Top Producer

This suspenseful debut by former financial manager Vonnegut is a wild ride down Wall Street. Grove O'Rourke is a top producer, someone at the high end of the financial scale whose work ethic is second to none. When he offers to help a friend's widow with her financial portfolio, he uncovers the plot that led to his friend's death--and may well lead to his own when the markets close. Mel Foster's voice is that of the everyday man: simple and honest. These qualities work well in his portrayal of O'Rourke, who may wear a finely tailored suit to work but still manages to be a regular Joe in the rest of his life. While Foster provides little shift between description and dialogue, his vocal personality adds to the story's enjoyment. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 22, 2009
Vonnegut’s debut meets the gold standard for financial thrillers as it puts the frenzied, cutthroat world of Wall Street’s best stockbrokers (aka the “top producers”) on brilliant display. Ripples from the bizarre murder of Charlie Kelemen, wealthy hedge fund operator, quickly reach his best friend, Grove O’Rourke. A top producer at the boutique investment bank Sachs, Kidder and Carnegie, O’Rourke tries to help Kelemen’s widow sort out some financial questions. This process leads him deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of deceit. As fallout from Charlie’s death and dealings start to taint O’Rourke, the sharks, inside and outside his own firm, smell blood and begin to circle. O’Rourke won’t go down without a fight, and not all the blood in the water will be his. Vonnegut, himself a veteran fund manager, handles the arcane terminology and slang of Wall Street with aplomb, never letting it get in the way of the story. 100,000 first printing.

November 30, 2009
Grove O'Rourke, one of Wall Street's best stockbrokers, falters in performance in the wake of the brutal murder of his dear friend, Charlie, a philanthropist and supposedly well-loved man about town. O'Rourke uses his financial connections to investigate the killing and unearths a deep conspiracy. While the book is an entertaining primer on Wall Street life, Mel Foster's toothless delivery strips the plot of its momentum and urgency. While Foster reads smoothly and creates distinct characterizations, his voice is a poor fit for the highly charged first-person narration. Rather than matching the style with an intensity of his own, Foster sounds slightly nasal, aloof, and overly deliberate. A Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, June 22).