Yes! A story for us few and proud financial wonks. A book that actually allows me to leverage my Finance MBA for more than just building spreadsheets. Thank you, Jay Newman! Undermoney is an elaborately detailed, ambitious financial and political thriller the likes we haven’t seen before despite it being about something as old as time itself – the pursuit of money and power.
It’s impossible to sum up Undermoney’s intricate plotlines and international intrigue in a simple paragraph. There’s a lot going on, starting with a group of American soldiers who steal a couple of billion dollars during the Iraq war as part of a long game to eventually install one of their own in the Oval Office and reshape American politics. Then there’s an insanely and inexplicably successful trillion-dollar hedge fund led by an enigmatic genius financial mind that is not only getting insider information but actually manipulating world events and profiting from the global financial market responses. Oh, and there’s the private Russian military company that has its hands in everything from money laundering to fighting Putin’s wars by proxy. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s an organization behind the scenes that seems to be pulling all the strings without consequence. Throw in a little money laundering, kompromat and death and this book has a little bit of everything that you could possibly want in a thriller with no less than the future of the world at stake.
While there’s a healthy dose of financial operations and market maneuvering that will appeal to those working on Wall Street and/or those in possession of an advanced degree in finance, Jay Newman does a good job keeping it simple for all to follow. And thankfully that stuff isn’t the main focus of the book. Instead, Undermoney spends the majority of time providing an infuriating look at the rich and powerful not only playing by a different set of rules, but manipulating momentous world events for their own personal financial profit. The big question you have to ask yourself as you read Undermoney is whether this is really fiction or actually a non-fiction account of a secret cabal of billionaires, politicians and financiers who are influencing the world order and getting rich at the expense of the rest of us suckers. Because everything in this book feels incredibly realistic to the point that if it’s not already happening then it’s just a matter of time.
I’m fascinated to see where Jay Newman takes this story next as it has the makings of an epic trilogy that blurs the lines between fact and fiction. Undermoney isn’t to be missed, especially by fans of highly detailed, realistic thrillers the likes of Jason Matthews and Don Winslow. It has the potential to be that special.
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