Ten days. Seven Deadly Sins. Zero Ri$k.
What’s not to like when your bank account gains
an extra zero or two at Christmas?
When customer complaints on Christmas Eve herald not a botched system upgrade but the most
sophisticated cyber-attack in history, new National Bank CEO Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye
of a “Black Swan” storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated.
He enlists the help of brilliant American computer security expert Ashley Markham but the attacks
only worsen: bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation’s banks. The only clue to
the hacker’s intentions are cryptic emails which continually taunt Tanner and the newly incumbent
Prime Minister, James Allen.
With financial markets – and the very world as he knows it - on the brink of collapse, Tanner races
against the clock to decode not just the bizarre emails but their deeper meaning, and the
implications for who he can really trust. All the while, his former boss “The Toad” is seeking
revenge... and answers of his own.
My Thoughts
The summary of this book intrigued me, as it tells the story of a Christmas in 2024 where a bizarre incident results in an unexpected surplus of zeros in people's bank balances. The story's superb writing instantly drew me in, thanks to its fascinating characters, particularly the unsympathetic CEO of the bank known as the Toad.
I was completely engrossed in the story and couldn't resist turning the pages, especially when Toad's shocking turn of events left me on the edge of my seat. If the finished book is as amazing as this teaser, I'm impatient to find out what happens next!
About the Author
Simon Hayes is a seasoned professional with a diverse background spanning financial services, executive search, and consultancy. With over three decades of international experience, he has lived in the US, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Simon began his career with Bank of Boston, Morgan Grenfell and James Capel, before spending much of the 90s in Asia, serving as Head of Equity Research for Warburg in Japan and later as Managing Director for Salomon Bros and UBS in Hong Kong. Simon is a Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Law graduate and the creator of rubriqs®. Recognised as a top-ranked securities analyst by Extel and II, and later as the "Best
Headhunting Executive" in Japan by Asiamoney, he has also been an executive coach, mentor, and financial consultant, spending much of 2023 in Zimbabwe on a major fraud case.
Born in Ealing, he is a lifelong supporter of Brentford FC. A proud father to India and Ivo, Simon now lives near Tower Bridge.
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