Money To Burn

by James Grippando

In this timely stand-alone thriller ripped from the headlines, New York Times bestselling author James Grippando, whom the Wall Street Journal calls "a writer to watch," explores a world in which the destruction of financial institutions and the people who run them can occur in a matter of hours—perhaps even minutes.

At thirty-one, Michael Cantella is a rising star at Wall Street's premier investment bank, Saxton Silvers. Everything is going according to plan until Ivy Layton, the love of his life, vanishes on their honeymoon in the Bahamas.

Fast-forward four years. It's the eve of his thirty-fifth birthday, and Michael is still on track: successful career, beautiful new wife, piles of money. Reveling in his good fortune, Michael logs in to his computer, enters his password, and pulls up his biggest investment account: Zero balance. He tries another, and another. All of them zero. Someone has wiped him out. His only clue is a new e-mail message: Just as planned. xo xo.

With these three words Michael's life as he knows it is liquidated, along with his investment portfolio. Saxton Silvers is suddenly on the brink of bankruptcy, and he's the leading suspect in its ruin. Michael is left alone, framed, and facing divorce, with undercover FBI agents afoot, spyware on his computer, and mysterious e-mails from a "JBU." Embroiled in corporate espionage, he's desperate to clear his name and realizes that several signs point to his first wife, Ivy, as a key player. But what if Ivy has come back from the dead, only to visit on Michael a fate worse than death?

With echoes of The Firm, James Grippando's newest thriller takes readers to the inner circle of Wall Street, illustrating the very real dangers of what Warren Buffett called "financial weapons of mass destruction."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2010

About the author

The first thing you should know about bestselling author James Grippando is that he is no longer clueless—or so they say, after “A James Grippando Novel” was a clue for #38 Across in the New York Times crossword puzzle. James is the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction and a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 novels to his credit, including the popular series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. His latest, "Goodbye Girl" (HarperCollins 2024), is the 18th in the Swyteck series. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in 28 languages. As an adjunct professor he teaches "The Law & Lawyers in Modern Literature" at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also counsel at one of the nation’s leading law firms, where he specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, representing clients who have won more than 40 Tony Awards. He writes in south Florida with Atlas at his side, a faithful golden retriever who has no idea he’s a dog.
Series:
* Jack Swyteck

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars *

A Wall St thriller with a twisty plot, hacked accounts, and greed among the elite!

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A financial thriller set in the time of the housing bubble. We all remember when the bottom fell out and investment banks were in the news every day. Sometimes I have difficulty reading these books. Just an awful reminder of what happened and what we all went through.

Halfway through the book I felt like I had already read this one. Probably because it was sitting on my currently reading shelf for past few months! (OK maybe 6 months!)

At any rate....if you like financial thrillers or a fan of James Grippando then you will enjoy this one.
3.5*

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catching up…

I hadn’t read this author before…

So…

I thought I would try him. As it turns out, I actually had read this one of his years ago. I had forgotten. Definitely a challenge for those of us who read a lot of books! (I didn’t start my list of books read or desired-to-read until 2018.)

Now…

After revisiting the story, I am bringing my review to Goodreads.

How easily would it be to destroy the financial institutions that are at the center of the United States?

Well…

In this book, the author takes us on a thriller journey to give us an inside peek into that very possibility.

And…

As readers we are on the edge of our seat attempting to unravel the mystery the main character, Michael Cantella, is in when his sudden riches are completely gone.

What happened?

And…

Why?

Could it have anything to do with his first wife who disappeared on their honeymoon?

How can someone wipe out his entire bank account?

“When it comes to financial crimes, secrets, violence and even murder, my Wall Street tale proves that sometimes you can clean up toxic waste, and other times it goes up in flames. Intense, hot uncontrollable flames.”

We continue to read, attempting to unravel this puzzle along with the main character.

Even…

As it takes us to the page-turning end.

But…

Those of us unfamiliar with Wall Street terminology, may be a bit confused by the terms, or the financial crime itself, despite the author’s intention of explaining it thoroughly to us.

Still…

This is a gripping read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4 stars. This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it and I would definitely read more by him any day. The story line was a little stressful though, and since I was already having a stressful day, it added to those feelings. Everything that could go wrong with the MC, did....plus way more. It was a gripping story.

The role of the second wife, seemed like "filler" to me and there were a few other characters that seemed to be thrown to shift suspicion all around. It felt, at times, that the character abundance got out of hand, but it was reigned in by the end.....and I loved the ending. So 4 stars.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a solid four, maybe four-plus star read given the first two-thirds of the book but then it goes somewhat off the rails with needless plot twists and complications. I found the character development adequate and the explanation of Wall Street stuff clear and unboring but the myriad twists and reveals in the denouement are irksome and unnecessary. Sometimes simpler plots are better plots.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up after hearing an interview with Grippando on Library Love Fest, Blog Talk Radio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/libraryl...

on March 16th, 2010. He made the book sound too good to resist and I was not disappointed. As I rarely seem to have time to keep up with series fiction, Money to Burn appealed as it is a stand alone thriller by an author with a track record of telling a good story. Not only did I learn a bit about Ponzi schemes, Wall Street and the financial mess torn from recent headlines, I got whisked along in a fast paced read of greed and power. Grippando wrote this one in a year he called "My Least Favorite Year" after the death of his father. I read it in my own least favorite after my mom's death. She was a true Grippando fan. I know she would have loved this one and particularly would have been touched by the character Papa, the lead character's old fashioned dad, an ant among grasshoppers.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Money To Burn was a suspenseful thriller centered around the main character, Michael, whose life starts spiraling out of control when he finds that his accounts have been drained. Although I know a little bit about the financial markets, this book was somewhat educational as well since it centered on the impact of the mortgage crisis from several years ago. James Grippando's books are always fun to read (or listen to) because they keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat to find out what will happen next - always another twist!

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

SETTING: New York
SERIES: Standalone
RATING: 3.5

Michael Cantella is a guy who’s got it all. At the tender age of 35, he’s recognized as a financial wizard at his Wall Street investment bank and has earned more money than he could ever hope to spend. He’s got the great car, the beautiful second wife and a future with no limits. The only thing that has ever gone wrong for him is his first marriage, an impulsive match with a quixotic woman named Ivy Layton. Although they are soul mates, their time together is all too short; on the eve of their wedding, she disappears, with her remains later showing up in a shark’s stomach.

Well, as might be expected, the sun doesn’t shine forever. On the eve of a surprise birthday party set up by his wife, Mallory, Michael takes a few moments to look at his online accounts. Much to his shock, each of them is showing “zero balance”. In a matter of hours, his entire portfolio has been wiped out and his wife is seeking a divorce. He determines that he has been a victim of identity theft, but it’s a hard sell to the members of his firm and the media. In fact, he is painted as a villain who has driven the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Whoever has set him up has done a devilishly clever job of it; there is no trace of the transactions, and information about the situation trickles out in ways that make him look worse and worse. In fact, Grippando piled it on a little too much; there was nothing in Michael’s life that was working and more bad stuff kept being added to the mix. It didn’t help that Michael would never follow good advice and just kept getting himself more tangled in his own downfall.

And then there is the unexpected reappearance of his first wife, Ivy. She’s been on the run after her attempted murder four years earlier and has only contacted Michael because of his precarious situation. She is a very resourceful woman, but I felt that Grippando gave short shrift to Ivy’s back story. It would have added another dimension if he had devoted some page time to exactly how she managed to elude her “murderer” and then a group of pursuers for four years. She had the potential to be a much more powerful character, but perhaps that would have stolen some of the thunder from Michael’s story.

There were a few times where the explanations about various financial transactions went over my head, and I found some of the plot twists and characters to be over the top. However, discovering the truth behind the situation that Michael found himself in kept the book moving along well.

MONEY TO BURN is a financial thriller that feels like a true story right from the headlines. We all know about the ramifications of identity theft and how difficult it is to right that wrong. And the news of the past few years has been filled with the impact of decisions made by financial institutions that put the world’s economy on its ear. Perhaps the scariest part of this book is that it is so true to life. The book is more of a horror story than any tale featuring vampires or ghouls. It’s terrifying to believe that the identity theft of a person of influence can lead to the fall of giants, but all too believable.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

At thirty one , Michael Cantella is a rising star at a wall street premier investment bank, Saxton Silvers. Everything is going according to plan until the love of his life Ivy Layton vanishes on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. Fast forward four years. On the eve of his thirty fifth birthday. Michael is still on track, successful career, beautiful new wife, piles of money until he logs into his computer, enters his password and discovers all his accounts have been wiped out. His only clue is an email message. Just as planned xoxo with these three words Michaels life is liquidated along with his investment portfolio. Saxton Silvers is suddenly on the brink of bankruptcy and he,s the leading suspect in its ruin. Michael is left alone, framed and facing divorce, with FBI agents afoot, spyware on his computer, and mysterious emails from a JBU. He,s desperate to clear his name. What if Ivy has come back from the dead, only to visit on Michael a fate worse than Death! A must read if you love suspense stories.

[Susan (aka Just My Op) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wall Street hotshot Michael Cantella is having a really bad 35th birthday, and it is only going to go downhill from there. In the first 50 pages of this novel, there are two mysteries: a woman and a fortune have both vanished, although not at the same time. I guessed one of the surprises early into the book but won't spoil it but telling you whether my guess was correct. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns in the book. Backstabbing financiers, shock-jock TV financial reporters, less-than-honorable people everywhere, the all-too-familiar collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market. The characters I liked best were Papa and Nana, the down-to-earth grandparents who raised Michael, ants instead of grasshoppers who never trusted those “Fonzie” schemes.

For a mystery, this is a relatively non-gruesome story except for a character named Burn who had a little too close a relationship with gasoline. I even learned more about the reasons for the financial world's meltdown. Overall, this is a mystery I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story concept is why I read it in the first place....the Wall Street crash of 2007...gripping...well could have been. On the positive side, I loved the mix of fiction with historical content and the flare of deep dark conspiracy. This truly had it all, speaking of potential. Big let down for me. I had a hard time with the authors writing style i.e. his constant changing from first person to 3rd person narrative (pick one and stick with it please), blaring inconsistencies throughout, loose ends and quirky resolutions, character development issues i.e. seeming brilliance crippled by moronic actions and outcomes, bad transitions, and a extremely lame ending. Sorry but this one "generously" gets only 2 stars (one for flare and getting me to read it (and finish it) and the other one for potential). Aside from these points...great book..haha I wouldn't recommend it.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent well written story about 21st century Wall Street, including the moral-less greedy venturers whose only god is money. 8 of 10 stars

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly strange and twisty plot with characters you come to care about. Lite (very) profanity. Some gore. Love the narration and highly recommend.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery with a few twists.

[Ryan Madland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads.com to review. I did not receive any financial payment for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are of my own.
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I was first introduced to the writing of James Grippando about two years ago when I read "Beyond Suspicion". After I finished, I was hooked and was ready to read the next installment of the Jack Swytek series.

As you can imagine, I was thrilled when I learned I would have an opportunity to review something by James Grippando. I loved the fact that it was something outside the Swytek series, as I have yet to read anything other than those by Grippando.

The book I am reviewing is "Money to Burn". The premise of the book is about a Wall Street rising star named Michael Cantella. Michael lost his wife, but had moved on, got remarried and was making tons of money. Then one day, he discovers his money is all gone.

Obviously this discovery shocks Michael and he begins his investigation right away. It had to be clerical error, right? Michael slowly then begins to find out, there is way more to his missing money then he first assumed.

His relationship with his wife begins to deteriorate, he's accused of insider trading, amongst other things, and finds out that he really can't trust anyone.

The story starts off slow because James does a great job of setting up things to come. Michael loses money, begins to investigate, and then, boom, the ride begins. From there, I could not put the book down.

One thing I enjoy about the writing of James Grippando is that he writes great supporting characters. Its not just about the lead character. Ian Burn, who is a villan in the book is one best antagonists I've read. His actions are not only devious, but also cringe worthy. I have to admit, I kind of liked him.

Not only can he write a great legal thriller, but with "Money to Burn", he's proven that he can write a great business thriller, much like Joseph Finder.

I highly recommend you put "Money to Burn" on your must read list and or pick up a copy. I think you'll enjoy the the World of Wall Street according to James Grippando.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new Grippando makes a good tale out of the recent melt downs of Wall Street and the investment community. Its 2003 and Michael Cantella is a hot player in the investment bank business and off on a company cruise when his girlfriend who is as tired as he is of the company aboard the yacht suggests they “jump ship” at the next port and go off on their own cruise. They are having a good “alone” time and end up getting married in a quick ceremony on a small island. That night, after a bit too much celebration Michael is out for the count and when he wakes up in the morning his new wife Ivey is no where to be found. After an investigation it is determined she must have gone for a swim and drowned.
Moving forward to 2007 and Michael is remarried and still a rising star in one of the biggest companies on Wall Street.
Suddenly things go wrong, horribly wrong. While checking is accounts one day he finds that all his assets have been reduced to 0. This is the beginning of his desperate attempt to recover his wealth, and the demise of the company he works for as it is forced into bankruptcy by rumor and outside manipulation. What happens and why, your will have to read this very current tale to discover.

ISBN - 9780061556302, Suspense, Pages - 320, Print Size - L, Rating - 4.5
All books reviewed are from the library or purchased by the reviewer.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Cantella has problems. His personal portfolio, worth millions, has vanished into cyberspace. Saxton Silvers, a brokerage firm that he works for has just dropped 90 percent in value. Chuck Bell, a reporter for the Financial News Network, who has been harassing Michael, has just been found murdered and he is considered a prime suspect. His wife is divorcing him over a dead woman, his former wife, who suddenly seems to be no longer dead.

Wow, and you think you have problems!!!!!

James Grippando has put together a barn burner of a novel. It is very contemporary in that it mirrors what has been going on in the financial market today. A novel that will keep the reader on his toes throughout the book. There are enough twists and turns in the story that will keep the best of us guessing until the very end. One also has to be concerned that not everything or everybody may not be what they seem to be.

I highly recommend all of Grippando's novels, but "Money to Burn" is by far his best effort. The story is fast moving, gripping, and thrilling.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5.
This was a really fast paced financial conspiracy thriller. It was a lot of fun and like an onion skin of conspiracy layers. The main bad guy wasn't the deepest villain by any means, but the other characters were surprisingly decent (it seems most of these kind of books have just cardboard shallow characters). The hitman was an interesting guy with a pretty twisted background. Also, fairly uncommon for an Indian hitman, so that was interesting.
No real complaints, just a fun quick read with tons of action (though not really in the Jason Bourne sense).

[Tgordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book so please don’t let the 3 star rating make you think otherwise. I however enjoyed more so the action and relationship aspects of this thriller. The financial aspects left me bored and sometimes lost. I’m just not into walk street and money rackets. That’s just not how my mind works. However it was riveted with suspense and action so if you have that money mind also you will love this book.

[Sharon Beers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wall Street thriller that contains descriptions, in layman's terms, of the reckless adaptation of financial instruments, derivatives, and relaxed net capital rules that caused the banking disasters that led to the 2008/9/10 bailouts.

[Bill Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read fast moving keeps you interested all the way. One of my favorites also by James Grippando Found Money well worth a read. Like his style.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio book
My first Grippando experience and I was impressed. Four stars for well put together mystery. The extra star was the writer's skill in having me be emotionally involved in a real nightmare.

[Hudson Trenholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook while travelling. Really enjoyed it. This would have been a 5 star book for me in terms of just sheer mindless entertainment but for just a couple of things (I'll get to those).

The audiobook reader (Jonathan Davis) was one of the most polished I've listened to. He has a couple of little blips along the way, but his array of voices, pacing, and sense of the story were fantastic. A big thing that bothers me in readers, and which he avoided completely, is reading a voice for the opposite sex in a way that sounds like you are mocking them. I would rather they just took a little off the way they read other characters than try to operate outside of their vocal range, because outside the range sounds demeaning and inauthentic. Davis was great.

The characters were generally interesting. Each one has some unique characteristics and back story. I also found myself with people to root for and others to loathe. The book has some surprises along the way, but mostly follows a basic formula that works.

By the end of the book, there is a solid wrap up but a few loose ends which kind of keep it alive in your imagination. After this, I immediately got another Grippando book just to see if I've found a solid mainstay during periods where I'm driving a lot.

Now, the bad...

I think this book could have ended in half of the epilogue and been just fine. The author carried me along well enough but I didn't need such a long denouement. I waded through the whole thing but it left me bored and waiting for it to end. Sad after such a solid book otherwise. Also, a couple of regular, yet semi-minor, characters were not as fully rounded out in terms of their arcs, though I was hopeful to see a bit more.

[Jane Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I am NOT a conspiracy theorist. But a friend from grad school was a victim of a major academic conspiracy to destroy her life and they succeeded. If I had picked this book up before I learned what hell she went through, I would have approached the book differently.

Mike, the guy who lost his fortune, his wife, his grandparents, his 2nd wife and was the victim of a huge financial and murderous conspiracy-he was the innocent fall guy. Other than Michael, NO ONE is who he thinks they are! The suspense, the stress he faces every minute of his life after the false accusations against him are heart wrenching.

Violence is not ever present, but when it does appear in the book, the violence is disturbingly graphic. Knock you off your feet violent.
A 100 year old financial institution is on the brink of collapse as the direct result of the conspiracy against Micheal. Will he figure out scam and save his old employer's firm or?

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Grippando is one of my favorite authors with the Jack Swyteck series. I really want more of those. Not all of his earlier books had the same appeal, but this one was very good. I would have liked more political involvement in writing this story. That was a critical time in our history. But, this story was more about a fictional drama that took place within the Bubble bursting crisis. If you are looking for a story similar to "The Big Short," this is not it. Enjoy it as a fictional drama that happens to be during that time. Well written, and many surprises, kept me reading and interested till the end.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIBLE BOOK
Michael Cantella, a Wall Street star has a great life until his wife disappears overboard on their honeymoon.
Four years later, life is looking good again, until his accounts are hacked and all his money disappears.
Even worse, his investment bank is under serious attack by short sellers and a financial news analyst.
Michael is suspected of murdering the news analyst, and things get worse from there. Except his wife may still be alive. Which is not great news to his second wife.

[Heather Griffitts Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an enjoyable thriller, I’ll admit that listening to this book was a bit of a challenge in that there were times that Wall Street terminology and explanations were difficult. I wished I’d had the hard copy to actually read what what written as opposed to listen to it. That took a bit away from the story for me.

Overall, not knowing Wall Street in depth, there were
times the plot seemed implausible. That could also be my own naivety at work.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew, what a roller coaster! Set just before the global financial crisis, Michael, a high flyer on Wall Street suddenly discovers all his multimillion dollar accounts have been cleared out. Within days his whole firm is facing liquidation. Conspiracies abound, no one appears to be who they seem. Bodies start to pile up and all fingers appear to point to Michael. Gripping and compelling with non-stop action, although I still can’t get my head around shorting, sub prime lending and securities.

[William Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much domestic stuff (romance, marital problems) mixed with boring financial stuff.

The last third of the book was the most interesting and action-packed.

Moral of the story: either don't use a cell phone or take out the battery when not using it.