Review
Michael Sears's debut novel,
Black Fridays, is a mystery/thriller set against a backdrop of Wall Street high finance. Unemployed former stock trader Jason Stafford, released from prison after a two-year incarceration for fiscal misconduct, receives a job offer that sounds like a piece of cake: review the trading records of a broker who recently died in a sailing accident. No one expects him to find anything amiss, but the company is coming under scrutiny ahead of a merger and the CEO wants to make sure everything's in order. What could possibly go wrong? Stafford of course gets more than he bargained for as he discovers the squeaky-clean trader did indeed have something to hide and the sailing "accident" starts to appear not so accidental. At the same time, Stafford is attempting to put his personal life back together, dealing with his dysfunctional ex-wife Angie and trying to...
Beyond the Book
In
Black Fridays, the main character, Jason Stafford, has primary care of his son, who is autistic.
Merriam Webster's Concise Encyclopedia defines autism as a "neurobiological disorder that affects physical, social, and language skills. First described by Leo Kanner (1894 -1981) and Hans Asperger (1906 - 1980) in the 1940s, the syndrome usually appears before two years of age. Autistic infants appear indifferent or averse to affection and physical contact. They may be slow in learning to speak and suffer episodes...
