MASTER, MINION

This novel focuses on the weaponization of money—and how one murder can destabilize financial markets around the globe and potentially change the balance of power in the world.

When a deputy chief of the Russian Central Bank is murdered, Nick Burns, a researcher for a Boston-based hedge fund and a former Army translator, is tasked by the Boss to investigate. The Boss, the founder of the hedge fund and “worth more money than God,” is convinced that America’s financial system is about to implode. He wants Burns to confirm that there are connections between the murder and a veritable “Rubik’s Cube” of seemingly unrelated events, including Russian money laundering in South America through drug trafficking and a Russian state-owned bank involved in a massive bitcoin/dollar exchange with China’s Ministry of State Security. As Burns travels the globe attempting to understand the complicated political dynamics that could tie all these events together, he has to deal with his dying mother back in Boston as well as a newfound love interest in Li You, aka Lola, a Chinese-born researcher working in Hong Kong. Featuring an impressively large and diverse cast of characters (included in a four-page glossary), Podolsky’s well-written novel isn’t just the deep exploration of the complex connection between political influence and the manipulation of currency. Instead, the tale’s power lies in the way in which the author makes this a character-driven narrative (an element lacking in many thrillers). Burns is three-dimensional, authentic, and identifiable. He loves his mother, risks his life for Lola, and—as an aspiring painter—sees the world through a vivid dichotomy. Humans are potential murderers as well as a “reflection of God’s beauty.” That said, the story—perfectly positioned for a sequel—delivers everything thriller fans expect: pedal-to-the-metal pacing, a complicated mystery, nonstop action and intrigue, and more than a few bombshell plot twists.

A potent, well-crafted thriller that’s a page-turner of the highest order.