Book Review: The Billionaire's Funeral, the dark world of financial crime

The Billionaire’s Funeral --- a book is a “fiction debut that cuts real close to the underbelly of big finance". This book gives you an insight of a dark world of crime fiction.

The story revolves around a billionaire investor named --- Chad Cohen. The plot begins when Cohen’s cards are declined at a London restaurant. Before he could realise what is happening to him, he starts receiving anonymous texts and his company shares are being sold at the lowest bid. Within hours, he is being accused of travelling on a stolen passport, illegal activities and is put in jail.

Cohen and his company’s reputation are shredded and he calls one person he can trust the most --- his business partner and friend --- Michael Cole.

The two try to figure out that how Cohen’s life can be digitally erased by a hacker who is keeping an eye on him and knows his moves. The book takes the reader through Cohen’s past --- from being married, to an employee at an investment firm and now a co-owner of a hedge fund.

Slowly and gradually, the author reveals characters involved in Cohen’s life that he has a doubt on who would be a part to put Cohen behind bars.

The book keeps the reader going back and forth --- present to past --- revealing characters who would want to take revenge from Cohen. At some point, Cohen starts doubting his own friend and partner, Michael. Cohen, in jail keeps thinking whom to trust and whom to not. The author, Brahms has portrayed characters in an interesting manner, from explaining the dressing style, interaction with others which makes the reader imagine that it’s happening like in a movie.

Speaking about the writing style, author has gripped the terminology of the business and finance sector which makes the book more relatable. Though, Brahms has written so well, but going to past and then coming back to present makes the reader lose the track of the events. It is easier to have this kind of plot in movies but if the reader is reading in parts, it may make the reader lose interest or the point where he/she stopped reading.

The author has written the book in a very clever manner which makes the reader speculate the person behind Cohen’s miseries but by finishing each page, the suspect keeps changing.

Like a proper crime-thriller fiction, the main person behind everything --- from hacking Cohen’s cards, identity theft, Interpol --- is revealed in the last. It is like the least suspected individual is the mastermind of all. The Billionaire’s Funeral is an apt name when the mastermind and its motive are exposed.