Zero Ri$k
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 2, 2024
Author Simon Hayes
Distributor: Amazon UK
ISBN: 978-1738462407
Publisher: The Rubriqs Press
Release Date: June 2024
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They called him ‘The Toad’ and he was universally disliked. They dreaded the meetings he Chaired as the head of the Financial Risk Operations Group of the National Bank; he loved the meetings, the rush of power, the control was like a drug to him, but he was also considered as somewhat of a financial genius so his actions were overlooked for the so called better good!
Holly Brand was only his latest victim, even though she exposed serious issues within the security systems of the Bank, leaving them vulnerable to a well-designed cyber-attack; she was instantly dismissed as she used his Bank account to illustrate her point!
Eight years on, with Christmas knocking on the door, Rob Tanner was dreading the annual family gathering where he would once again have to tolerate his father’s open dislike for him, while trying to keep things civil. He is also planning to enjoy a well-earned break from the Bank.
He has moved up the ranks in the National Bank, but is still Martin Keller ‘The Toad’s’ fixer. He gets a call from the Chief Risk Officer to say there is a serious issue at the Bank unlike anything he has ever seen before; one thousand accounts have mysteriously had a zero added to their balance.
So begins Zero Ri$k, one of the most intriguing, fast paced, riveting reads based in and around the world of Finance, cyber-crime, politics and truth to have hit the Booksellers this year. It is a blockbuster of read that moves from the Halls of London to Germany and Switzerland in an effort to track down who or which group of cybercriminals is trying to bring down the British Banking system.
Set during the Christmas holiday period, a series of cryptic clues are being sent at 11am daily, along with another zero being added to further accounts. The clues, all based on Hironimus Boshes painting of the seven deadly sins, has even the best cryptographers confused. The longer the delay in meeting the demands, the more zeros are added until a crisis point is reached.
Time is running out; the British Prime Minster is refusing to meet what are simple demands, and those who previously have supported him, are beginning to wonder what the end result will be if he will not listen to his advisors.
Simon Hayes has captured the very murky world of High Finance and Politics to perfection creating characters’ who are undoubtedly based on an amalgam of people he has met over his many years of working in the world of High Finance.
He looks at the very relevant points of greed, ego and power along with ruthless determination to continually refuse to take the blame in any legal sense, for the of the financial and political scandals so prevalent today. He also tilts at the world of technology, the speed it is advancing and the massive influence it has over everyday life.
Zero Ri$k It is also a novel of courage; standing up for what you believe in, facing your own reality and the intrinsic and incredibly important fact, of Truth!