Julie's Review: Black Fridays

Summary: Sometimes a man can be redeemed. But not in the way he expects. Jason Stafford is a former Wall Street hotshot who made some bad moves, paid the price with two years in prison, and is now trying to put his life back together. He’s unemployable, until an investment firm asks him to look into possible problems left by a junior trader who died recently in an accident. What he discovers is big – there are problems, all right, the kind that get you killed. But it’s not his only concern. Stafford has another quest as well: to reclaim his five-year-old son, “the Kid,” from his unstable ex-wife, and then learn just what it means to make a life with him. The things Stafford discovers about himself in the process are every bit as gripping as his investigation, and when the two threads of his life come together – the results are unforgettable.

Review: Black Fridays is a crime thriller but it goes a little deeper than that as well. I can tell you that if it wasn't for The Kid humanizing Jason I probably wouldn't like him as much. He takes on responsibility for The Kid who is autistic and been locked up in a closet with his mother-in-law and ex-wife for two years.

As he tries to get The Kid into a routine and try to understand him, he gets hired by Weld to investigate some trades by a junior member of their staff. What looks like it will be a quick way to make some money ended up getting Jason entangled into quite the money trail. I will admit that at times the financial talk went over my head but I understand enough to catch the drift.

What kept me engaged was Jason's struggle to find the money trail and do the right thing and his need to be able to provide for his son. Do I necessarily agree with the road that Jason took? No, but I understand his motivation behind it.

Jason definitely grew throughout the book and it was encouraging to see that The Kid was making progress.I think that Jason has a realistic view of his son's struggles now and to come. I also loved to see him develop new relationships outside the financial markets and start to make his way away from Angie. She is nothing but trouble. I would love for Jason's dad to play a bigger role in their lives as well.

I love that the the title has duel meaning. It means something to Jason and The Kid and it means something to the financial markets.

I did feel that it dragged a bit towards the end but I did like the ending. Mr. Sears definitely has something special with these characters and I can't wait to see what Jason and The Kid do next.


Final Take: 4/5

Jenn's Review

Thanks to the publisher, Putnam,  for my ARC of the novel.