Need You Now
James Grippando

Harper Collins
Jan 2012 /ISBN: 9780061840302
Financial thriller
Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer

When the Ponzi scheme foisted on the investors fell apart Abe Cushman committed suicide, leaving behind angry investors, a chaotic financial community, sixty billion dollars of investments and many unanswered questions. Questions like where are the billions of dollars allegedly invested in the Cushman Fund? And, since the government was made aware of the scam by various whistle blowers, why didn't it take steps to defuse the situation?

The FBI made an agreement with Patrick Lloyd, a financial advisor at the Bank of Switzerland. His father, who is in the Witness Protection Program, will receive special medical treatment and Patrick will cultivate Lily, another employee of the Bank of Switzerland. It is thought that Lilly handled the Cushman transactions with the bank and knows where the money is. Lilly denies this. Patrick believes her. A group of Cushman investors, powerful and dirty, threaten the two with death unless the money is recovered. Patrick and Lilly must follow the paper trail and uncover, to their dismay, a web of deceit, cover-ups and clandestine operations which threaten their lives.

This is a financial thriller but the emphasis is not so much on the machinations and maneuvers of the financial institutions but more on the effect these have on the people involved. There are twists and turns to keep the reader in suspense. The characters are real. The writing is superb. The basic theme is taken from yesterday's headlines: the Bernie Madoff situation.