The Bull Option by Sameer Garach
Genre: financial thriller, heist
When Kannada Khan, an investment banker turned homeless man, saves the life of Robert Prosperi, a struggling hedgie, he is repaid with a unique yet risky job offer that could change his fortune forever.
With plans for a theft on Wall Street, Robert aims to undermine his rival, the head of the New York Stock Exchange, and Kannada seeks to return to a life of normalcy. They recruit a motley crew from Main Street—a bartender, a stockbroker, an attorney, a computer hacker, a pilot, a boxer, a confidence man, and an upscale luxury companion—to carry out their scheme.
Three weeks is all they have to infiltrate the heart of American financial power and steal the proceeds from the biggest Initial Public Offering in recent history. However, money isn’t the only motive driving Kannada. Chasing his past flame is his game. Now she’s working for and dating the very Wall Street titan they’re trying to rob.
While I was reading The Bull Option, I was reminded of Casa De Papel (Money Heist). I haven’t watched it yet, but from what I heard about it, they seem pretty similar but I don’t really know… I didn’t watch the series to compare them.
The author made a great job of writing this novel, I think he even made the trading/business stuff made simple, even though my mind just couldn’t grasp it all. I mean, I understood the general meaning, but when it comes to the parts where those things were discussed, my mind just went blank *facepalm*.
That surprisingly didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story. The financial side of the story was obviously well-thought of and well-explained even to someone inexperienced with the terms used.
I liked that the first chapters of the book were dedicated to “introducing” the different characters that will take part in the big heist (which actually is what similar movies do, I just remembered Ocean Eight). It made the reading experience easier and smooth. They were pretty believable, ordinary people too, so there’s that.
The thing that keeps bugging me though–not just in this book but in all similar books/movies/series–is why there’s almost always one woman in a group of men, WHY??
librorum in sempiternum 