Vortex by Matt Carrell - Revision history

Sue at 11:17, 11 August 2022

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Sue at 12:52, 25 August 2020

2020-08-25T12:52:06Z

Sue at 14:04, 3 April 2018

2018-04-03T14:04:24Z

Sue at 16:39, 29 September 2015

2015-09-29T16:39:22Z

Sue at 11:52, 9 December 2014

2014-12-09T11:52:03Z

Sue at 09:40, 22 May 2014

2014-05-22T09:40:06Z

Sue at 09:37, 2 May 2014

2014-05-02T09:37:26Z

Sue at 09:35, 2 May 2014

2014-05-02T09:35:25Z

Sue: Created page with "{{infobox |title=Vortex |author=Matt Carrell |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Thrillers |summary=A financial thriller from an author who knows the business inside out and can tell a..."

2014-05-02T09:34:43Z

Created page with "{{infobox |title=Vortex |author=Matt Carrell |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Thrillers |summary=A financial thriller from an author who knows the business inside out and can tell a..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=Vortex
|author=Matt Carrell
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Thrillers
|summary=A financial thriller from an author who knows the business inside out and can tell a good story too. Recommended.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=234
|publisher=CreateSpace
|date=May 2014
|isbn=978-1494805814
|website=
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1494805812</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1494805812</amazonus>
}}

Andy Duncan's father offered him the money to travel the world for a year, but first he must do a three-month internship with Berwick Archer, an investment company based in Hong Kong. It would be decent experience to put on his CV. But when Andy got to Berwick Archer he liked what he saw - and stayed. Before long he was second in command at the firm's new Bangkok office and had a talent for what he did. There was even a girlfriend, Caroline Chan, who seemed more permanent than those who had gone before her. Caroline was a dealer, but not in a big way - although she was well connected to a very influential businessman.

The financial markets are based on trust: once that goes the whole system is in danger of collapse and for this reason there are rules which must be strictly adhered to. Some of them ''might'' seem just a little bit too stringent. Berwick Archer wouldn't have been impressed that Andy was dating a dealer - the professional relationship would have been just too close for comfort - but Andy knew that giving Caroline a piece of insider information so that she could get herself out of a mess was illegal. Who was to find out though? In the great scheme of things it was very small money.

In another life Matt Carrell was Deputy CEO of a couple of big investment firms and it's obvious from ''Vortex'' that he knows the business bottom up. This is a story from a man who has lots more to tell rather than someone who has been doing their research and needs to shoehorn every bit of it in. It rings very true and he captures the excitement, the danger - and the associated excesses - but what he delivers exceptionally well is the danger of flexible principles. Whilst you abide by the law - legal ''and'' moral - life is relatively simple as all you need to do is what is right, but once you step across the boundary, even in a small way you are in danger of being pulled into the vortex. The next, the bigger step is so much easier to take.

There's an interesting look at Thailand, the land of excess and depravity, or so we are led to believe, with sex tourists and rampant corruption. The tabloids are keen to tell us about this, but less enthusiastic about the poverty, inequality and exploitation which pushes people into the sex industry or crime. Carrell presents both sides and treads a careful line between condoning and condemning and the story is more thought-provoking because of it.

It's edge-of-the-seat stuff. Towards the end I gave up trying to work out what was going to happen next and just went along for the trip. It's compelling and, unfortunately, all too believable. Throw in the background of Thailand and some underworld characters for whom life is very cheap, particularly if the life in question is at all inconvenient and you have a very good story. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

For more from Thailand, have a look at [[Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill]] or [[The Road to Wanting byWendy Law-Yone]] for a wider look at this part of Asia.

{{amazontext|amazon=1494805812}}

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 It's edge-of-the-seat stuff.  Towards the end, I gave up trying to work out what was going to happen next and just went along for the trip.  It's compelling and, unfortunately, all too believable.  Throw in the background of Thailand and some underworld characters for whom life is very cheap, particularly if the life in question is at all inconvenient and you have a very good story.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.  We also have a review of [[Vortex... the Endgame by Matt Carrell]].
-For more from Thailand, have a look at [[Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill]] or [[The Road to Wanting by Wendy Law-Yone]] for a wider look at this part of Asia.
+For more from Thailand, have a look at [[Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill]] or [[The Road to Wanting by Wendy Law-Yone]] for a wider look at this part of Asia.  You might also enjoy [[Killer in the Photo by Annette Mark]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1494805812}}

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 }}
-Andy Duncan's father offered him the money to travel the world for a year, but first he must do a three-month internship with Berwick Archer, an investment company based in Hong Kong.  It would be decent experience to put on his CV.  But when Andy got to Berwick Archer he liked what he saw - and stayed.  Before long he was second in command at the firm's new Bangkok office and had a talent for what he did.  There was even a girlfriend, Caroline Chan, who seemed more permanent than those who had gone before her.  Caroline was a dealer, but not in a big way - although she was well connected to a very influential businessman.
+Andy Duncan's father offered him the money to travel the world for a year, but first, he must do a three-month internship with Berwick Archer, an investment company based in Hong Kong.  It would be decent experience to put on his CV.  But when Andy got to Berwick Archer he liked what he saw - and stayed.  Before long he was second in command at the firm's new Bangkok office and had a talent for what he did.  There was even a girlfriend, Caroline Chan, who seemed more permanent than those who had gone before her.  Caroline was a dealer, but not in a big way - although she was well connected to a very influential businessman.
-The financial markets are based on trust: once that goes the whole system is in danger of collapse and for this reason there are rules which must be strictly adhered to.  Some of them ''might'' seem just a little bit too stringent.  Berwick Archer wouldn't have been impressed that Andy was dating a dealer - the professional relationship would have been just too close for comfort - but Andy knew that giving Caroline a piece of insider information so that she could get herself out of a mess was illegal.  Who was to find out though?  In the great scheme of things it was very small money.
+The financial markets are based on trust: once that goes the whole system is in danger of collapse and for this reason, there are rules which must be strictly adhered to.  Some of them ''might'' seem just a little bit too stringent.  Berwick Archer wouldn't have been impressed that Andy was dating a dealer - the professional relationship would have been just too close for comfort - but Andy knew that giving Caroline a piece of insider information so that she could get herself out of a mess was illegal.  Who was to find out though?  In the great scheme of things, it was very small money.
-In another life Matt Carrell was Deputy CEO of a couple of big investment firms and it's obvious from ''Vortex'' that he knows the business bottom up.  This is a story from a man who has lots more to tell rather than someone who has been doing their research and needs to shoehorn every bit of it in.  It rings very true and he captures the excitement, the danger - and the associated excesses - but what he delivers exceptionally well is the danger of flexible principles.  Whilst you abide by the law - legal ''and'' moral - life is relatively simple as all you need to do is what is right, but once you step across the boundary, even in a small way you are in danger of being pulled into the vortex.  The next, the bigger step is so much easier to take.
+In another life, Matt Carrell was Deputy CEO of a couple of big investment firms and it's obvious from ''Vortex'' that he knows the business bottom up.  This is a story from a man who has lots more to tell rather than someone who has been doing their research and needs to shoehorn every bit of it in.  It rings very true and he captures the excitement, the danger - and the associated excesses - but what he delivers exceptionally well is the danger of flexible principles.  Whilst you abide by the law - legal ''and'' moral - life is relatively simple as all you need to do is what is right, but once you step across the boundary, even in a small way you are in danger of being pulled into the vortex.  The next, the bigger step is so much easier to take.
-There's an interesting look at Thailand, the land of excess and depravity, or so we are led to believe, with sex tourists and rampant corruption.  The tabloids are keen to tell us about this, but less enthusiastic about the poverty, inequality and exploitation which pushes people into the sex industry or crime. Carrell presents both sides and treads a careful line between condoning and condemning  and the story is more thought-provoking because of it.
+There's an interesting look at Thailand, the land of excess and depravity, or so we are led to believe, with sex tourists and rampant corruption.  The tabloids are keen to tell us about this but less enthusiastic about the poverty, inequality and exploitation which pushes people into the sex industry or crime. Carrell presents both sides and treads a careful line between condoning and condemning and the story is more thought-provoking because of it.
-It's edge-of-the-seat stuff.  Towards the end I gave up trying to work out what was going to happen next and just went along for the trip.  It's compelling and, unfortunately, all too believable.  Throw in the background of Thailand and some underworld characters for whom life is very cheap, particularly if the life in question is at all inconvenient and you have a very good story.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
+It's edge-of-the-seat stuff.  Towards the end, I gave up trying to work out what was going to happen next and just went along for the trip.  It's compelling and, unfortunately, all too believable.  Throw in the background of Thailand and some underworld characters for whom life is very cheap, particularly if the life in question is at all inconvenient and you have a very good story.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.  We also have a review of [[Vortex... the Endgame by Matt Carrell]].
 For more from Thailand, have a look at [[Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill]] or [[The Road to Wanting by Wendy Law-Yone]] for a wider look at this part of Asia.

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Vortex
 |author=Matt Carrell
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 |isbn=978-1494805814
 |website=http://mattcarrellbooks.com/
-|video=
+|cover=1494805812
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1494805812</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=1494805812
-|amazonus=<amazonus>1494805812</amazonus>
+|aznus=1494805812
 }}

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 {{amazontext|amazon=1494805812}}
 {{interviewtext|author=Matt Carrell}}
 {{commenthead}}

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 |reviewer=Sue Magee
 |genre=Thrillers
-|summary=A financial thriller from an author who knows the business inside out and can tell a good story too.  Recommended.
+|summary=A financial thriller from an author who knows the business inside out and can tell a good story too.  Recommended. Matt Carrell popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Matt Carrell|chat to us]].
 |rating=4
 |buy=Yes
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 {{amazontext|amazon=1494805812}}
 {{commenthead}}

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=234
-|publisher=CreateSpace
+|publisher=Linden Tree
 |date=May 2014
 |isbn=978-1494805814