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Book Review of Calculated Risk

Calculated Risk
paxtonholley avatar reviewed Very good techno-thriller, if a bit dated on + 67 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I read Neville's opus, The Eight, a few years ago and enjoyed it. I thought it was a bit bloated, with almost too much information, but I read to the end and wound up liking it despite myself.

This book is completely different than The Eight. It still tries to tell two interconnected stories, one from the past and one from the present, but it's a lighter story and easier to follow. It follows a woman bank vice-president who enters into a bet with a former mentor who happens to be a financial/tech genius. They are to attempt to steal $30 million from Wall Street. She can use a computer, he can't. Brilliant setup, if you ask me.

I enjoyed this book all the way up until the end. The characters were interesting, their heist was clever and I wanted to see how it would get done. Then everything just fell apart and the story ended in a quick wrap up. I was a bit disappointed as the rest of the book promised a much better ending than we got. Overall, it's a good story, but don't expect a clever finish.