MELTDOWN

The plot of Martin Baker's Meltdown plays with some very complicated ideas. Indeed, the novel is prefaced with a quote about the nature of economics. 

At its heart is a very simple tale of an ego out of control and a crime to unravel, but the route Baker takes to getting there is very different to a standard whodunit. Starting with a brilliant young academic being sent undercover to investigate a rogue trader, the novel shifts gears a number of times so that you're never quite sure what kind of a thriller you are reading. 

While that may sound like a great idea, it’s a balancing act that could go horribly wrong, leading to a train wreck of a plot. It’s to Baker's tremendous credit, then, that he makes the story work. The central character of Samuel Spendlove has enough layers to his personality that you want to see his flaws trip him up when everything is going well, and you then want to see his determination and intelligence pull him through when things start to fall apart. 

And things definitely fall apart. 

From the high testosterone world of the trading floor, the reader is soon taken into a murder mystery involving a private sex club and a police cover up, before breaking open into an international manhunt. 

Much like the fluid nature of the plot, each of the main characters get to play tricks on our expectations. The central figure of Khan, the trader being investigated, switches constantly between classic Bond villain and hero. In true femme fatale style, Kaz Day and Lauren de la Geneste lead Samuel around by the wrong part of his anatomy, so he is never sure whether to trust them or not. Even the supporting cast get in on the act, one reveal in particular had me re-reading earlier scenes to spot the clues.