Holding Patterns

Chesterton’s arresting debut opens on a dramatic note with SEC investigator Frank Favara accusing Manhattan investment banker Julian Maslow of diverting $6 million from his clients’ accounts to an account in the Cayman Islands. Though Favara’s inquiry is still in its early stages, he has enough evidence against Maslow to issue his bank a Wells Notice, an SEC notification to a financial institution that one of their employees may have violated securities law. Maslow’s employer, CFK Bank, places him on leave and cuts off his access to his office. Maslow maintains his innocence to his wife, Chrissie, but she’s disturbed when he decides to take advantage of CFK’s surprising largesse and use a company plane to fly to South Carolina to play golf with a colleague, rather than spend time with her and their kids. The probe continues in his absence, escalating to execution of a search warrant at the Maslow home, further alarming Chrissie. Chesterton, who works in finance for a global bank, keeps readers guessing as to his protagonist’s culpability. Even without a violent crime at its heart, the story line maintains interest and suspense throughout. Chesterton is off to a promising start. (Self-published)