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Klein follows his well-received first novel, Con Ed, with a less than credible financial thriller. Timothy Van Bender, a Palo Alto, Calif., hedge fund operator, runs into a perfect storm of troubles, beginning with a "big bet" on the Japanese yen that goes bad and results in a loss of $24 million overnight. Even more devastating, Katherine, his wife of 20 years, phones him from Big Sur to tell him that she's dying, then apparently jumps off a cliff to her death, though her body is never found. Meanwhile, Katherine has transferred $150,000 of their money to an inaccessible shell company. Van Bender, who's always managed to slide by, puts up a brave front while hoping to recoup his loses as his assistant, Jay Strauss, frets, and his pretty receptionist, Tricia Fountain, sympathizes. Van Bender eventually traces the money Katherine transferred to Dr. Clarence Ho, who promises he can restore his wife. There are manifold twists, but they fail to convince as Van Bender staggers to his fate. (Sept.)