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A killing on Wall Street by Derrick Niederman — book cover

A killing on Wall Street

by Niederman, Derrick
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Overview

Who shot Kyle Hooperman, and what does that have to do with the stock market?

There are plenty of books offering readers a quick, easy fix on the basics of the investing game. But how many people do you know who've actually finished one, let alone brought one to the beach with them? Here at last is a how-to-invest book readers won't be able to put down until the very last word.

A guide to investing in the markets that reads like a Raymond Chandler novel, A Killing on Wall Street follows the adventures of Cliff Cavanaugh, investment manager turned day trader and, most recently, private eye. Cliff doesn't find online trading exciting enough so he's become Wall Street's private investigator. He solves murders in the industry before the press get their hands on the story. The latest dead guy is a hotshot portfolio manager, who also happens to be Cliff's former boss. Cliff engages Trace, a drama student and an expert at disguises, to infiltrate his old stomping ground and find out who the murderer is. Along the way, the number of stock splits on Coca-Cola, the day an option expired, the color of stock quotes on a computer screen, the outcome of a mid-season NBA game, and the circus coming to town will all be clues to watch for. In writing this book, Niederman draws liberally on his considerable talents as a successful mystery writer, critically acclaimed investment author, and professional securities analyst, to create a darkly textured tale of suspense that promises a much bigger payoff than your average crime novel and a lot more fun than the best novice's guide to investing.

Derrick Niederman, PhD (Newton, MA), is a mathematician turned securities analyst, an investment and mystery author, and a bridge master. He was a contributing editor at Worth magazine and the author of the bestselling The Inner Game of Investing

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Editorials

Business Age

...It is both informative and gripping. This is a great way of dealing with a topic that can be incredibly dull to the uninitiated. Highly recommended.

Portfolio International

The book is a page-turner, painlessly educational and ideal for the beach.

Kirkus Reviews

This unusual hybrid incorporates a primer on investment into a standard whodunit, as a mathematics professor-turned-securities-analyst-turned-YA author introduces Cliff Cavanaugh, securities analyst-turned-daytrader-turned-detective, called in by his former employers at Rutherford & Hayes to solve the murder of portfolio manager Kyle Hooperman. As Cliff, along with his comely assistant, NYU student Tracy deGrandpre, confront suspect after suspect, each interview serves to illustrate a specific investment concept. Tracy's report on Hooperman client Lila Fitzpatrick, a PepsiCo investor before Warren Buffett made his first dime, gives Cliff the chance to explain the effect of multiple stock splits over time. Tracy's chat with Ginny Truesdale, who takes over the lion's share of Hooperman's clients, turns into a lesson on price/earnings ratio. A background check on investor Milton Koenig helps illustrate the difference between full-service and discount brokerages. And so forth. Niederman's portraits are razor-sharp—he describes manager Fred Gletz as so unoriginal that "the only way Gletz could have killed Hooperman is if someone else killed him first"—but one-dimensional. What emerges instead of a full-fledged mystery is a gallery of snapshots, with just enough information to determine whether the subject can be eliminated from the suspect pool. Minimal background and no chance for the reader to see the characters in action—all you know is what Cliff and Tracy tell you about them—keep the story from ever gathering a full head of steam. Niederman is a very good writer who may be carrying too much baggage from his earlier careers to be an effectivestoryteller.Here's hoping he travels lighter next time.

Book Details

Published
June 9, 2000
Publisher
New York : John Wiley & Sons, c2000.
Pages
208
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780471374589

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