''A Calculated Risk'', published in 1992, is American author Katherine Neville's second novel. It is a

financial thriller Financial thriller is a subgenre of thriller fiction in which the financial system and economy play a major role. History The novel '' The Financier'' (1912) by Theodore Dreiser displays elements of a financial thriller and is an early example o ...

Synopsis

Verity Banks is the senior woman executive at the Bank of the World, a global financial institution. She heads the department of

Electronic Funds Transfer Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, via computer-based systems, without the direct intervention of ...

but finds herself stonewalled when she makes any proposal to step up the bank's computer security. Verity soon decides to prove the weakness of the bank's security by stealing from the very systems she has worked to protect. Upon hearing her plan, her mentor Tor sets a challenge to see which of them can steal a billion dollars and subsequently invest it to earn thirty million in three months - upping the stakes dramatically.

Reception

* ''New York Times'' notable book * A

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Alternate Selection ''A Calculated Risk'' received positive reception when it was published in 1992 — not only in the literary sector, but in the financial media and university business courses. Over 15 years later, during the financial meltdown of 2009, it reappeared on many independent bestseller lists. ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read ...

'' praised Neville's plotting, and found it to be "more plausible because of her intimate knowledge of how international banking works". The ''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''D ...

'' called it "dizzying (and) enjoyable", while the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' commended the "fine degree of tension".

References

Financial thrillers 1992 American novels American thriller novels {{1990s-thriller-novel-stub