I get the broad concepts—and can even appreciate the broad outlines of a discussion of short-selling (and things along those lines).
I was a little apprehensive about that idea before I started the book. Would this get into the weeds with that kind of thing? I remember learning too much about nuclear submarines or the inner-workings of an aircraft carrier deck's operations back in the 80s and 90s when all I wanted was some action. Would the infodumps/background information slow things down too much?
Yeah, I was also a little worried about not being able to follow the focus of the action—no one likes their novels making them feel dumb. Or even if I could understand it, would it really be interesting enough to hold my attention?
Thankfully, it didn't get too far into the weeds. I could understand the financial actions—and it wasn't dull at all. Actually, I think this is the kind of thing that'd be good to see more of. Just how do terrorist groups—or even criminal organizations (outside of theft or selling drugs/guns/whatever)—fund themselves? It's not like you can reuse explosive materials or bullets, and they don't grow on trees—the money has to come from somewhere, and it sure isn't from bake sales. The idea that certain targets/plots are motivated as a way to generate income for a terrorist group is a great way to cost a guy some sleep (and hope that "the good guys" are able to stop them).
And if cryptocurrencies reared their head at all, it was so briefly* that it didn't leave a lasting impression—right now, you have to be grateful for that.
* Also, a quick word search didn't turn up the term.
I'M NOT ENTIRELY SOLD ON THIS...
There's a Love Triangle here among our protagonists—it's not a significant part of the story, but it's not insignificant either. Well, "Love" might only apply for 1-1.5 of the sides, but "Friends-With-Benefits Triangle" doesn't have a great ring to it, and "Sex Triangle" seems to suggest all sorts of things that Zuckerman didn't have in mind.
If this is a product of a "you have to have sex in a thriller to sell" kind of a thing, I guess it fulfilled its cynical function—and didn't put off prudes like me.
If it's to round out these characters and make them more than young professional types out to make all the money they can—or to ground them in reality and/or make them more interesting? I guess it succeeded (maybe not in the interesting part, but its possible).
If it's to add layers of additional and conflicting motivations to the characters—giving them reasons to trust, distrust, and be unwilling to work with each other? It's not bad—but I think it could've been played up a bit more—or at least more thoroughly. We get some of this, but I think it could've been explored a bit better.
It's likely all three of these things—and probably more—and as such, it largely succeeds. But my gut tells me that it could've been done a bit better without turning the book into something all about the Triangle.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WEALTH MANAGEMENT?
Okay, I called this a Financial Thriller (as does the publisher)—but never fear, there's the requisite gunplay, hand-to-hand violence (and threat thereof)—and actual terrorist activity. The thrills aren't all in deft trades and market chicanery. The money material is the focus and does provide most of the thrills—and it's what distinguishes this book from the rest of the market. In the end, we get a tight and intricate novel full of intrigue.
At one point, I counted a dozen competing/conflicting motives/goals/actions at work among the named characters—plus a handful of people we don't meet. Zuckerman keeps the action jumping from character to character quickly, advancing each plot line a little at a time so they can come together in a nicely dramatic fashion.
Some of the characters aren't that developed—but there's enough to hang on to. With most of them, it's easy to see that in another 50-100 pages or so, you could see them being described as such. But with a cast as big as this one in under 300 pages? You're going to get some that are undercooked, there's just no way to do that. Like with most thrillers—if it comes down to a choice between plot vs. character, plot wins—especially when it's paced the way this is. It's not a bug, it's a feature (not my favorite feature, but it is one).
My initial reaction when I was emailed about this book was, "'MBAs," 'Banking', and 'Thriller' are not terms I'd expect to be together"—and they're still not. But when done right—done the way that Zuckerman did it in these pages—I'm glad to say that I was wrong.
This is a very effective thriller, a little something different in the diet—and generally a good time. Yes, I think that another hundred pages could've been added to better develop characters, the whatever-triangle, and to flesh out a few other aspects of the book—but I think that might have sacrificed pace and tension, and you don't want a ponderous thriller. So, I think Zuckerman made the right choices there. A quick glance at IMDB shows you, that he knows his way around a tight plot—also any author who is able to induce a moment of acrophobia deserves kudos.* I'm glad to recommend Wealth Management and encourage you to check it out.
* Sure, in real life or on film (or via a Go Pro video), I'm on a hair trigger for that kind of thing, but to do it without visual stimuli is a trick.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author via Wiley Saichek and Saichek Publicity in exchange for this post—while I appreciate that, the opinions expressed are wholly mine.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S WEALTH MANAGEMENT ABOUT?
Not that long ago, Catherine, Rafe, and Majid had attended Harvard Business School together—they were competitors, friends, and (at least briefly) more than friends. After graduation, they'd each gone their separate ways, but life has brought them all back together in Geneva, Switzerland.
Catherine is working for a large and important bank, Majid and his partner run a fairly new hedge fund management firm, and Rafe...well, there's what he tells people and what's really going on with him. The personal entanglements have started/resumed before we see the reunion of the trio, and they become more entangled after the book begins. As do the professional dealings—and here's where it gets messy.
It turns out that one of Catherine's more significant clients seems to be involved in some money laundering (and is dragging her along with him)—and possibly some worse crimes. Majid's firm is in serious cash problems, that might have been saved by one client—but he and his partner are concerned about this client and how he knows just the right stocks to sell short. And Rafe just might be able to save both of them from these, shall we say, complications.
There's at least one murder, a terrorist act or two, some CIA agents, a persistent (and possibly honest) Nigerian police detective, and other assorted criminal and conspiracies afoot as well—and once Majid and Catherine become aware of them (and/or stop lying to themselves about how complicit they may be), it looks like Rafe's help isn't only attractive—but their sole lifeline.
Can Rafe help his friends/lover/frenemies? Can they uncover—and maybe stop—a terrorist plot?
THE FINANCIAL SIDE
Like I said last week when talking about Nineteenth Century Monetary Crime—I'm not particularly interested in, or seemingly that capable—of rolling up my sleeves to get into the nitty-gritty of the World of Finance. I get the broad concepts—and can even appreciate the broad outlines of a discussion of short-selling (and things along those lines).
I was a little apprehensive about that idea before I started the book. Would this get into the weeds with that kind of thing? I remember learning too much about nuclear submarines or the inner-workings of an aircraft carrier deck's operations back in the 80s and 90s when all I wanted was some action. Would the infodumps/background information slow things down too much?
Yeah, I was also a little worried about not being able to follow the focus of the action—no one likes their novels making them feel dumb. Or even if I could understand it, would it really be interesting enough to hold my attention?
Thankfully, it didn't get too far into the weeds. I could understand the financial actions—and it wasn't dull at all. Actually, I think this is the kind of thing that'd be good to see more of. Just how do terrorist groups—or even criminal organizations (outside of theft or selling drugs/guns/whatever)—fund themselves? It's not like you can reuse explosive materials or bullets, and they don't grow on trees—the money has to come from somewhere, and it sure isn't from bake sales. The idea that certain targets/plots are motivated as a way to generate income for a terrorist group is a great way to cost a guy some sleep (and hope that "the good guys" are able to stop them).
And if cryptocurrencies reared their head at all, it was so briefly* that it didn't leave a lasting impression—right now, you have to be grateful for that.
* Also, a quick word search didn't turn up the term.
I'M NOT ENTIRELY SOLD ON THIS...
There's a Love Triangle here among our protagonists—it's not a significant part of the story, but it's not insignificant either. Well, "Love" might only apply for 1-1.5 of the sides, but "Friends-With-Benefits Triangle" doesn't have a great ring to it, and "Sex Triangle" seems to suggest all sorts of things that Zuckerman didn't have in mind.
If this is a product of a "you have to have sex in a thriller to sell" kind of a thing, I guess it fulfilled its cynical function—and didn't put off prudes like me.
If it's to round out these characters and make them more than young professional types out to make all the money they can—or to ground them in reality and/or make them more interesting? I guess it succeeded (maybe not in the interesting part, but its possible).
If it's to add layers of additional and conflicting motivations to the characters—giving them reasons to trust, distrust, and be unwilling to work with each other? It's not bad—but I think it could've been played up a bit more—or at least more thoroughly. We get some of this, but I think it could've been explored a bit better.
It's likely all three of these things—and probably more—and as such, it largely succeeds. But my gut tells me that it could've been done a bit better without turning the book into something all about the Triangle.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WEALTH MANAGEMENT?
Okay, I called this a Financial Thriller (as does the publisher)—but never fear, there's the requisite gunplay, hand-to-hand violence (and threat thereof)—and actual terrorist activity. The thrills aren't all in deft trades and market chicanery. The money material is the focus and does provide most of the thrills—and it's what distinguishes this book from the rest of the market. In the end, we get a tight and intricate novel full of intrigue.
At one point, I counted a dozen competing/conflicting motives/goals/actions at work among the named characters—plus a handful of people we don't meet. Zuckerman keeps the action jumping from character to character quickly, advancing each plot line a little at a time so they can come together in a nicely dramatic fashion.
Some of the characters aren't that developed—but there's enough to hang on to. With most of them, it's easy to see that in another 50-100 pages or so, you could see them being described as such. But with a cast as big as this one in under 300 pages? You're going to get some that are undercooked, there's just no way to do that. Like with most thrillers—if it comes down to a choice between plot vs. character, plot wins—especially when it's paced the way this is. It's not a bug, it's a feature (not my favorite feature, but it is one).
My initial reaction when I was emailed about this book was, "'MBAs," 'Banking', and 'Thriller' are not terms I'd expect to be together"—and they're still not. But when done right—done the way that Zuckerman did it in these pages—I'm glad to say that I was wrong.
This is a very effective thriller, a little something different in the diet—and generally a good time. Yes, I think that another hundred pages could've been added to better develop characters, the whatever-triangle, and to flesh out a few other aspects of the book—but I think that might have sacrificed pace and tension, and you don't want a ponderous thriller. So, I think Zuckerman made the right choices there. A quick glance at IMDB shows you, that he knows his way around a tight plot—also any author who is able to induce a moment of acrophobia deserves kudos.* I'm glad to recommend Wealth Management and encourage you to check it out.
* Sure, in real life or on film (or via a Go Pro video), I'm on a hair trigger for that kind of thing, but to do it without visual stimuli is a trick.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author via Wiley Saichek and Saichek Publicity in exchange for this post—while I appreciate that, the opinions expressed are wholly mine.
June 5, 2023
Entertaining, fast thriller on financial crime in Geneva. In my job, I get trained (unnecessarily) on KYC, and detecting financial crime. Plus, when I lived in Europe, I was close enough to Geneva to go there for lunch...so perhaps I found it more enjoyable than others might.
December 14, 2022
Great first thriller novel. What better place to have a finance novel than Switzerland. Fun to visualize the places I’ve been and need to check out. I was a diver like Catherine for similar reasons.
October 1, 2023
Ranking just north of the halfway mark at 204 on ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE'S 2004 "The Greatest 500 Songs of all Time", BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE spent a healthy time since its release in 1986 reinforcing the British band NEW ORDER as a primo New York City club scene mainstay. The title and upbeat song need nary a detailed explanation, making it a natural choice for Hollywood ad execs to bombard TV audiences in 1994 to promote the spring fling flick THREESOME. Rather self-explanatory as well, the movie deals with three college roommates who become friends, fall for each other, albeit the wrong pairings, and then drift apart. A wan trailer with a good song, however, failed to produce the cash windfall hoped for based on the salacious title and possibilities. Big money moves, pop and flash Euro hotspots, and a BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE are all on the ledgers for WEALTH MANAGEMENT, a financial thriller that delves deep into the dark side of creative asset concealment.
Despite being famous for delicious cheese that is ridden with holes, Switzerland has long had the real and fictionalized reputation for ironclad banking laws and secrecy practices making a lot of spy thrillers of yore dastardly fun. Additionally, the supreme quality of life, natural beauty, clean air, and low crime levels are irresistibly poised for abuse compared to what you get in, say, New York City, the financial capital of the world. Of course, Switzerland being home to more than 600 WEALTH MANAGEMENT firms can't hurt either. Dropping right in with golden parachutes are three friends, all armed with Harvard MBAs, ambition, and more than just a little dash of greed. In a world where newspapers and magazines are dead, digital media is oversaturated, and every schmuck in the world has a podcast, Rafael "call me Rafe" Sassaman, Majid Hassan, and Catherine Cole are all working different angles and, of course, each other. Taking center stage, Rafe got tired of tearing apart companies and destroying employees' lives back in Connecticut and despite thinking he never committed any actual felonies but sure as hell threaded through a lot of loopholes, the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence has him considering finance existentialism. What's the point, really, of working to help people with four hundred million dollars earn another fifty when you can catch cunning and dangerous tax cheats and international evil doers and their financiers? Let the healing begin.
Harvard MBAs, Swiss banking, and thriller aren't necessarily used in the same sentence or to sell novels in the 2020s, though it was a thing in the 1970s if you go back far enough to the 'E for Paul Erdman' shelf. Primal, simple, and clear, WEALTH MANAGEMENT feels like Brett Easton Ellis meets 1980s John Hughes and illuminates Finance 403, the American hole-punching of Swiss banking laws and secrecy, taxoplasmosis, Nigerian klepotcracy, and that life is complicated. Insisting that no one in the world is entirely honest, innocent, or good, WEALTH MANAGEMENT also dishes on the finance industry, alleging that it takes less identifying information to establish a shell corporation in Delaware than it takes to get a library card, and that 2 & 20 is hedge fund fee standard; 2% of assets under management and 20% of gains. The fund loses money, the client stands alone. While drilling down into the tedium of money laundering via casino dodges, real estate phantasms, short sells, and fake diamond shipments to and from India, the narrative also proffers an interesting interpretation of Islam, the Koran, and the 72-Virgins myth. Rife with snappy dialogue, rogue terrorists, and even a Nigerian detective with a shakedown racket of his own, this is Swiss private banking as you've never seen before. While not quite on par with Paul Erdman novels but running the gamut of shorts, puts, calls, straddles, straps, black swans, bulls, bears, sheep, pigs, WEALTH MANAGEMENT flaunts the sexy side of finance and asserts that the world is not enough.
June 5, 2023
This may seem a bit too dry for some readers, but
I found the financial game(s) (short selling mostly
and money laundering) going on to be interesting.
I did think that there was a lot of dialogue and
not much action for most of the book and yet
at the same time I thought it moved at a good clip.
It has a good/clever plot and the author has
mixed in a love triangle as well as a good amount
of light hearted humor.
Recommended
I found the financial game(s) (short selling mostly
and money laundering) going on to be interesting.
I did think that there was a lot of dialogue and
not much action for most of the book and yet
at the same time I thought it moved at a good clip.
It has a good/clever plot and the author has
mixed in a love triangle as well as a good amount
of light hearted humor.
Recommended
March 16, 2023
I read 75 pages. Cannot get into the story. Stopped reading it.
November 4, 2023
Good action. Lots of threads that tie together. Not entirely unexpected, but still entertaining and once I got into it, didn’t want to stop.
January 16, 2024
Great book ❤️❤️
January 17, 2024
Read for a book challenge. Just not my style book. Well written though
December 22, 2024
Interesting.
April 27, 2025
pretty good decent pace but a little too predictable imo
July 14, 2024
fun book
Not the deepest and some of the ending is tied up like a law and order episode with too many coincidences.
But it was a very fun read.
Not the deepest and some of the ending is tied up like a law and order episode with too many coincidences.
But it was a very fun read.
October 7, 2022
Feels like it would work better as a tv mini series. Or maybe that’s what it’s really written for.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews