The Directive: A Novel Hardcover – May 27, 2014

*Starred Review* Having barely escaped alive from a corrupt consulting firm (in the blockbuster The 500, 2012), lawyer Mike Ford has established himself as a go-to political fixer in Washington, D.C. But his plan to live a quiet, respectable life is sorely threatened when his older brother, Jack, drags him into a job to steal the Federal Reserve’s directive on monetary policy prior to a major announcement, opening up a two-hour window for some serious insider training. Mike, resourceful and well-schooled in cons and grifts from childhood by his ex-con father, plans to blow up the job from the inside until the lives of his fiancée, Annie Clark (daughter of a megarich hedge-fund operator), and his father are threatened. Then it becomes a deadly race to learn who’s behind it all—keeping in mind his father’s advice to “never bet in another man’s game”—and come out of the mess as best he can. Solidly researched, with elements of a technothriller, this is a nonstop, heart-pounding ride in which moral blacks and whites turn gray in “the efficient alignment of power and interests” that is big-time politics. Quirk has another high-powered hit on his hands. --Michele Leber

A roller coaster of a thriller...The Directive does for the Fed what Alan Drury did for Senate intrigue with his Pulitzer Prize winning Advise and Consent, what Aaron Sorkin did for the White House in The West Wing and, now, what Beau Willimon, is doing for the Congress with House of Cards...Quirk's writings drips with the kind of eye for the telling detail that only a canny reporter, detective, or spy possesses....If you like Ludlum you are certain to like Quirk."


―Ralph Benko, Forbes.com

"Thrilling. Fascinating details (how to pick which locks, how to con trusting people) combine with a relentlessly charged plot. Stellar."―Michele Ross, Cleveland Plain Dealer (Grade: A)

"An action-packed thriller that should end up in many beach bags."―Jane Henderson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Solidly researched, with elements of a technothriller, this is a nonstop, heart-pounding ride in which moral blacks and whites turn gray in 'the efficient alignment of power and interests' that is big-time politics. Quirk has another high-powered hit on his hands."
―Booklist (Starred Review)

"Sustained by Quirk's research, an engrossing plot, the ever-increasing tension of a deadly cat and mouse game, and high stakes, this page-turner will attract not only fans of such financial-thriller authors as Christopher Reich and Joseph Finder but all those looking for a fun, fast-flowing beach read."―Library Journal

"Another exciting page-turner. . . the mix of business-insider insight and deception propels this compelling story from Quirk."―Associated Press

Praise for THE 500:

"Gripping...the action never lets up for a second, and the pages cannot be turned fast enough."―Associated Press

"This ripping yarn springs and snaps along like a row of wolf traps."―Newsday