The Bull Option is a work of suspenseful thriller fiction penned by author Sameer Garach. Set in the cutthroat world of finance, this criminally inclined novel starts when homeless and hopeless Kannada Khan saves the life of Wall Streeter Robert Prosperi. As a former banker, Kannada sees the opportunity to reverse his fortunes and win back his former love when Robert persuades him to partake in a Wall Street heist. The homeless man goes on a wild ride, recruiting a ragtag crew and planning the heist of the century.

Sameer Garach’s work reads like an upscale Ocean’s Eleven, bringing the complexity and elegance of New York’s financial world into the mix alongside everyday Joes who want to make some money and make it fast. What really sold it to me was the down-and-out Kannada Khan, whom any reader would empathize with and root for despite the huge financial crime he’s planning. Author Sameer Garach puts great empathy into Kannada’s dialogue and ways of thinking, offering a unique and intimate perspective of the lengths that people will go to get themselves out of the gutter, in this case, literally. Garach strikes an excellent balance between the well-described ensemble cast and the plot, which wasn’t overly complex. Overall, I recommend The Bull Option to fans of crime fiction, suspense novels and heist movies in general.

Kannada Khan had been homeless for several years after a lucrative career as an investment banker. His fortunes changed when he saved the life of Robert Prosperi, a real estate developer and hedge fund manager. Initially, Rob simply wanted to repay Kannada for his kind deed. But, the two of them developed a plan which could result in millions of dollars. Kannada wanted to be successful again. Rob wanted to get even with his nemesis, David Lemon, the head of the New York Stock Exchange. Rob and Kannada forged a complex financial heist and recruited a diverse group of people with special skills to carry out the scheme. This included a gorgeous “companion” named Zara. When Kannada lost his job, his engagement to Amara ended; Zara provided a tantalizing alternative. The Bull Option, written by Sameer Garach, is a thrilling adventure - a masterful plan to steal money from David Lemon during a large Initial Public Offering in the NYSE.

This book is written in a fast-paced style. Although there are many people involved in the plot, each one is aptly described and easy to imagine. Each character has distinguishing aspects, such as the computer hacker who eats Cheetos constantly. While the main plot is the unfolding financial heist, and whether or not it will succeed, the love relationships in Kannada’s life add another suspense element to the story. This book is a page-turner, and the reader is engaged from the first page to the last. Author Sameer Garach has crafted a captivating and realistic story in The Bull Option. It is a thrilling read!

‘Where there’s a seller, there’s a buyer’

Texas author Sameer Garach earned his degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and graduate studies in quantitative finance. Embellishing his career with writing, Sameer made his literary debut with this novel THE BULL OPTION, exploring Wall Street in a financial thriller. His newest book is the highly creative satire - DAKOTA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM. Having read both books, an interest is sparked that glows brightly.

One of the many aspects of Sameer’s writing that makes his book so enjoyable is the quality of his writing – skilled, informed, imaginative and polished! That world of Wall Street - a perplexing puzzle of hedge funds, capital losses and gains, corporate tachycardia, IPO, suspense, and greed - is foreign to most of us, unable to be digested much less discussed with any sense of understanding. That world is at the center of Sameer’s fine novel, and for once it is comprehensible and seems credible! He ushers us into that place, creates a story that abounds with fascinating characters, and in doing so he not only entertains us: he informs us as well.

To sample a touch of his prose, ‘At New York County Civil Supreme Court, Robert Prosperi, a husky man with dark brown, curly hair, swallowed his loss. The head of The Prosperi Organization, a real estate development firm, and RP Capital Management, a hedge fund, anticipated the publicity that would follow. He closed his briefcase and stormed out of the room…’ With that carefully poised set of clues the story begins.

The provided synopsis outlines the story well: ‘When Kannada Khan, an investment banker turned homeless man, saves the life of Robert Prosperi, a struggling hedgie, he is repaid with a unique yet risky job offer that could change his fortune forever. With plans for a theft on Wall Street, Robert aims to undermine his rival, the head of the New York Stock Exchange, and Kannada seeks to return to a life of normalcy. They recruit a motley crew from Main Street—a bartender, a stockbroker, an attorney, a computer hacker, a pilot, a boxer, a confidence man, and an upscale luxury companion—to carry out their scheme. Three weeks is all they have to infiltrate the heart of American financial power and steal the proceeds from the biggest Initial Public Offering in recent history. However, money isn't the only motive driving Kannada. Chasing his past flame is his game. Now she's working for and dating the very Wall Street titan they're trying to rob.’ Kannada Khan – once met, will resurface in our minds for a long time!

As said before after enjoying DAKOTA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM, ‘This new book marks the arrival of a significant new talent on the literary scene – a young man with a solid future, whose keen mind offers fine concepts while entertaining us briskly.’ Very Highly Recommended

A good plot, well researched and well written. Great job of incorporating multiple characters in a way that made it easy to remember who was who.

In The Bull Option by Sameer Garach, homeless Kannada Khan is a former investment banker who hit rock bottom. With so much time on his hands, he’s writing a book about a heist on the New York Stock Exchange by a group of people. When he saves Robert Prosperi, a troubled hedgie, from getting run over by a taxi, Robert invites him to dinner, where the book is discussed by chance. Intrigued, he offers Kannada the risky task of making the fictional scheme a reality, aiming to subvert his rival, who’s also a hedgie and the head of the NYSE. Worried but seeing the job as a fast way to turn his life around, Kannada recruits his people to steal the proceeds from the biggest Initial Public Offering, an action that will either make or break him.

Hedge funds, insider trading, stock markets, IPO－there was an initial concern that I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the story with my layman knowledge regarding the mechanics of the financial world, particularly Wall Street. However, The Bull Option is not excessively weighed down by too many monetary details or financial terms. Non-technical readers will be able to enjoy this financial thriller just fine. The recruitment process of Kannada’s motley crew of ‘The Main Street Company’, the planning of the heist, and its execution are quite Ocean's Eleven-esque although the outcome is not as smooth.

The story is another reminder that the world of Wall Street is unforgiving and that morality is simply inapplicable, particularly when it’s about greed and getting even. Garach’s characters are well-developed to move the plot in its intended direction. They are not easily likable at first; in fact, most of them are not likable at all. Nevertheless, morality is not completely lost on some protagonists, which may or may not surprise readers. Overall, this is a solid debut from Garach.

Even the plots are turning and our characters get into unbelievable situations, the book is well written and author has great knowledge about financial industry and people there . . . [The] book is very accurate using persons and even describes the IPO process very accurately. When big guys can make money “gray” way, so small guys have right to rob them as well.