I would like to thank the author Simon Hayes, the Rubriqs Press, and NetGallery for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

There is an SNL skit that perfectly captures the basic function of a bank, which is to keep track of each customer’s money. The skit opens with a banker, in quintessential attire, addressing a boardroom full of employees and imparting his wisdom, while Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” plays in the background. “We will make a list of our clients” the banker explains “and how much money each of them has given us to invest. We will keep this list in a safe place. If we have time, we will make a copy of the list, in case something happens to the first list.” And he continues looking meaningfully at each and every one, “We must take special care of the list with each client’s name and the amount of money he has invested. If we were to lose that list, we would be ruined.” And without missing a bit, “If my wife calls while I’m in shagging my secretary, tell her I am at a board meeting. That way I will be able to continue shagging my secretary, without my wife knowing about it.”[*]

Martin “The Toad” Kellett, the Chief Risk Officer at the National Bank ‒one of the UK’s largest banks‒ may not have been shagging his secretary, literally at least, but this is his mentalité towards his employees and other people in general. When a young employee exposes a vulnerability in the bank’s cybersecurity system and manages to hack into Kellett’s bank account during a meeting, instead of being applauded, she gets fired and drummed out of the City. Kellett’s ego, his arrogance, his greed, and belligerence will set in motion a sequence of events that will threaten to ruin the economy of the United Kingdom. Because, as will become apparent eight years later, the young employee was right.

The premise of the book is fascinating. What would happen if the list were lost? Or to be more accurate, what would happen if zeros were added to the accounts of some customers. Instead of a typical bank heist (such as the one-billion-dollar heist North Korea almost pulled off a couple of years ago), where customers and the bank are losing money, in Zero Ri$k the customers are watching their balances getting inflated. This of course means that only the bank is losing money. Considering that very few banks and bankers were punished for the financial crisis of 2008, it is an attractive idea.

A brilliant hacker with the nom de guerre Joen van Acken has found a way to evade the sophisticated cybersecurity of the National Bank and starts making changes to the bank accounts of the customers. The event is so unprecedented that it could justifiably be described as a “Black Swan” (nice cover by the way!). Rob Tanner, the Chief Operating Officer of the bank, learns on December 23rd that the balance of a thousand and one bank accounts has been increased tenfold. Despite the objections of Kellett, who thinks that this is an isolated event that will be sorted-out quickly, Tanner enlists the help of a top cybersecurity expert, Ashley Markham. Together they will try to solve the puzzle of the attack in a race against time. And Tanner will be proven right, this was only the beginning. The changes to the bank accounts continue, and they spread to more accounts, and to other UK banks. They are accompanied by cryptic emails, taunting Kellett, Tanner, and others, with obscure references to art and popular culture and with references to Hieronymus Bosch’s representation of the seven deadly sins. “A cryptic soup of threat and menace,” as one character put it. [Not so much of a spoiler, but for those readers who want to start early and try to solve the puzzle themselves, there is a common thread that links all the emails.]

As I said, the main idea is fascinating, but I have two major issues with the execution, which explain the three stars. My first issue is the depiction of the characters. They all sounded the same to me even though each had their own backstory. This probably has to do with the voice of the narrator which overshadows every other voice in the book. Also, for some reason, I could not care for any of them, so I did not feel invested in what happened to them.

My second issue has to do with the length of the book. Do not get me wrong, I have read William L. Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. So, it is not the length per se, but the length in combination with the lack of suspense. For me, the story was predictable, so not much came as a surprise and I got a bit bored. Furthermore, I think that this book was in need of editing. There were too many awkward dialogues, unnecessary descriptions and details that did not offer anything and made the narrative bloated.

Take the following description, for example:

“Trapped in an unbreakable headlock of heavy yellow PVC, the fight drained from Tanner.”

Or this one:

“Chest heaving, he dragged himself to his feet, via his knees.” (emphasis my own) Who cares about this detail in general but especially during one of the most stressful moments of the book? Who needs to know this and why? The same could be asked for many other things that could have been omitted to make the narrative tighter.

Judging by the four- and five-star reviews, I am in the minority here. Despite my criticism and personal preferences though, I do think that Zero Ri$k is a solid debut novel that many will enjoy. With all the cyberattacks that have been happening over the last few years, the subject of the book is timely and thought-provoking. It makes you think about how precarious the systems we have built our lives on are, and how vulnerable we are to cyberattacks that could target one sector and, because everything is connected, affect or cause the collapse of others. Finally, I do agree with other reviewers on one thing: I would love to see this book as a mini-series!

[*] I owe the reference to this SNL skit to Zeke Faux’s Number Go Up.

I was so glad I had a chance to read Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes especially as Simon is a new author to me and the cover just caught my eye.

It Christmas and this should be the most exciting time of the year..................especially when your bank account has had money added to your bank account!!!! How exciting - Free money!!!
But, Why? and how did this happen!
Was it a mistake by my bank? a botched system update? or is it a gift to help me out over this festive season! But there must be a reason why this has happened!!!! Nothing is free in life!

The banks and the government are investigating and they have two private investigators are looking into this..............Now, National Bank Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a ‘Black Swan’ storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated.

Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner and his team are racing against time to unravel the cause behind the anomalies, the plot intensifies with each twist and turn as cryptic emails begin to arrive. He has to enlists a top American cyber security expert, Ashley Markham, to assist, but the attacks only worsen.........bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation’s banks. But as they all scratch their heads and look at all the evidence in front of them everything, it just keeps getting worse and nothing makes sense!

The only clue they have to the hacker’s intentions are cryptic daily emails, centred on Hieronymus Bosch’s medieval representation of the deadly sins, taunting Tanner and newly incumbent Prime Minister James Allen.

To be honest with you.....I didn't know what to expect with this book as its not usually a book I would pick to read. But,.............WoW this book was excellent political thriller from start to finish............which is full of twists and turns that will just have you gripped and turning the pages to find out what happens next.

But remember nothing is free!

I highly recommend Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes

Thank you to Simon Hayes and Literally PR for providing me with the opportunity to read this intriguing novel.

Finally getting around to writing comments for this one – it was GOOD. I didn't think a thriller set in the world of banking would be so intriguing, but this was very layered and had a lot going on. It's got the dystopian vibe of being real enough to feel possible in today's world, and also, there's a lot of clues to sort out and try to piece together the reason behind everything happening. I really enjoyed it, and the chapters are fairly short, so I was one-more-chapter-ing this over and over.

Ten Days.
Seven Deadly Sins.
Zero Ri$k

When the tranquility of Christmas Eve is shattered by a deluge of customer complaints regarding mysteriously inflated bank balances, it signals not the arrival of early gifts, but rather the onset of a cataclysmic cyber attack of unprecedented sophistication. Caught in the eye of this unforeseen storm is Rob Tanner, the Chief Operating Officer of National Bank. Yet, amidst the chaos, it becomes evident that this crisis was one that could have been foreseen by anyone, despite no one predicting it.

In a bid to combat the escalating crisis, Tanner enlists the expertise of the brilliant American computer security specialist, Ashley Markham. However, despite their efforts, the situation only worsens as bank balances skyrocket uncontrollably, spreading like wildfire to financial institutions across the nation.

As financial markets teeter on the brink of collapse, threatening to plunge the world into an economic abyss, Tanner finds himself locked in a race against time. His mission: to unravel not only the enigmatic emails but also their underlying significance, and to discern who among his allies he can truly trust.

This enthralling debut narrative unfolds as a multi-layered tale, chronicling the journey of a disillusioned banker thrust into the throes of unthinkable financial Armageddon.

Can he unlock the mystery concealed within the cryptic messages before modern society regresses into the dark ages of uncertainty and chaos?

If you read one thriller this year, read this one. I had heard a lot of good things about this book before I read it. Those comments were right. This is a fast paced thriller with complex parts and at times a soft centre. I liked the plot, and especially the portrayal of the main characters. The frightening thing I suppose is that this could actually be a non-fiction story being broadcast on TV news in real life. Thank you to Rubriqs Press Ltd and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

In "Zero Ri$k," England grapples with a Christmas-week cyberattack that's inflating customers' bank balances. A bank executive must race to save the country's financial system before the New Year.

The attack on the banks is frighteningly plausible, and despite the books length, it kept my interest until the end. I enjoyed learning about each character's backstory and individual arc. The attacker's motives are a bit harder to believe, as are some of the main characters' reactions to the crisis.

All in all, "Zero Ri$k" is a timely slow-burn thriller for readers who are interested in the financial world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rubriqs Press Ltd. for sending me an advance copy for review consideration.

The story is told over a period of 10 days around Christmas time. It begins with a series of bank accounts have had money added to their accounts. What, why, when, how, where and how - these are the questions that the bank, the Government and two private investigators set about investigating!! The sub plots are interwoven with the main plot with a few twists and turns and red herrings thrown in. All the threads tie neatly by the end of the book.

Despite being highly intrigued by the premise and finding it to be exceptionally timing, I just couldn't get into this one... It has great potential for drama, action, and adventure - but I found the pacing to be slower than I would have liked to see in this type of story, and I just never connected with the characters as I'd hoped. It wasn't a good fit for me.