Editorial Content for Undermoney
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Reviewer (text)
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.
"[Newman] has startling insights into how finance and politics intertwine that will force the lay reader to rethink his or her worldview..."
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.
Teaser
When a U.S. airdrop of billions of dollars disappears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen. Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s geopolitical dominance on the global stage. Essential to this scheme are Greta Webb, a sophisticated CIA operative who is an expert on dark money, and Elias Vicker, the damaged, dangerous soul who runs the world’s largest hedge fund. To achieve its goals, the group must form dangerous alliances. One is with the hidden family that manages the largest private pool of capital that has ever existed. Another is with Fyodor Volk, the ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company, a mercenary with ties to Vladimir Putin.
Promo
When a U.S. airdrop of billions of dollars disappears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen. Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s geopolitical dominance on the global stage. Essential to this scheme are Greta Webb, a sophisticated CIA operative who is an expert on dark money, and Elias Vicker, the damaged, dangerous soul who runs the world’s largest hedge fund. To achieve its goals, the group must form dangerous alliances. One is with the hidden family that manages the largest private pool of capital that has ever existed. Another is with Fyodor Volk, the ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company, a mercenary with ties to Vladimir Putin.
About the Book
From a seasoned insider of global finance comes a “stimulating, relevant, and dramatic” (The Wall Street Journal) thriller about a group of American operatives who secretly take over the world’s largest dark money fund --- “a gripping thriller that takes you into the world of New York hedge funds, Russian money launderers, and DC power politics [that] makes you feel like you’re actually there” (Bill Browder, author of RED NOTICE).
When a U.S. airdrop of billions of dollars disappears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen. Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s geopolitical dominance on the global stage. Essential to this scheme are Greta Webb, a sophisticated CIA operative who is an expert on dark money, not to mention lethally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and Elias Vicker, the damaged, dangerous soul who runs the world’s largest hedge fund.
To achieve its goals, the group must form dangerous alliances. One is with the hidden family that manages the largest private pool of capital that has ever existed. Another is with Fyodor Volk, the ruthless founder of Russia’s most successful private military company, a mercenary with ties to Vladimir Putin. Volk has his eye on Greta. She would be wise to avoid him but cannot.
Arcing from Manhattan’s finest apartments to Washington, D.C., from Middle Eastern war zones to private European bank vaults, Jay Newman’s UNDERMONEY follows the Americans as they are enmeshed in the world of dark money and confront ever-increasing danger. Ultimately, they must decide whether their objectives are worth the cost of sacrificing not just a few but potentially many human lives. Brilliantly rendered with the details only a sophisticated financial insider knows and filled with jaw-dropping action, UNDERMONEY reveals the secret intentions and savage deeds of the world’s richest people.
Audiobook available, read by Jeremy Bobb
