Ghosts of Manhattan: A Novel [Hardcover]

Douglas Brunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication 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 Nicks 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 Farmers 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 Bruntis a persuasive storytellerReading [Ghosts of Manhattan], it is easy to understand how the worst of Wall Street came apart. But in Nicks 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 (233 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,861 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.

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghosts of Manhattan October 8, 2012

By Sheri Newton

Format:Hardcover

Ghosts of Manhattan by Douglas Brunt is a novel set in 2005 about a bond trader that isn't so happy with his life, even though from the outside, it looks like he has everything he could possibly want.

Ghosts of Manhattan is a book that Douglas Brunt started while he was working as a CEO of a private venture-backed Internet security company. Instead of doing the unsavory things that the character in his book did, he relaxed by writing, which is how this book began. I find this bit of information about the book inspiring and makes me like the author that much more.

The main character in the novel, Nick Farmer starts off as the typical type of Wall Street guy I think of when it comes to this type of character. He is rich, wants more of everything, neglects his wife, visits strip clubs and hookers, and his drug of choice is cocaine. However, as the novel progresses, you see him as much more than that - and eventually he becomes more charming and likeable. He becomes worried about the financial outlook of the market and his company once Fred Cook, the market risk analysis makes his dire predictions. His marriage starts to become as shaky as the predictions in the market, and he realizes that he may not be going on the right path in his life. Is it too late for him to change though?

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. It was written very well and the author's insider information on the lifestyles and characters in it made it more realistic and readable.

* Thank you to the Touchstone of Ghosts of Manhattan, Touchstone, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you've been there, you may find some answers October 9, 2012

By Ian

Format:Hardcover

For eight years I went on a path from sales to the stock market until I just walked away. Literally. Without notice. There were many reasons, but my experiences still haunted me. I'm in a much better place now.

The money was good, but a self-conscious person sees too much and eventually just can't buy in anymore. There is so much there that is so seductive. Principles are the first to be compromised. Hypocrisies bite you without warning, but it's "buy in or get out". When you do get out, time and wisdom bring the commentary you didn't have before, or wouldn't heed. Eventually, you start to see how a morally dysfunctional institution becomes a cancer to everything around it, not to mention your life.

I am an unapologetic capitalist and understand the critical role sales and investment play in a free economy. They are not problems in themselves. But when bad influences take hold of these institutions everyone will suffer.

But "Ghosts of Manhattan" is not exclusive to Wall Street. No matter your job, you may sense things that are wrong that you can't put your finger on. This book might provide a touchstone for you.