James Patterson’s Black Friday is a dramatically contemporary vision of a stock market thrown into chaos; a terrifying look at what one group of saboteurs could do to the western economy by destroying some of Wall Street’s key financial institutions.

Protagonists include Arch Carroll, head of the CIA’s antiterrorist division, and Caitlin Dylan, director of enforcement for the SEC, who team up both professionally and romantically, to locate the “Green Band” terrorists before they can strike again. However, who comprises the group, and what their motives are, since they have no specific demands, continue to be a mystery even as a roller coaster ride of suspects are introduced.

With no real clues as to the identity of the “Green Band” brigade, Arch and Caitlyn are first led to trail former colonel David Hudson and his ragtag band of vengeance-seeking Vietnam veterans. However, don’t assume that the action begins and ends with them as Patterson manages to orchestrate the story to involve another group, more dangerous than “Green Band,” thus leaving you uncertain until the end who the bad guys really are. Additionally, the reader watches as Arch tracks Francois Montserrat, an elusive terrorist only to discover that he is much closer than he could ever have imagined.

On the negative side was that even at the end of the book I was still unclear as to why New York was bombed, how the money was stolen, and how the stolen money was used. I also felt that the conclusion cold have been better laid out with explanations as to what happened to our hero cop and in the end did the bad guys achieve their objective. Also what about Francois, why was even brought into the story when he isn’t mentioned again, almost as an afterthought, until the Epilogue.

Overall I thought Patterson did a good job with Black Friday, which was first published in 1986, but after reading this novel and the Alex Cross series, I would conclude that Patterson is highly suspect of the government and their motives. However, Black Friday is full of intrigue that will especially captivate male audiences while still giving women a slightly romantic twist for their enjoyment.

[tags]Corrupt politicians, war veterans,Viet Nam, James Patterson, Black Friday, fiction, mystery, suspense, book review, stock market, economic crisis, Wall Street, terrorism, terrorist, Green band, bombing[/tags]