TEN DAYS. SEVEN DEADLY SINS. ZERO RI$K. When customer complaints on Christmas Eve about tenfold inflated bank balances herald not early gifts, nor a botched system upgrade, but the most sophisticated cyber-attack in history, new National Bank CEO Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a "Black Swan" storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated. He enlists the help of brilliant American computer security expert Ashley Markham but the attacks only worsen: bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation's banks. The only clue to the hacker's intentions are cryptic daily emails taunting Tanner and the newly incumbent Prime Minister, James Allen. With financial markets - and the very world as he knows it - on the brink of collapse, Tanner races against the clock to decode not just the bizarre emails but their deeper meaning, and the implications for who he can really trust. All the while, his former boss "The Toad" is seeking revenge... and answers of his own. This enthralling, multi-layered debut follows the story of a disillusioned banker facing the unthinkable where money has no value, stock and bond prices are meaningless, and the economy is destroyed. Tanner must unravel the mystery of the hacker's obsession with Hieronymus Bosch's medieval representation of the seven deadly sins before modern society returns to the dark ages. TALKING POINTS Dependence on technology and the risks of cyber-terrorism. An innovative modern take on the seven deadly sins. A 'locked system' variation on the locked room mystery where, why? may be more important than whodunnit. A morality tale set in London at Christmas (with "Christmas in July" launch event invites to follow).

About the Author
Simon's career spans financial services, executive search and consultancy. Banking took him from London, where he was a top-ranked securities analyst, to Boston, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Search took him back to Japan, then as head of a leading London-based Financial Services practice into the City's most exclusive boardrooms. He wrote Zero Ri$k whilst creating the rubriqs (R) people skills system.

Reviews
A very good financial (and in part political) thriller, with a plausible plot. Set mostly in London in the 2024 Christmas season, it reads like a fictional Michael Lewis crossed with a more serious Dan Brown. Well written, lots of detail, sharp dialogue, and well-rounded characters, it has a good grasp of the inner workings of the City and Government. Like a Jack Reacher novel, you want the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose, with a twist or two along the way. Does it meet the Ian Fleming test of do you keep wanting to turn the pages? Yes. Recommended? Yes!



Book Information
ISBN 9781738462407
Author Simon Hayes
Format Hardback
Page Count 592
Imprint The Rubriqs Press
Publisher The Rubriqs Press