Whom You Know Celebrates our 500th Post in Read This with The Gods of Greenwich by Norb Vonnegut Our Coverage Sponsored By Stribling and Associates
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There is almost nowhere that is more pressurized environment than a hedge fund in Greenwich (except maybe a hedge fund in London or a hedge fund in Westport), Connecticut with stocks like "toddlers by a swimming pool" (p.115). And distressed bonds too, for that matter. If you disagree, perhaps you haven't tried it. There are other vocations that are stressful and important, but clearly if the average person hasn't learned what the events of the past few years have shown us, the implications and consequences of what happens on Wall Street affect the world more than almost anything else because the effects are far-reaching, to oversimplify the whole matter. If Wall Street isn't happy, no one is happy. So, this makes for excellent subject matter for a thriller, from an author who has mastered the genre (we would expect nothing less from an Exeter grad who has two degrees from Harvard) in only a few short years since he exited Wall Street. Our Editor-in-Chief would quite agree that writing is the way to go in this economy! Unlike other book critics, Peachy Deegan spent a decade of her life in the trenches of Wall Street including in Connecticut and mostly was a bond girl...so, we are uniquely qualified to comment on this novel, because we have lived it. Unfortunately, real life was not this exciting...
We're going to have to tell our friend Patrick Chapman about the Screaming Eagle mention, and we're not talking Boston College this time. The only thing we don't like about this book is that we didn't know Norb in April of 2011...Why do we love The Gods of Greenwich? Let us count the ways. We had quite a pile to pick from for post 500, and he earned the spot splendidly.
You can always count on Norb for new and creative ways to murder people, not literally speaking of course but in the literary sense that we love murder best. We won't tell you who, what, when, why or how, but we will tell you where: inbetween the two covers of The Gods of Greenwich. "Kicking. Gliding. Hunting. Rachel rammed her syringe needle into the septuagenarian's... (p.99) You've seen quite some fates in the other two books we read...and be sure to avoid the Seagull School of Relationship Management. (p. 268)
Norb is masterful at the art of showing, not telling and his descriptions paint amazing pictures. We read on page 14: "They had shared the same game for the last forty years with Frederick Sterling Jr. and Samuel Harkness VI, both Yale graduates of similar vintage. Harold marched outside the club's hoary wooden halls into a New York blizzard on loan from Siberia."
Norb excels at grammar and uses WHOM properly on page 164.
Norb knows what he's talking about as well when he refers to Wall Street personalities-and of course it was handy that he's Crimson....we quote page 89: "He didn't have the flashy resume of other hedge fund tycoons. He never played hockey at Harvard, like Phil Falcone from Harbinger or Tim Barakett from Atticus." To the average reader they might be just names, but if you are in the world of finance, you know who they are. Perhaps you even traded with them yourself. Authors should write what they know, and Norb does. He also knows what happened September 15. And he knows the difference between an office and hell could come down to just Bloomberg terminals...
Norb quotes lovely poems like:
I like to have a martini
Two at the very most
After three I'm under the table
After four I'm under the host (p. 206)
We liked the characters best in this novel out of all three by Norb-we like Emi rummaging for Prada a TJ Maxx-
..and we also like people that look like "Preppy Fire Hydrants," (p. 109). You'll have to read what the hydrant is blasting...however, we were most highly entertained by the best part of the book: when the traders were motivated to take estrogen. (p. 261, 458)
People on Wall Street are among the smartest in the first place-so when they become authors as intelligent and skilled as Norb Vonnegut is-the rest of the literary world better watch out because he's setting it on fire.
Whom You Know has previously loved Top Producer:
and The Trust:
and we believe it's only a matter of time before the highly acclaimed and intelligent Lucy sees her name in lights, or at least in print. We know she has a fan base online.
So, we had an idea how much we'd like this one as well. We'd like to advise you not to start this on a day where you have any other commitments because you're going to be unable to leave the book. You'll be so sucked in you probably should not even put the kettle on the stove for a cup of tea as you might forget you turned it on. Peachy read this in a day...and no one should be intimidated by the nearly 500 pages since they go so quickly.
Our esteemed panelists add:
After reading two excellent books by Norb Vonnegut, Top Producer and The Trust, I could not wait to read a third, The Gods of Greenwich. Vonnegut has a history on Wall Street. This allows him to paint such a realistic picture of the world he writes about. This murder mystery, like his other books, is a very interesting read. In these current times, the world of finance is especially intriguing. In the book, the main character, Jimmy Cusack, finds his life on the brink of ruin after his hedge fund collapses. Then, he is offered a job at LeeWell Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut. Unfortunately, with this decision comes a price! Make sure you set aside enough time in your schedule for this book. Once you start reading, you won't want to put it down! Once again, Vonnegut's storytelling technique does not fail to impress!
A real page turner. Even if one had zero knowledge of how hedge funds and the stock market operate, you get caught up in the drama. 99% of people have probably never heard of the condition called Prsopagnosia. However it was a interesting part of the book. To save you from having to look it up as I did, here you go. I did your homework for you. It is called face blindness…it compliments a great financial thriller plot. Truthfully, the murders that occur in the book are wild. The method of killing the characters are some of the best I have ever read. The last two hundred pages will keep you non-stop reading with some real surprises in store.
We love thrillers, the books we can not put down because we are hanging on each to word to find out what happens next. That is why we really enjoyed The Gods of Greenwich by Norb Vonnegut. Vonnegut, a Wall Street veteran, exudes on point details with fascinating story telling. In his newest masterpiece,
Vonnegut introduces us to Jimmy Cusack, an up and comer on Wall Street who made his way up from a scrappy kid from Somerville, Massachusetts. Cusack watches as his hedge-fund falls apart, his house forecloses and his wife is pregnant, what is a man to do? Soon Cusack finds gainful employment at LeeWell Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut. So it seems every cloud has a silver lining or does it? As the fund does better and better Cusack soon realizes that with money sometimes comes with problems...big problems. You won't believe what's in store for our friend Cusack and you won't be able to put this book down. Norb Vonnegut has done it again, you will really enjoy reading The Gods of Greenwich.
This is the third book of Mr. Vonnegut's I've had the privilege of reading. I never thought I'd like financial thriller books, but Mr. Vonnegut writes in such a way that engages and hooks a reader. I was happy to see this book take place in Greenwich, CT. I'm originally from Connecticut and love when my home state gets to shine. While the characters are different from the other books I've read, I couldn't help but fall in love with them. Not too long into the book, I felt like I knew them personally. I wasn't expecting a female contract killer to enter the plot, but I found it worked rather well. I don't think it could've worked any other way. Her role in the main plot isn't clear for most of the novel, which I think is genius. I don't want to give too much away, but this is a book that anyone who loves a good mystery has to read. I know I've suggested this novel to several of my friends. I can't wait to read more by Mr. Vonnegut.
The Gods of Greenwich has earned Whom You Know's Highest Recommendation.
We cannot wait to see what he does next.
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The Gods of Greenwich
A Novel
By Norb Vonnegut
Author of TOP PRODUCER
What if Tony Soprano Ran a Hedge Fund…?
Norb Vonnegut possesses the perfect resume for writing thrillers set in the rapacious financial world. In 2009, he turned his experiences as a personal wealth advisor at firms like Morgan Stanley and PaineWebber into a highly acclaimed novel called Top Producer—a story that took readers inside investment banks to reveal how Wall Street operates.
Continuing with a new tale of frighteningly plausible hi-jinx in the world of high finance, Vonnegut delivers a recession-era nail-biter in THE GODS OF GREENWICH (April 26, 2011, Minotaur Books), the story of a super-powered hedge fund and a new employee who suspects a deadly secret behind its spectacular quarterly gains.
In the opening chapters the scene is set: Jimmy Cusack, a tough kid from a blue-collar Boston upbringing who has made good on Wall Street and runs his own shop, is answering to his top investors who want out – now! Cy Leeser, charismatic, high-powered financial dynamo, is across the world in Iceland planning a shorting-scheme to bring down one of their largest banks. And Rachel Whittier, a sexy nurse with a side job, has off-ed an aging millionaire in his Fifth Avenue apartment.
Having seen his debts go through the roof, Cusack, has to take a new job and there’s no time to be picky. Fortunately, Cy Leeser at LeeWell Capital wants Jimmy to work at his company in Greenwich, Connecticut ("ceremonial capital of Hedgistan"), a hedge fund that hasn’t posted losses in a decade. A god of Greenwich, Cy is revered for his success on every front, from his hedge fund to his trophy wife, to his art collection worth millions. It doesn’t take long for Jimmy to become embroiled in the sinister games Cy plays with markets and investors across the globe, from Yemen to Reykjavik.
Even as the markets collapse and Lehman Brothers unthinkably goes under, Cy has a scheme for emerging on top of the Wall Street rubble. And Jimmy gets the sense that this scheme might involve a fatality or two—possibly even his own.
Vonnegut illuminates with startling precision the dark places lurking in the collective psyche of the financial industry’s elite in THE GODS OF GREENWICH, and he uses that insight to fuel an electrifying tale of suspense.
For more information about THE GODS OF GREENWICH or to schedule an interview with the author, Norb Vonnegut (distant cousin to the late Kurt), please contact Newman Communications.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Norb Vonnegut is from a military family and spent his formative years in Charleston, SC before heading to Phillips Exeter Academy, then Harvard, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1980. He went on to get his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Before becoming a full time writer, Vonnegut worked at Silvercrest Asset Management as a Managing Director responsible for equity and fixed income portfolios. He has also worked for Morgan Stanley, PaineWebber, Kidder Peabody, and Chase Manhattan. Vonnegut is a member of the Board of Trustees for the American Foundation for the Blind and bicycles whenever possible.
Married with two children, Vonnegut splits his time between Bronxville, NY and Narragansett, RI. He is a distant cousin to the late Kurt Vonnegut.
Vonnegut blogs on The Huffington Post and on Acrimoney.com, a website that covers the wild world of Wall Street and the culture of finance. He is currently working on his third novel. Visit his Web site at www.norbvonnegut.com
THE GODS OF GREENWICH
Norb Vonnegut
Minotaur Books / A Thomas Dunne Book
Hardcover, Fiction, $24.99
978-0-312-38469-2
April 2011
