The Bottom Line: A fast-paced, pulse-pounding financial thriller that Sheldon Seigal fans will love.   It’s 2016, and Julian Maslow, an operations manager at global investment bank CFK, is staring down an accusation that he stole 16 million dollars. To say nothing of his reputation, this could mean the destruction of his luxe, full-grain leather lifestyle. He’s sent packing, pending an investigation, and finds himself home with nothing to do for the first time in decades.  Maslow is sure his name will be cleared soon. But it’s not long before the gravity of the situation sets in, and Maslow realizes he’s on borrowed time. He sets out to prove his innocence.  Like financial thriller titan Sheldon Seigal, author James Huk understands how to make even an investment banker seem sympathetic thanks to fully developed characterization. Throughout, Huk’s prose is as pressed and taut as a starched Brooks Brothers suit. While the pace is quick and engaging, he never sacrifices thoughtful detail.  Huk has also created a formidable opponent in SEC investigating attorney Frank Favara. The SEC attorney has an axe to grind, and is all too happy to deal a devastating blow to - as he thinks of Maslow and his ilk - entitled Wall Street thieves who have stolen fortunes from hardworking families. Favara certainly takes on some familiar tropes of the disheveled SEC attorney determined to knock the Connecticut-commuting Maslow down to the former outer borough he grew up in. And yet he comes to life with colorful dialogue and telling details such as his trademark Coleman backpack with attached thermos. Most importantly, there’s enough lawyerly maneuvering here to please legal thriller fans.

Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5

The explosive novel Holding Patterns follows a strategic investment banker as he attempts to escape his past.

In James Chesterton’s literary thriller Holding Patterns, an investment banker who’s been accused of embezzlement confronts his past and plans for an uncertain future.

In 2016, Julian is an operations manager at a prestigious global investment firm. His day is ruined when Frank, an agent with the SEC, notifies him that he’s under suspicion of embezzling over six million dollars. Julian denies the allegations, but agrees to work with Frank to clear his name. If he’s found guilty, he could lose his job, the ability to work in finance, and his family.

When the investigation begins in earnest, Julian is put on paid leave. He is unable to communicate with his coworkers. But instead of spending the time with his wife and children, he decides to take his friend, Gary, to South Carolina for a distraction. They get up to old tricks: steak dinners, golf, drinking, and strippers.

Julian’s past includes shocking secrets, and Gary’s own shady dealings are an additional complication. The investigation takes a back seat as Gary’s indiscretions come to light, leading to a harrowing confrontation between the friends: if Julian continues to associate with Gary, his children’s godfather and his oldest friend, his decency may be irrevocably compromised.

The book’s complicated financial elements are explained via concise asides. Also explored is the minutiae of flying a private plane: piloting protocol, radio talk, and negotiating with brokers for hangar space. Such details seem extraneous at first, though they come to reveal much about Julian’s personality; they also foreshadow intriguing plot twists. More immediately engaging are the book’s conversations, which are often filled with snappy comebacks, particularly between Julian and his adversaries in any given scene. Julian’s conversations with his daughter are more tender and careful.

Consistent in its shifts between Julian’s vacation and Frank’s investigation, this concise narrative holds interest. Frank races to expose Julian; Julian’s family reels from his potential crime; a suspicious brother-in-law tries to move against him. The result is an intense family drama—though one driven most in its later portions by the disparities between Gary and Julian, more so than by the investigation that began it.

Boasting an explosive conclusion, the novel Holding Patterns follows a strategic investment banker as he attempts to escape his past and discovers what matters most.