Conspiracy, by Jacob Ganani

Eight stars

First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Jacob Ganani for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Dabbling in the world of account balances and spreadsheets, I turned to Jacob Ganani’s latest financial thriller to get the blood pumping. With a number of great subplots and delving into the banking world, I took the plunge in a genre I would normally have left to gather interest elsewhere. Elijah Levi has issues in his personal life that he’s discovered cannot be handled on his own. His wife has been struck with a muscular disorder that is not only crippling, but also costs a great deal. While he has been employed with General Citizens Bank for many years and kept a spotless record, Levi uses his knowledge to scam Israel’s third largest bank out of a great deal of money through a complex embezzlement scheme. While doing so, Levi discovers something even more troublesome that the bank has been doing, which includes cheating the US Government out of a significant pile of its own cash. When the red flag goes up on Levi’s actions, officials within the bank are ready to terminate him and let the police take the appropriate action. However, Levi presents them with a deal to protect himself and keep the bank out of hot water. Officials are shocked that he would have the temerity to do or say much of anything, calling him nothing but a crook. Meanwhile, US officials think that they are on to the scam and trace General Citizens Bank back to some interactions with a Swiss financial institution, but they must tread carefully. As Levi knows too much, he will have to be handled before everything comes crashing down, but to do so may leave General Citizens Bank in hot water and create political turmoil between two political allies. An interesting take on a financial conundrum in this fast-paced thriller that will have the reader checking their bank balances soon after finishing. Recommended to those who enjoy stories with a financial spin to them, as well as the reader who finds pleasure in thrillers outside of the typical domain.

This was my first novel by Jacob Ganani, which introduced me to the world of financial thrillers. Ganani leads the reader on quite the adventure with this piece, targeting the intricacies of the banking world and how easy it can be to pull a fast one on unsuspecting clients. While the book offers up a few key storylines, Elijah Levi does prove to be the central character. His long career with the bank makes him a model employee, knowing the ins and outs of the system, which is potentially how he has been able to work his scam so effectively. Levi has a personal problem that can only be solved with money and has his eye on the millions that cross his desk on a daily basis. His love of a sick wife forces him to take action, though he tries to do so in as sly a manner as possible. He’s also able to see the bigger picture and the practices that General Citizens Bank is taking on, using that as leverage. While I would not say he ‘grows’ as a character, it is interesting to see how Levi uses what little power he has to turn the tables on his employer. A handful of secondary characters work their way into the story effectively, both in the Levi embezzlement plot and the larger scheme by the bank. Ganani offers up these characters both to entertain and educate the reader, which is done quite effectively. The story is flavoured not only by those characters, but also the setting for me. Israel is one of those places that I know or hear little about, outside of its political struggles in the region. Ganani offers a different spin to keep the reader interested, while not weighing them down with too much excessive editorialising. In a book well outside my usual genre, I was able to keep up with detailed chapters that explained some of the goings-on, as well as shorter ones to keep the plot moving effectively. There may be some technical aspects to the story, but Ganani shies away from alienating readers (like me) who do not have a strong financial background or a passion for the banking world. The writing was crisp and the narrative flowed well, using dialogue effectively to get the point across. I’d gladly suggest Jacob Ganani’s work to anyone looking for a different type of thriller that still keeps the tension and chills of any crime or legal one.

Kudos, Mr. Ganani, for a great piece. I will certainly recommend you to others and promise to be back to try some more of your work in the months to come.

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons

Conspiracy (Giordano Bruno #5), by S.J. Parris

Eight stars

Back with another instalment of S.J. Parris’ Elizabethan mystery series, the reader sees Giordano Bruno in his fifth adventure. Taking things out of England, Parris sends her protagonist to France, where the religious politics have reached a boiling point. When visiting a friend in Paris, Giordano Bruno seeks guidance from Paul Lefèvre, a priest in the local abby. Not long after, Lefèvre is found clinging to life and utters a single word to Bruno before he dies. Unsettling as it is, Bruno is unsure who might be behind this and goes to see the current French monarch, Henri III. While discussing the murder with Henri, Bruno learns more about the Catholic League, an organization with the push to keep France firmly in the Vatican’s column. This movement is being run by the Duke of Guise, a name Bruno knows well from his time in the middle of the religious fights in England. With the Duke eyeing the French Throne, he stirs up controversy about the current monarch and tries to pin the murder of Lefèvre on Bruno, an obvious former Catholic reprobate. As tensions rise in Paris, Bruno is soon confronted by the Queen Mother, none other than Catherine de Medici, whose own past is full of iron-fisted moments as she watched her sons limply rule over France. As more bodies pile up, Bruno is eager to find a killer and set the record straight, even as the League is pushing harder. Even word that Sophia Underhill is in Paris cannot shake Bruno’s resolve, but he will need more than that to save himself and France from coming apart at the seams. Another stellar novel in the series shows that S.J. Parris knows what she’s doing with this historical thriller series. Recommended to those who love this time period, as well as the reader who finds mysteries from another age to be just as (or more) interesting!

As I have said before, this series is not light and superficial, as it tackles the time period and much of the political machinations head-on. Investing much time and dedicating myself to become more comfortable with the detail Parris offers has paid off. She continues with detailed writing style that offers a learning experience on every page, though some proverbial rabbit holes down which she takes the reader are clearer than others. Giordano Bruno offers a slightly different perspective in this piece, back in France, with a monarch who sought to protect him from the Inquisition. Bruno owes much to Henri III, but also his friend Paul Lefèvre, even though they sit on opposite sides of the Catholic question. Bruno works diligently to turn over all stones to find a killer, even when he is yet again painted as a possible suspect, all because of his background and apparent religious leanings. His being a level-headed man has moments when Bruno is praised but also vilified, as though he is trying to deflect away from his beliefs. Said beliefs are not as accepted as they were in England, an issue that Bruno discovers as the Catholic League gains momentum on Paris streets. Parris does not put her protagonist on a clear path, tossing political and religious issues in his way, as well as injecting some subplots from past novels that need more depth or resolution This is a brilliant way to add character development and allows series fans to see how softy arcs develop for those who are attentive. Parris returns with more new characters—a mix of historically accurate and those of her own creation—who fill the narrative with their own points of view, while adding to the historical events about which the reader might not be aware. The story remains well-paced and constantly develops, forcing the reader to pay close attention and connect some dots within the narrative or overall series. The reader is outside of England for once, which adds new flavour to the plot, but the English still have a role to play throughout the struggle that sees France on the tipping point. With a mix of chapter lengths and plot that never takes a break in is evolution, Parris creates a plausible story and shows some of the lesser known aspects of the time to lay readers such as myself. I will keep reading and see where Bruno will go, as the ride has been exhilarating to this point.

Kudos, Madam Parris, for another story that entertained and educated in equal measure.

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons