The Signatory: a crime novel

by Stuart Black

Overview

After selling his start-up business, Sam has the kind of money only dreams are made of. Young, and married to the love of his life, it's time for Sam to enjoy his good fortune.

That is, until Sam's Chief Financial Officer is taken hostage by a ruthless criminal demanding a document in his possession. A brutal murder follows, Sam is the prime suspect, and soon he and his wife, Lauren, are on the run from both the police and a faceless network of conspirators somehow connected to the company that just bought them out.

In a fight for survival, you need to know who to trust. And when it's no longer the company you work for, and your best friend is dead, who do you turn to?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781922830289
Publisher:	Glass House Books
Publication date:	04/10/2023
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Stuart worked for Saatchi & Saatchi in Sydney and London, before becoming the founding partner and CEO of South-East Asia's leading healthcare communications group, Ward6. Alongside his career in advertising, Stuart is the author of two novels. In 2003, he had a manuscript shortlisted for the NSW Writers' Centre Popular Fiction Competition and, in 2009, published the psychological thriller Shallow Water. Stuart's second novel, The Signatory, is based on his intimate knowledge of the international corporate world. Stuart is married and has two children.

Editorial Reviews

2023-07-03
An Australian crime thriller focuses on a problematic business deal.

Black introduces readers to 34-year-old Sam Pride. Sam and his business associate Zoe Barnes have spent years building up an ad agency called TBA in Australia. When TBA is purchased by a gigantic corporation named YRG, the money is astonishing. It is so good that Sam rewards each of his employees with a $40,000 bonus. Sam is even able to purchase brand new BMWs for both his wife and himself. Once all the partying is over, there is one small snag. A look at the accounting records reveals that nearly $8 million seems to have vanished after the merger. Things get worse when Chaz Bailley, the chief financial officer of TBA, is kidnapped. The abductors contact Sam: They want the memo that explains the transfer of the missing money. Sam is startled, but he does have one ace up his sleeve. A friendly but imposing ex-con nicknamed Little Ted works for TBA. Ted is able to call in a favor to help with the Chaz situation. But the operation goes poorly, and Sam finds himself in a situation that he could hardly have predicted when he was still celebrating TBA’s amazing fortune. The narrative takes several pages to hit its stride. Sam’s foray to the BMW dealership and his congratulations speech to his staff (not to mention dialogue about how his talks are “legendary”) can test readers’ patience. Yet once Chaz is in very serious trouble, tension fills the air. The fact that the protagonist is a mild-mannered advertising executive helps differentiate this engaging work from the average thriller. Sam is new to such things as negotiating with kidnappers; sometimes he needs advice. Who knew the dull world of mergers could create such terror? As Sam points out, a major flaw in the corporate world “occurs when your only imperative is money.” As his gripping mission proves, money may buy nice cars but it can come with great peril.

A rollicking adventure that stars an unlikely corporate-world hero.

Kirkus Reviews