Fifteen Digits [Hardcover]

Nick Santora (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

A GRITTY THRILLER SET IN THE WORLD OF POWERFUL NEW YORK LAW FIRMS, FROM NICK SANTORA, WRITER OF THE HIT CRIME DRAMAS THE SOPRANOS, LAW & ORDER, PRISON BREAK and BREAKOUT KINGS AND THE NATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SLIP & FALL.

Is it really insider trading if you've been an outsider your entire life?

Five men. Five walks of life. Every day they come together at the white shoe law firm Olmstead & Taft. But they're not lawyers. They're "Printers": blue-collar guys consigned to the dark basement of the firm charged with copying, collating and delivering the mountains of paperwork that document millions of dollars of sensitive legal secrets.

Until the five are approached by an ambitious young attorney who teaches them what they have: insider information. Together they make a plan to take the classified documents that pass through their hands every day and use them to get rich. They create a joint account to deposit the spoils. An account with a safeguard--each one only knows one section of the access code.

Which means that for all five conspirators, there's no way out. But as too much money piles up to go unnoticed, the Printers will discover there's one thing even worse than being an outsider: being in too deep.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Santora expertly ratchets up the tension....almost sinfully seductive. Santora takes us far enough inside the separate worlds of our would-be profiteers that we can't help but sympathize with them. Readers will be mighty entertained."- (Washington Post)

"A propulsive thriller that hurtles along to a brutal and--trust me--very unexpected conclusion. Santora has a TV writer's sense of pacing, but he also has an eye for character that keeps a reader emotionally engaged in the story. People looking for a Grisham-esque thriller with dash of The Sopranos will find the novel a great summer beach read." (The Hollywood Reporter)

"FIFTEEN DIGITS is a taut, gripping thrill-ride that appeals to the white collar criminal in all of us. I couldn't put it down." (Terence Winter, Creator and Executive Producer of Boardwalk Empire, Executive Producer and Writer of The Sopranos)

"Though we are told from the start that things will end tragically, the brutality and shocking suddenness of the climax still catch us by surprise . . . Santora pulls no punches with his Faustus-like story." (Kirkus Reviews)

"FIFTEEN DIGITS reads like John Grisham and Martin Scorsese's nasty love child. Brimming with unique, indelible characters, it's a cautionary tale of greed, jealousy and vice." (Shawn Ryan, Creator and Executive Producer of The Shield)

"The very cream of contemporary US crime [with] a surprising and shocking denouement." (Crime Time magazine)

"Tense, colourful and full of surprises....a great read." (Shots magazine)

"Nick Santora has a unique style of writing that I can only compare to John Grisham or Harlan Coben or a wonderful combination of both. I love this book and I love the ending because you never see it coming. " (Julie Moderson, BestsellersWorld.com)

"The tension is palpable as very bad things begin to happen to the protagonists, and the reader will race through the book to see what horrors the next page brings." (Booklist (starred review))

Praise for SLIP & FALL:

"Nick Santora's characters will ensnare readers and pull them into the good, bad, and ugly of Robert Principe's life--a gripping thriller." (Vince Flynn)

About the Author

NICK SANTORA was a lawyer before his first screenplay won Best Screenplay of the Competition at the 2001 New York International Independent Film Festival. A co-creator, executive producer, and writer for the hit A&E show Breakout Kings and former writer and co-executive producer of Prison Break, Nick Santora lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books; 1 edition (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780316176316
• ISBN-13: 978-0316176316
• ASIN: 0316176311
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Plight of the Common Man April 21, 2012

By Daniel Winford

Format:Hardcover

Like many people, I first learned about Nick Santora from Prison Break, and Breakout Kings. I did my homework and found that he had some impressive credentials before that having been a writer for shows like Law and Order and the Sopranos. All four of those shows I consider to be some of the better of our generation of television. I immediately pre-ordered this novel, Fifteen Digits, in harcover. To hold me over, I also ordered his first novel, Slip and Fall. I wanted to see if the style of his books mirrored the style of his television. The answer: a resounding yes.

Much like in Slip and Fall, the main protagonist in Fifteen Digits is a common everyday man. Rich Mauro could easily be you or me. Raised by his blue collar uncle, Mauro is trying to do something that I have personally found myself challenged with, transitioning from blue collar, to white collar. He is trying to trade in his tool belt, for a brief case, a crowded court room, and a corner office. As an audience, we are taken along this journey through the ups and downs, with staggering authenticity. Santora does a masterful job of passing the character's emotions along to the reader.

We meet a cast of characters along the way that would look out of place even on the island of misfit toys. As we meet these characters, we meet the good sides of them, as well as the bad. We do not see them in the same filter that most people would use, only showing us the savory side that will be pertinent in the latter parts of the story, but rather, we get to know all of the players in the cast.

In my opinion, where Santora excels, especially in Fifteen Digits, is creating a story and characters that the reader can genuinely lose themselves in.... Where so many novels introduce a platoon of flat characters with no other purpose that to move the story about, Santora uses round characters that the reader can feel attached to. This opens up a plethora of possibilities for the direction of the story, and if you are familiar with any of Santora's previous works, you know that he can and WILL take the story anywhere he thinks it should go.

The end result is a fantastic novel with amazingly different, well balanced characters, and a story that unfilds with gritty authenticity that allows the reader to never break his or her willing suspension of disbilief. I can, with confidence, tell you that you will enjoy this novel. It is one of the few books that I have read from cover to cover in a single sitting. I am a very slow reader, and it only took me about seven hours. My only complaint is now I have to wait for Santora to write something else.

I know that sometimes it is hard to read a review and know that the same experience will transfer over to you, so perhaps some context is in order. The fiction that I have enjoyed previously aside from Nick Santoras works are: The Mitch Rapp Series (Especially American Assassin) by Vince Flynn, the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, the John Corey series by Nelson Demille. The one thing that really sets Fifteen Digits apart from the rest of these is its authenticity. So to sum up, if you are look for a book with well developed, likeable, relatable characters, and a story that you can immerse yourself in without feeling out of place, you definitely need to give Santora a try! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense filled thriller June 4, 2012

By robert

Format:Hardcover

After reading this title, I must say this is a definite page turner. A great read full of suspense, action packed and will definitely take you on the most thrilling ride. I loved the way the author draws you in with his vivid descriptions on down to how he incorporated each character, giving this novel even more of an edge. The suspense all the way up until the end forces you to dive into this book like a final exam. Well written and looking forward to many more projects from Mr. Santora...Excellent!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Santora Hit! May 1, 2012

By Love2Read

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, I have to admit that I'm a Nick Santora fan. From Prison Break to Breakout Kings to his first novel, Slip and Fall, I love the characters he creates and the unbelievable dialogue he writes. I pre-ordered this book because, let's be honest, I will read anything he writes, anytime. It downloaded to my Kindle on Tuesday, but I didn't start it until Saturday. Let me tell you, that took a lot of self-control. I waited because I knew that I would not be able to put it down once I started...and I was right! I started it mid-afternoon on Saturday and was done that night. The story moves so quickly, the characters are so well-defined, and the dialogue. Oh, the dialogue. From the first snappy phrase to the last awesome sentence, I just loved it all. Keep writing, Mr. Santora! I, for one, am thrilled you gave up being an attorney to follow your heart.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! April 24, 2012

By dred

Format:Hardcover

It's got it all. From compelling characters to a gripping plot, FIFTEEN DIGITS will captivate you. Santora is a heck of a storyteller!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well paced thriller of the Wall Street world September 3, 2012

By Scott Hedegard

Format:Hardcover

I had read most of Stephen Frey's books about Wall Street with characters being high ranking officials in investment houses or banks that discovered secrets, found themselves in imminent danger, along with the prerequisite beautiful girl whom may or may no be on your side, blah blah. Perhaps it's that trap that led Frey off Wall Street into other scenarios. Santora has written only two books, this and Slip and Fall. What sets his novel apart and makes it less dull is the placement of characters and web of trouble they find themselves in. And, he has a way of telling you the whole story from early one but still keeps you guessing until you've finally read the last page.
The situation he creates is totally believable, as are the subsequent events that ensue when the triggering mechanism is deployed. Here we find a real mess unfolding and it becomes increasingly bleak with time.
"Fifteen Digits" is a good read with a bit of a surprise ending. That ending makes the book even more believable even if you disagree with the conclusion. Santora is definitely worth checking out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifteen Digits August 17, 2012

By sunlover

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First novel that I have read by this author and loved it. The plot was so interesting and had me on the edge of my seat. I didn't figure out how it was going to end until the very end. Well written with interesting twists.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! August 1, 2012

By jas

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I could not put this book down! Loved the characters and the story. I got nothing done the weekend I read it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Asbolutely Thrilling! July 30, 2012

By Cathryn

Format:Hardcover

Precision without exception! So real in our world, and accurate, too scary for words. Hits reality on its head. Look forward to more. Your writing is so beautiful, it amazes me that anyone can write so eloquently. Loved it -- as did Mum. Thanks Nick for giving us a beautiful story.

Love to you and your family's sacrifices,

Cathryn, Robert and Jeanne