Easy Money

Financial writer Boland hits pay dirt with this sparkling first novel featuring greed, vengeance and murder on Wall Street. In short order, Ben McCarthy, new partner in the respected portfolio-management firm of Canning & McCarthy, confronts a rash of problems: the burglary of the firm's office (although nothing seems to have been stolen); the disappearance of wise, cautious senior partner Jack Canning; and the discovery that Jack seems to have invested heavily and uncharacteristically in a near-bankrupt company whose stock suddenly shoots up at rumors of a takeover bid. The likelihood of SEC insider-trading charges almost ruins the firm; a broker friend of Canning's is murdered; the West Village townhouse Ben shares with his artist wife is vandalized. And all that is just for starters. Likable Ben uses wits and courage to thwart his unknown tormentors, attempting to spoil the coup he suspects they're planning. The wild rise of the ticker tape in the penultimate scene adds a suspenseful climax to this satisfying tale. (July)