Ghosts of Manhattan: A Novel [Hardcover]

Douglas Brunt (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 2012

A wryly comic, first-person debut novel offering a withering view of life on Wall Street from the perspective of an unhappy insider who is too hooked on the money to find a way out, even as his career is ruining his marriage and corroding his soul.

It’s 2005. Nick Farmer is a thirty-five-year-old bond trader with Bear Stearns clearing seven figures a year. The novelty of a work-related nightlife centering on liquor, hookers, and cocaine has long since worn thin, though Nick remains keenly addicted to his annual bonus. But the lifestyle is taking a toll on his marriage and on him.

When a nerdy analyst approaches him with apocalyptic prognostications of where Bear’s high-flying mortgage-backed securities trading may lead, Nick is presented with the kind of ethical dilemma he’s spent a lifetime avoiding. Throw in a hot financial journalist who seems to be more interested in him than in the percolating financial armageddon and the prospect that his own wife may have found a new romantic interest of her own, and you have the recipe for Nick’s personal and professional implosion.

By turns hilarious and harrowing, Ghosts of Manhattan follows a winning but flawed character as he struggles to find the right path in a complicated urban heart of darkness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Former Internet exec Brunt offers up a savage, jaded, and comical depiction of freewheeling Wall Street bond traders during their precollapse heyday in this engaging debut… As Nick’s life, his marriage, and the U.S. economy edge closer to meltdown, Brunt brings all the pieces together for a satisfying climax to this compulsively readable novel.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Mix together Charles Dickens, Theodore Dreiser and Tom Wolfe and you get novelist Doug Brunt and his modern day financier character, Nick Farmer. Faust would have a feast with so many of the people populating Farmer’s world – and you will have a literary feast devouring this book.” (Steve Forbes, Chairman, Forbes Media)

“After the mortgage bubble burst, if you ever wondered “What were they thinking?” GHOSTS OF MANHATTAN provides a thoughtful and thrilling portrait of what they were doing instead of thinking.” (John Stossel, Fox News)

"Awesomeness." (Kid Rock)

“Douglas Brunt…is a persuasive storyteller…Reading [Ghosts of Manhattan], it is easy to understand how the worst of Wall Street came apart. But in Nick’s determination to escape his own inevitable destruction we are uplifted and find renewed hope for a cleaned-up world without Bear Stearns.” (Forbes.com)

“With his noir-ish debut novel, former broker (and spouse of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly) Brunt delves not just into the mechanics of the financial crash, but also the mindset that created the explosive state of affairs…. A smart shot at the absurdity of Wall Street and the long fall that brought us all down.” (Kirkus)

About the Author

Until 2011, Douglas Brunt was CEO of Authentium, Inc., an Internet security company. He now writes full time and is currently working on his second novel. A Philadelphia native, he lives in New York with his wife and their two children. Visit DouglasBrunt.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451672594
• ISBN-13: 978-1451672596
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (227 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Until 2011, Douglas Brunt was CEO of Authentium, Inc. He now writes full time and lives in New York with his wife and two children. His first novel, 'Ghosts of Manhattan', is a New York Times Bestseller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Life's a party- till it isn't. Story of a Wall Street Man- sex, drugs, and lots of money. October 8, 2012

By littlemissrockstar

Format:Hardcover

Nick Farmer- 35 years old. Works at Bear Stearns on Wall Street. And by most accounts- he's got it all. Good looking enough, nice suits, good money, parties, a good-looking wife, and access to drugs and alcohol basically anytime he wants it. But something is wrong, something is missing in the life. Nick knows the lifestyle is killing him- partying hard, making the connections needed for his job, celebrating sales- but Nick likes the money. So he keeps on with the lifestyle- all the while knowing that it's costing him in the long run.

As the story progresses, the reader sees Nick struggling with the hypocrisy of his situation, but being unwilling to make a change. Then, Nick finds out information from a Wall Street analyst predicting financial doom- but no one is listening. Is Nick ready to start making changes- get out before the party is over? Or does Nick staty around till the party is way over?

This book is interesting- a voyeuristic look into the life of a Wall Street man, his life, and what his lifestyle ultimately costs him. Nick's got several comical lines- he's got a dry wit that quite fits in this book.

While this will not be a book that I would read multiple times- I did enjoy the book.

Recommended.

81 of 102 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing! You'll want to savor each sentence like mouthfuls of a great meal! October 5, 2012

By Our Favorite Customer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this writer! He sounds like I talk when I am inside my head. He is articulate, cynical, intelligent...I feel like I have a new best friend! I love the characters...and I generally don't like people in real life...I am shy.

It's a great reminder to keep your conscience awake while you're on the take...lest you lose your soul.

Here is an excerpt: "I'm happy to take the cash but haven't always been happy doing the job. That's the difference between me and Jerry and what makes him so good at what he does. He's the perfect trader. He has an efficiency of thought. There is an elegant purity to his single-mindedness, the same simple purity a person would admire in a shark. Nothing in his spirit is at conflict with his profession."

Another excerpt, further into the book:
" 'What is it with these three-button jackets? Can't you two wear a normal gd suit to the office?' Blank looks back at me from both of them. Clearly they like the suits and had thought they were making a favorable impression. I'm feeling a little tired and grouchy and go further. "You're not in Milan. Go to Brooks Brothers and get a normal gd suit and save yourselves some money." Jerry chuckles, He enjoys humor abuse of anything thin and good looking. "

It's just a fun, intelligent and enlightening political read!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! October 9, 2012

By Linda Lee

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ghosts Of Manhattan is interesting, fast-paced, compelling -- and beautifully written. I want to read it again, just to savor the artful presentation of words. Doug Brunt is a talented writer, and I look forward to his next book.