Customer Reviews

Trust

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Little did computer tech Alex Payton realize that a simple Y2K project would sweep her into international intrigue when she found some strange transfer codes in a Swiss bank's computers. Following up her instincts that something may be awry, Alex risks Swiss bank secrecy to trace the manager of the account, and learns more than she wanted to. Seems the account was a trustee account, the trustee died in strange circumstances, and the account has been seeing some unusual activity. These circumstance alone might be enough to trigger the curiosity of someone fascinated with the inherent order and truth of numbers, but Alex is just at the beginning of this thrilling ride. The executor of the former trustee, too, commits suicide, but as Alex and the son of the former trustee probe, they learn the executor was likely murdered. Are they to be next? Why is everyone with knowledge of this account dying? The Swiss won't help; their bank secrecy laws prohibit information sharing. And Alex and the son of the trustee are shut out of the account. The only way they can solve this mystery, and perhaps save themselves, is to find the heirs of the trust's beneficiaries. But are there any? And if so, where are they? This bank account was established during World War II, by a Jewish family soon to be exterminated. Who besides the former trustee even knew about it? Alex and Ruedi, the son of the former trustee, are in a race against time. A race to find heirs, a race to save themselves from whatever organization is using this account for money laundering, and murdering anyone who knows about it.

The characters in this book are one-dimensional, for sure, perhaps because there's too much dialogue and not enough narrative. And Alex's portrayal reads as if it was written by a man who doesn't understand women. But this is an outstanding first effort, and the pace and thrills are abundant. Bravo! Hope there's another book coming.

I am ecstatic about this book! It was so much fun to read, I was really stressed out through the whole thing, in a good way.

My husband and I were both racing each other to get through it, It was like watching a movie.

The characters in the book were great, and I love the relationships that were created throughout the story. All good books need a lot of lovers, and bad guys too.

The authors knowledge of the Swiss banking system was remarkable. I would love to learn more.

It's great to see a small town boy make it in this crazy world. Way to go Charles Epping!

First novel nothing! This book, having read several of the latest best sellers lately, is nothing short of wonderful entertainment. Mr. Epping uses some obvious first hand knowledge of the Swiss Banking world to bring life to a new character and a new topic that we all will hear much about in the future. I hope he has left room for a sequel or two. Look out Mr. Turow, can you hear this man coming?

An exceptional first novel! An intriguing fast moving storyline which keeps the pages turning. The secretive World of Swiss banking is opened up to offer a believable and compelling story of deceit, conspiracy and curiosity. Wartime Swiss banking practices meet modern day technology in a story played out across 3 continents with a central character you can perfectly relate to. Excellent!!

Trust was exciting and gripping from the first page and I couldn't get myself to put it down... It will take you on a journey on which you will experience many different emotions in a very short period of time. It's a mind twisting, bedazzling, mysterious and catchy story. An absolute must...

Trust is the perfect novel. It grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. It is worldly, historically significant and fact filled, but all the while entertaining and intriguing. It weaves a heart wrenching WWII story together with today's high-tech world; it was a combination I loved. Thank you for creating a novel that is this rich.

Though much lighter than I anticpated, this book was a decent first novel attempt. Here's a summary, and the ups and downs of it to me.

Short Summary: Computer analyst at a Swiss Bank jets around to exotic locales trying to find the rightful heirs to a multi-million dollar swiss trust account that was stashed away there during WWII by a Hungarian Jew. Bad guys want to stop her. Why? And will she be able to get the money back to the right people before she loses her job or her life?

1. The premise and plot line is good, but it's a little like watching a light action movie (which is surprising, given it's financial thriller status.) There's not very much character development, but enough action and tension to keep you turning the pages.

2. It's aptly named - both because of the type of the account and because it does keep you guessing who should really be trusted.

3. Alex, the main character isn't very smart or computer-savvy for someone that's supposed to be a Yale MBA, computer whiz. Her computing skills are largely limited to conducting not-so-great web searches. The other characters don't seem all that bright either. It occassionally gets a bit annoying. (My best example: early on she asks why Jews didn't flee to Israel to escape the Nazis, and her companion explains to her - without sarcasm- that it didn't exist yet!)

Bottom Line: Solid attempt for a debut novel. If you're looking for a light, easy read packed with more action than character development and a different financial sort of twist - than this is it.

I made the mistake of starting this book at night curled up in bed and comfortable. At 3 AM I was still reading and didn't stop until I had savored the last page. This is a must read! A non-stop thriller that takes you on a rollercoaster ride and when it ends you take a breath and want to go again. I can only hope this is just the beginning in a series of Epping novels because I can't wait to umtil the next one hits the shelves.

This is not just a good read, it's an experience!

Trust is an excellent read that not only offers an interesting plot full of engaging characters but also takes the reader to fascinting places and provides insights to the mysteries of the financial and banking worlds.

Aladar Kohen,a Jewish citizen of Hungary,decides to hide hid family
assets in a Swiss bank before the Nazi war machine comes to Hungary..He
goes to the Helvetia Bank of Zurich where he meets Rudolph Tobler.Tobler
explains to Kohen the most effective way to hide his assets from the
Nazis is to use a trustee(Treuhand)account.Someone else's name is on the
account thereby hiding the Jewish name.This would prevent seizure of the account by the Nazis.This was done on the assumption that the Nazis will
invade Sweden.Kohen makes Tober the person in charge of his trustee account.This is in 1937.
You move to modern day times.Alex Payton is employed by Helvetia Bank of Zurich.She accidently discovers this account while working on her computer. She starts investigating and finds Tobler's son.Her investigation takes her to Budapest,Amsterdam,the United States, and Brazil.She discovers that the account now has a value of $397 million dollars.Alex starts a search for more heirs.This turns into quite a journey.She also discovers that this account is being used to launder money.Her life is in danger.This book has an exciting end.This is a very entertaining book that I enjoyed readin.