cover image Bad Money

Bad Money

Louise Patten, Quercus (IPG, dist.), $12.95 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-84916-220-3

Patten's solid debut, a financial thriller, introduces Mary Kersey, who as a partner at a City of London bank works "ridiculously long hours" and is known as something of "a pious prig," while her scholar husband, Guy, earns a tenth as much as a Cambridge college fellow. Grace, their pony-loving 11-year-old daughter, attends a posh Catholic boarding school. In 2005, their peaceful lives turn upside down after Mary agrees to help the treasury ministry investigate suspicious hedge fund dealings—in particular, a biotech company's takeover of another biotech company. When Grace is rushed to the hospital after falling off her pony, Mary finds a note in the girl's jodhpur pockets that warns "keep away from hedgies." Some readers might wish for more action and less detail about the financial industry, but Patten, a former banker and management consultant, does a good job of dramatizing the conflict between job and home. (Dec.)