The Day Trader [Mass Market Paperback]

Stephen Frey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

“FAST-PACED . . . A TALE OF MARKET MISDEEDS AND MURDER.”
–The New York Times

Augustus McKnight senses his dead-end life is about to change when he makes a shrewd online investment and earns an impressive windfall. But before he can tell his wife about his success, she reveals an adulterous affair and demands a divorce. A day later, she is found brutally murdered– leaving Augustus as the sole beneficiary of her million-dollar life insurance policy. To escape his anguish, Augustus plunges into the world of the full-time day trader–and discovers that he has become both a pawn in a complex game of manipulation . . . and the target of a twisted quest for revenge. Now, he’s not only gambling with his fortune, but with his life.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For Augustus McKnight, there's good news and bad news: he's just made a killing, but his wife wants a divorce. Then she's murdered, and McKnight gets her juicy life insurance policy and a whole lot of trouble.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

On the basis of previous novels such as The Vulture Fund (1996) and The Inner Sanctum (1997), Frey could be called the Grisham of financial thrillers. Here, he tarnishes that reputation a bit by offering an interesting but implausible story of the mixed-up world of a novice day trader. Augustus McKnight, married to his high-school sweetheart, has noticed that the spark has faded from their relationship. He figures it is due to their financial problems; he is a salesman, and she is a legal secretary. Augustus is obsessed with the financial market, managing a ghost portfolio that triples in value in a short time, and with the encouragement of his laid-back, playboy friend, Vincent, Augustus considers changing occupations. That decision is hastened by the murder of his wife. In his grief, and with a million-dollar life insurance policy in his future, Augustus takes the plunge and signs on with a day-trading group. The husband is always a suspect, of course, so adding to the stress of his newfound livelihood is the constant appearance of homicide detective Dorsey. As Augustus is investigated, he ventures on his own search, finding disturbing connections among his wife, her boss, his motley crew of coworkers, a certain gentleman's club, and his supposed best friend, Vincent. Frey attempts to paint Augustus as a tragic hero, his fatal flaw being his naivete, but it's hard to buy. He is intelligent, strong, insightful, but incredibly blind to his surroundings. Nonetheless, expect demand for this page-turner. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034544325X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345443250
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Frey is a managing director at a private equity firm. He is the bestselling author of fourteen previous novels, including The Fourth Order, The Insider, and The Takeover. He lives in Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Day Trader - Does Not Deliver, February 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Day Trader: A Novel of Risk and Reward (Hardcover)

Day Trading may someday define the late 1990's. The boom, the bust, the empowerment of the individual. Unfortunately, Frey squanders his opportunity to help us make sense of it. If the title, THE DAY TRADER, attracts you (like it did me), do not be misled. The scope of the book is very small-minded. I was hoping to better understand the fullness of this huge phenomenon (through the power of fiction). So I expected good fictional characterizations and a more even-handed plot than Frey provided. His characters never really convince you and there's a plot that seems just too darn cooked up. I wanted a good fictionalized view of this phenomenon and I sure didn't find it here.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Personal Review, February 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Day Trader: A Novel of Risk and Reward (Hardcover)

Day Trading was certainly one the most dynamic infatuations of possibly America's greatest decade. So when Frey chose to call his latest, The Day Trader, I was hoping he might capture the deeper meanings of such an interesting phenomenon. Unfortunately, I think Frey squandered a terrific opportunity. Instead of characterizing this naturally dramatic period fairly, he opted for plot devices and broad character portrayals. After it's over, you don't feel any clarity or much of anything, it's a few hundred pages of typical mystery that any subject normally provides. When fiction works well, it provides insight, gusto, and obvious enjoyment. I just didn't get it here.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Average, January 23, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day Trader: A Novel of Risk and Reward (Hardcover)

`The Day Trader'is Stephen Frey's latest foray into the financial thriller. Not his best but still quite enjoyable.

When Augustus McKnight gets lucky on one of his stocks and makes a significant profit he thinks it'll make things all better for him and his wife. Wrong. Before he gets a chance to say anything she tells him she's leaving him and wants a divorce-it seems there is a greener pasture with her boss. The next day she is found murdered. He will be the beneficiary of a one million dollar life insurance policy taken out six months earlier. So he quits his regular job and decides to become a full time day trader. Needless to say there is a detective on his case as well as an insurance investigator. Now for some reason this seems very surprising to the, obviously very naďve, Augustus.

With some neat twists and turns, Frey has written an entertaining novel. The biggest flaw in this book (fairly significant) is the protagonist. Through most of the novel I could not have cared less about Augustus. As mentioned by other reviews, and to put it plainly, he was just too dumb to care about.
I kept waiting for him to get smart but the book ended before I got there.
Though the novel tells you a little about trading, it mostly deals with the murder mystery.