I was expecting to not enjoy this as its not the type of book I tend to gravitate towards. However this book I did really enjoy which I was very surprised about

I really enjoyed reading A Matter of Will.

In this story, we find Will has arrived on Wall Street hoping to make it big. Things are going perfectly until he witnesses an act of violence and then everything changes.

A well-written story that kept me captivated until the very end.

Mitzner’s A Matter Of Will is a legal/ crime thriller that follows the rise of a young yuppie couple dressed for success in Manhattan. Will is an Ivy League grad on his first job as a junior executive at the largest wealth management firms on Wall Street, Cold calling his way to his first million. He meets Sam Abaddon at a hockey game and, for some strange reason, Sam takes a liking to Will, taking him under his wing, swiftly depositing millions under Will’s management and showing Will what it’s like to be one of the Masters of the Universe, dining at the best places, taking the top penthouse apartment. The money is simply gushing like a waterfall.

And with this success came Gwen, an up and coming lawyer at a high priced New York firm, taking that same climb to success, but without Sam’s helping hand. Just as how Will’s story shows what it’s like to start at a top Wall Street firm, Gwen’s story offers a solid portrayal of the life of a young corporate lawyer, who gives their left kidney to stay on the partnership track, but rarely, if ever, sets foot in a courtroom.

Given Sam’s surname, readers might imagine the narrative follows a more supernatural track. What you get instead is a white-collar thriller with twists and turns that will surprise you.

Will Matthews, an inexperienced investment broker with the dream of making it big on Wall Street, and Gwen Lipton, a young lawyer who chose this profession with the intention of saving the world, are the key characters of this well-written financial thriller by Adam Mitzner. With a plot full of surprises, we see how Will and Gwen’s lives are gradually connected, but destiny is working against them.
Will’s vision of his great client’s dead body, Sam Abaddon, subverts his upcoming days. Now his life depends on Evelyn Devereux, a powerful woman who is willing to manipulate people all around her just to organize and control her illegal traffics and store all her profits in safe havens. Gwen’s job as a defense lawyer of Jasper Tolan, who murdered his wife, is a threatening experience that makes her feel ashamed of protecting guilty people. The two plots are abruptly separated, but the ending is rather thrilling as well as captivating. I highly recommend this book, a really page turner.

Another amazing book by Adam Mitzner. I love his writing - so entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author, Adam Mitzner, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A Matter of Will in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I certainly didn't expect to end up enjoying this book. I felt it was a bit of a slow burn to begin with but decided to keep reading even if it was just to see how it would end for the central characters. Am so glad I did.
Overall, it was a good story.
Worth a read.

This is definitely a genre of fiction I haven’t had the pleasure of reading before. Financial thriller, perhaps ever more appropriate now. The characters are incredibly constructed and the plot is exceptionally fast paced, but you won’t get lost along the way. A really excellent change from the usual thrillers I read!

I never really understood the financial world and for that reason I was afraid to read this book. However, there is nothing to fear. A Matter of Will will tell the story of Will, the broker treinee who meets a couple who seems to be able to grant the protagonist the success on Wall Street that he longs for.
The author's writing is very fluid and makes it impossible to drop that book. The suspense is very well constructed and it is impossible not to be glazed in the pages of the book.
The ending was a little abrupt, but I don't think it spoils the reading experience.

This is a classic tale of vulnerability leading an everyman to sell his soul for riches, until he reaches a point that he can no longer deny the evil to which he contributes. Of course the good-hearted girlfriend does her best to turn him around, and somehow her story intersects with his in a “small world” kind of way. Mitzner does a nice job of imbuing a modern take on this story, with graphic details of the unearned hedonistic life, and an interesting resolution for the everyman. I was fortunate to receive a copy of this well-written book from the publisher Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.

This was a compulsive read that I just wanted to keep reading, really enjoyable and I’m looking forward to more from this author.

“Every man is the protagonist in the novel that is his life”

Having literally just finished reading and reviewing a previous story where the two main protagonists have both personal and business interests which overlap and have the potential to destroy them, both as a couple and individually, A Matter Of Will virtually replicates this scenario, but there the likeness ends, as this fast moving book has the potential to be adding death to the equation!

Our two main protagonists, Will and Gwen, are both vulnerable and emotional individuals, still trying to prove themselves in their respective chosen careers as investment broker and law graduate, whilst also trying to cement an emotional and physical relationship between them, which is as yet, still in its fledgling stage.

Both are being placed under enormous pressure to find outcomes to problems, which they know are not ethically good or right. When opportunities for fast track career enhancement, are handed to them both on a plate; morals, truth and a profound sense of right and wrong, seem to fly in the face of greed, desire and ‘turning a blind eye’. Both are lured into a false sense of security and seduced by the dream of success, which because of their inexperience and naivety, they fail to realise will suck them in so deep that they will be unable to escape, when the truth of the situation slowly dawns on them – which it inevitably does!

When honesty between them and a reality check finally prevails, both realise that they are opening a Pandora’s box of retribution and destruction, by continuing on their current paths, a price they might ultimately be forced to pay for with their lives.

With his seemingly effortless, skilled writing and compelling, well balanced attention to detail in the narrative and dialogue, Adam never once forgot any one of the many complex characters he introduced into the story, when it came to fleshing out all the details about them and giving them a life and personality of their own. The synergy and dynamics between each of them made for a palpable tension which lasted from the first to last page of the book.

This multi-layered storyline started off at a good pace and the suspense and intrigue never let up for a minute, only when Adam decided to ratchet things up a notch, making the adrenaline pump even faster! There were so many twists and turns in the tale, almost from the first page to the last, that I challenge any reader to have worked out the final outcome until almost the very final sentence. I thought I had it sussed several times, only to be proved wrong within seconds, as the next event unfolded.

For me personally, the only weak spot in the book were the last couple of pages. However, I seriously think that was probably me, looking for that one last twist in the tale, as if there hadn’t already been enough!

Realistically, the ending was the only plausible option I wanted for the couple, although I was in no way prepared for the way in which it happened – this was the most well kept secret of the entire story!

Very reminiscent of, and a cross between, the films The Devil’s Advocate and The Firm, this book truly deserves to be optioned for film and could definitely stand amongst them in its own right.

A Matter Of Will had just about everything going for it, so move over John Grisham, because Adam Mitzner is here to stay – and heading for my Goodreads ‘Favourites’ list!

A financial thriller set in the big, bad stockbroking (I hope this is a correct word) world of Wall Street and it does kind of remind one of the movie 'Wall Street'.

Will Matthews is an investment broker in training who is almost on the verge of getting fired due to his failure to meet his quarterly quota. So for him it's no less a miracle when at an ice hockey game, he meets the mysterious and super wealthy Sam Abaddon and his girlfriend Eve who takes a liking to Will and decides to invest an initial 18 million with him...with a promise of further more cash packed investments! From there onwards life seems to be on an up and up for Will but like Sam forewarns him, the higher you blindy climb the financial ladder to success, the greater the fall when it all comes crashing down and does it come crashing down for Will! The second story running parallel to Will's is his girlfriend Gwen's, who as an up and coming lawyer is thrilled to be part of the defense team for Jasper Toolan, a movie director accused of killing his wife. She dreams of using her lawyer status to fight for what is right but she soon finds out that things are never ever just black and white.

Although the book lacked any 'OMG what the heck just happened??!!!' moments, it was still a very fast paced, easy to read book without a dull moment. A solid 3.5* rating.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Thomas and Mercer and the author Adam Mitzner for providing me with an e-Arc of the book.

I've enjoyed each Adam Mitzner book. Good plots, interesting characters, ends you don't see coming. A Matter of Will lives up to his earlier works. Highly recommend!

A Matter of Will by Adam Mitzner is a legal/financial thriller I won't soon forget. Will Matthews has come to the big city to make his fortune as an investment broker at a large firm. Life is not happening as planned and he is on the verge of losing his job due to his sub-par performance at recruiting new business. Out of the blue, he meets Sam Abaddon at a baseball game and Sam becomes Will's client and brings in millions in new business for the young broker, thereby saving his job and making him wealthy in the process. Life is good and Will is on top of the world until a serious crime is committed and nothing is what it seems. Will is then faced with difficult decisions that will affect the rest of his life. This is a fascinating thriller that doesn't let up. This is my first Adam Mitzner novel and I look forward to reading more. Highly recommended. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Every Man is the protagonist in the novel that is his life. It’s all in the way you tell it.” I had my suspicions when Samuel Abaddon made this profound declaration to Will Matthews that I was about to be led on a not-so-merry goose chase. I spent pages trying to figure out how greedy and stupid any young person could be. More pages quietly muttering to myself that it was all totally suspect and mostly unbelievable. But it was fast paced, posing the subtle questions; who do you believe?, who is controlling whom? For the most part I admit to being engaged but the ending was a total, abrupt failure.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy.

A Matter of Will is a fast moving story, with awesome characters . The writing is really good.. Couldn't ask for a better thriller on a hot summer day.

A MATTER OF WILL
Adam Mitzner
Thomas & Mercer
ISBN 978-1503905139
Trade Paperback
Thriller

A MATTER OF WILL is a bit of a thematic departure for Adam Mitzner. He is arguably best known for his superb legal thrillers. A MATTER OF WILL, however, finds Mitzner thematically trading the courtroom for the boardroom, if you will. While A MATTER OF WILL is not his first foray into such territory --- he at least treads along the border of it in his fine novel A GIRL FROM HOME, he deeply submerges himself into the world of high finance this time around (while not entirely abandoning the world of law), bringing his strong and confident prose to bear on a complex topic while telling a fascinating and riveting story which full of interesting characters and unexpected plot twists.

A MATTER OF WILL is divided into four seasons. It begins in winter during a professional hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers. The chill that twenty-something Will Matthews feels isn’t from the ice in the arena or even from the weather outside. Rather, he is on the verge of being fired from his employment as an apprentice wealth manager at Maeve Grant, one of Wall Street’s most prestigious firms. Will has numbers to meet if he is going to stay at Maeve Grant, and he is not meeting them. He doesn’t even have a prayer. What Will quickly learns, however, is that a guardian angel is sitting beside him in Madison Square Garden. Will’s savior is named Sam Abaddon, and he is everything that Will is not. Sam is confident, assured, and extremely wealthy. Following a couple of hours of conversation and an after-game dinner (accompanied by Sam’s hauntingly beautiful significant other), Sam after a day or so entrusts Will with managing a portfolio in the low eight figures. He also sets him up with a new wardrobe and a number of other goodies. Life for Will becomes wonderful, particularly when he meets a newly minted and very successful attorney named Gwen Lipton, who is involved as a defense attorney in a high-profile murder trial. Will’s life is better than he could ever have expected. One day, however, a calamitous and wholly unexpected (by Will and the reader) bring his plummeting down to earth. He is seemingly on the verge of losing everything. Just when Will is about to be shoved from the precipice, however, he is given a hand up from a totally unexpected source, one that is not exactly a welcome one. Will is faced with a choice. He can either lose everything or keep what he acquired...except for his principles. It is a true Hobson’s Choice, one that he does not want to make. Will is surprised, however, when a third path presents itself. He does not have the luxury of thoughtful reflection, but the path he should take is clear. All that he needs is a matter of will to grasp it.

A MATTER OF WILL is a surprisingly quick read. Part of the reason for this is that Mitzner is a master at making the complex understandable for the average reader while not letting the intricate details of the subject matter which supports his story to weigh it down. He also keeps a few --- just enough --- plates spinning in his plots and subplots to keep the reader wondering what will happen next. The answer is never quite what one expects, thus inspiring a reading speed that is more a gallop than a canter. All of this, and more makes A MATTER OF WILL a perfect vacation read. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2019, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved

A Matter of Will, the latest offering by Adam Mitzner, is absolutely mesmerizing and quite difficult to put down. So talented is Mitzner with plot lines and characters, that in this meeting of Wall Street and organized crime, readers know that they are in for a good rumble!!

Will Matthews is a young stock broker in danger of losing his job for not meeting quotas when he attends a hockey game between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils (good vs evil - oh the irony!!). By the end of that game, Will's life will change forever. Sam Abaddon, and his girlfriend, Eve, are sitting beside Will, whom Sam engages in conversation. By game's end, Sam, undoubtedly both extremely rich and powerful, tells Will to meet with him the next day so that he can open three accounts with him. Naïve Will ignores the shouting in every reader's head "Come on, you don't get this for nothing!", but the reader also knows if Will doesn't comply, there will be consequences as well, and not good ones!

Will is soon a rising star on Wall Street, with clothes personally made by Sam's tailor, large accounts with many of Sam's friends, and a new multi-million penthouse apartment. His girlfriend, Gwen, is a lawyer assigned to the defense team of a high-profile murder case. Things seem like they can't get better for this young couple.

Then a change in the wind, as the federal government begins investigating Will and his firm for money laundering.

I love all the twists and turns Mitzner puts in the plot, some obvious, some a complete surprise! I also loved the cleverness and irony of the book's sections being titled Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall after the seasons of the year.

Adam Mitzner is always a sure bet for a good, fast-paced read. A Matter of Will proves that true once again and gets a 4 star rating from me. Do yourself a favor and let yourself be entertained by this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer who allowed me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions here are my own.

Wow! I chose this book because of the premise, and Adam Mitzner kept the promise of that premise! A Matter of Will starts out slowly and builds to a really tense finish. The primary and secondary characters are so fully realized and complex, that I found it easy to get caught up in their thoughts and emotions. I think that what I appreciated most was the dialogue, tight and crisp, and always seeming suited to both situation and character. The plot is tightly woven, and I didnt see the twists coming, which made them all the more entertaining. Based on the strength of story and characters in A Matter of Will, I intend to seek out Adam Mitzner's other works.
If you like Joseph Finder, I would suggest Mr. Mitzner as a read alike.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I'm pretty sure that A Matter of Will is my first foray into the world of bestselling author Adam Mitzner, and it certainly didn't disappoint me; not in the slightest! It's a surprisingly ambitious thriller with a plethora of twists pushing you into backing the wrong horse. Because of this, I found myself having to constantly revise my opinion to suit the changing situation as I feverishly turned the pages desperately daring the dastardly Mr Mitzner to fool me again and to my glee, he obliged several times. Now it's not often I appreciate being taken for a ride but the plotting was just so wickedly clever that I revelled in my utter foolishness for the entirety of the book.

Barely a page goes by without some form of excitement and once it gets going the pace is pretty spot on. It's a refreshingly original thriller not least because of the Wall Street, high society setting and vibe running throughout. It is based around Will Matthews, a struggling stockbroker who accepts the financial aid offered to him by Sam Abaddon. After all, he knows he will be in dire straits without it. But what he didn't bargain for was the curtain drawing back to reveal quite how dangerous being involved with Sam is. Perhaps a brief check on Sam's character would've been a wise move BEFORE accepting help.

What follows is a nail-biting, heart-thumping adrenaline-fuelled ride; a ride Will sincerely wishes he could disembark. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.