Synopsis
When customer complaints on Christmas Eve about tenfold inflated bank balances herald not early gifts, nor a botched system upgrade, but the most sophisticated cyber attack in history, National Bank Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a 'Black Swan' storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated.
He enlists the help of brilliant American computer security expert Ashley Markham but the attacks only worsen: bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation's banks. The only clue to the hacker's intentions are cryptic daily emails, centred on Hieronymus Bosch's medieval representation of the deadly sins, taunting Tanner and newly incumbent Prime Minister James Allen.
With financial markets—and the very world as he knows it—on the brink of collapse, Tanner races against the clock to decode not just the bizarre emails but their deeper meaning, and the implications for who he can really trust. All the while, his former boss "The Toad" is seeking revenge... and answers of his own.
Review
With so many mysteries and thrillers, it's always fantastic to read a book that really stands out and provides a unique concept. In Zero Ri$k, bank accounts have been hacked, but people have been given money - considering this is set at Christmas, it's a brilliant premise and really makes you wonder what you would do in this situation...
Hayes' financial background really adds to the credibility of the story and it was never too intricate or complex for those of us who know very little about this industry. This is down to the writing style and the well-developed characters, many of whom have shady secrets, dubious dealings and questionable morals. The intrigue of the seven deadly sins element really provides an additional layer to the story, because readers will be trying to work out what the emails are hinting at, whilst also suspecting multiple characters.
I also liked that the author does not leave all reveals until the end of the book; as it is a slow burn, this is a wise decision to ensure people keep reading, because they want to know the why- as well as the whodunnit... The author also poses several questions about morality and sin, which will provoke discussion.
It is a little long for a thriller, which does affect the pace at times, but overall this is a gripping, financial thriller that really has you turning the pages and trying to work out the clues before the characters. An impressive debut.
Thanks to Literally PR for my advance copy. Opinions my own.
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