Clawback by Mike Cooper

Published by Viking on March 1, 2012

Clawback refers to "the mandatory return of compensation paid on a deal that later goes bad." Silas Cade collects clawback from hedge fund managers and other bigwigs of the financial world who might not otherwise be inclined to pay. His logo, if he had one, would be "a green eyeshade crossed by a 9 mil." When Cade's latest client is murdered, a new client -- after concluding that the deaths of two other spectacularly unsuccessful money managers might be connected to the most recent murder -- hires Cade to find the killer. Notable contributions to the plot come from a female financial blogger (beautiful, of course), a disgruntled forger, and a couple of tough guys who have surprisingly well rounded personalities.

Cade is the kind of action hero I like. He lives in the shadows, "in circumstances of tenuous legality," yet is endlessly frustrated by the impossibility of living off the grid in an urban environment. He's tough but not sadistic; moral but not obedient to inconvenient laws. Unlike any number of one-note buffoonish vigilantes who populate thriller world, Cade has intellect, an interesting personality, and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Unlike his wealthy clients, he's well grounded. His running commentary on life, sardonic yet perceptive, is reason enough to read Clawback.

Clawback is intelligently plotted. The motivation for the various murders is plausible. The solution to the mystery is clever. And oh happy day, Cade manages to make it through the novel without once turning to a gifted computer hacker for assistance. That in itself makes this thriller stand apart from its contemporary competitors.

Mike Cooper's lucid prose contributes to the novel's rapid pace. He manages to make the world of finance accessible to folks like me who can barely balance a checkbook. Some of the action scenes elevated my adrenalin levels. Yeah, Cade at one point leaps onto a helicopter as it's taking off and later chases a boat on a jet ski -- yeah, we've all seen those scenes on bad TV shows a hundred times -- but Cooper managed to write them in a way that made them fresh and credible. He also created a believable romantic entanglement, one that depicts the love interest's reaction to the hero more realistically than most thrillers manage.

Clawback isn't deep but it's fun, engaging, escapist fiction, the kind of book most thriller fans should enjoy.

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