While this is clearly a massive undertaking of a book for the author, it has at least double in length what it should have been, and could have gotten by - telling the same story using tighter narratives, and lesser didactic terms.

The book checks the correct boxes when it comes to an interesting plot, arresting beginning, dubious characters you'd nevertheless like to know about and some you may even end up caring for, and a global implication story arc. It reminded me of the quite spectacular Blood Money by David Ignatius from some years ago. Nothing similar in the actual plot, but money laundering being the core of the story led me to that recall, and the comparisons made it even harder to sit through the series of diatribes that Undermoney is.

Tried picking it up time and again, but couldn't being myself to justify the time it was taking to get and hold my attention, when there are so many other more interesting and easier to read books waiting to be discovered.

Could have benefitted from a stronger edit.

This one started out slow, but became really engaging the more I read. I recommend this one for people that enjoy thrillers dealing with financing.

Could not read this one--required more background than I have. Maybe would appeal to other readers.

Politics can be a dirty and dangerous world.
“Undermoney” opens with a definition that outlines the novel. It is “money which is unknown publicly but that controls individuals and events; the currency of corruption.” What follows confirms that description; take the money and pretend to be friends, or do not take it, and become enemies, but not pretending.

Characters are introduced with detailed backgrounds, so readers immediately get to know them; the good, the bad, and the ones readers love to hate, the ones who are “different.” They are the egotistical, the dangerous, only pretending to be nice. They are not who they appear to be and cannot be trusted; they travel with bodyguards for a reason. Relationships are complex and secret; people are hiding in plain sight just waiting for the perfect moment. They get what they want, and what they want is to be in the “White House.”
“Undermoney” is a non-stop ride on the roller-coaster of international politics. Just when things seem to be settling down, there is a sudden turn, an unexpected twist, and a plunging drop. I received a review copy of “Undermoney” from Jay Newman, Scribner Publishing, and Simon & Schuster. Sometimes the complexity is almost overwhelming, and the book could be shorter without losing any of its complications.

This is a spy, political, financal thriller. I could not get connected to the story because of the interruptions of the author explaining how the global market works, and it was very slow, and everyone had their own mean intentions and secrets.

This was a stunning thriller and VERY thought provoking. Current events make you wonder.
Many thanks to Scribner and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ugh, this novel needs a heavy-handed editor. Scene dialogue was heavily broken up by the author's own exposition (usually of some financial process), and that caused the narrative to jump all over the place in concept and time, so the plot remained only barely coherent. The author can enthusiastically describe a threesome with an Eastern European oligarch, but one of the main characters has a dreadful secret? That character turned from operator to slob, and yet he's still on the team trying to get a comrade-in-arms elected President? Sounds like a liability, for the characters and the novel. Too many inconsistencies. Hard pass.

An entertaining political thriller. The story presents an interesting concept, the power of money and battling global political corruption with wealth. I enjoyed the characters, their flawed personalities and their agendas and secrets.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Jay Newman and Scribner, for the advanced copy of UnderMoney.
#NetGalley #Undermoney

This is a political thriller with enough corruption to inflict the entire cast of characters, which is it's second biggest problem - there was no one to really like or fully engage with. The biggest problem is that it was way too long and detailed, especially in the financial and military minutiae. In the acknowledgements the author praised his editor for cutting the book down by 25%. It needed at least another 25% to improve the pacing and keep this reader engaged. I learned a lot of geopolitical financial information and it dealt with a lot of what we read in the newspaper every day. I also was very disappointed in the ending. I could see that it appeal to fans of Tom Clancy.

I ended up not finishing this novel, because I got so confused by all the converging storylines. Not the fault of the author, though - I struggle with military-based thrillers, and this one was heavy with military jargon. I should have recognized it before I requested to read it, but I got excited by the premise, and dove in head first.

I think if I had given myself more time with the novel, had an audio version, or even wrote down all the characters and some basic facts about each to help keep everything straight, it would have helped. Great writing, awesome premise, just not my type of book.

I see this book everywhere so it will be a huge success. However I got bogged down by all the detail. I didn't hate the book. I just didn't love it either.

A good story that could be made better with some editing to remove some of the bulk. The story bogs down in several places, and it becomes a struggle to push though and finish.

this book is talking about stuff that is right out of our headlines. I recommend it for people who people who are interested in foriegn policy. I would like to thank netgalley.com for letting me review this book

A book of corruption, intrigue, and politics. I liked the idea of the book but there was just too much detail in places. It bogged down my reading of it. Parts seem way too close to real life and real possibility for my taste. I really didn’t find a character I liked and could root for.

Undermoney is a spy thriller. It is a political thriller. It has a bit of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous thrown in. The book also contains a bunch of facts about the global monetary system and how easy it is to manipulate it.

So why didn’t I like it? The knowledge dumps were immense making the book overlong. In addition, the pacing was way too slow at the beginning for a thriller. Yawn. I also disliked all the characters. Can just one not have evil intentions and/or dirty little secrets?

Overall, Undermoney was a miss for me. 2 stars.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of those books that I sadly couldn't finish. I tried it twice and each time I got to a point and couldn't connect with any of the characters and there are a lot. And I couldn't care where the story was going to end up and that is a solid sign that I am not into a book. I rarely DNF a book because I have a strong need to know how it will end, but just couldn't care about this one.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me an early galley of this upcoming novel.

I found Undermoney to be a large, sweeping debut novel with a varied cast and lots happening. It took me a bit to actually get into it because of those actual elements. I stuck with it though and after the first quarter it started to settle into a groove that kept me engaged.

I did struggle to find a character I could fully support and get behind. Often, when I thought I found one, there would be a twist to show me some unsavory aspects to their personalities. That led to very complex characters who did rather disturbing things. I also struggled with the opulent lifestyles of the rich - not at all something I can relate to. How they lived, what they did, and how little they cared about others further helped me to despise most of the cast. I wonder if that is what author Jay Newman was going for.

The book touches on a lot of current day topics and personalities. There is a built-in political undertone as well. It had me wondering about the author's own political views and whether certain characters reflected those of his own.

An intricately woven political and financial thriller set in the current day, Undermoney connects former soldiers, current CIA operatives, Putin's oligarchs and mercenaries, and a presidential hopeful with a highly successful hedge fund billionaire (who happens to be controlled by an heir of the Medici fortune). At first overly detailed and a bit hard to follow, the plot eventually wrapped me up and kept me riveted to the conclusion. Perfect for fans of Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn and similar authors.

This book was interesting and intriguing! If you like political books this is the one for you! The writing style wasn’t my favorite but it was full of details.m

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy of UNDERMONEY. At times it was hard for me to follow but the overall story was great.