Official Review: The Deal Maker by Kullum Murphy

[NetMassimo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Deal Maker" by Kullum Murphy.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Deal Maker by Kullum Murphy is a crime thriller centered around the world of finance. Paul Kelly is a Marine who is charged with a task that seems very far from what he did during his military career: infiltrating the world of finance in Canada to discover the connections between loan sharks, mobsters, and other criminals who move money through Canada in an international flow. Kelly's training is useful in dealing with ruthless people ready to kill whoever crosses them but is not enough to handle himself in a field that's not his own. For that reason, he finds the assistance of stock trader Tom Reilly, who's far from a saint but is one of the "least dirty" people in that field.

Finance is a tough world in which people and organizations try to make money, sometimes illegally. Kullum Murphy takes us for a journey inside the dirtiest parts of that world, where loan sharks work alongside mobsters, to uncover flows of money generated by a number of criminal activities. In some ways, it's like a journey to hell as the plot explores a number of such activities. That kind of finance disrupts honest people's work, to the point that even countries can contribute to illegal activities in an enemy financial system to interfere with their economy. Those are the reasons why an operation to uncover criminal activities in Montréal's financial world is set up by an intelligence agency and not by a law enforcement agency.

The novel is set a few decades ago. Kullum Murphy added no dates, but there are references to the war in Vietnam and to violent events in Northern Ireland. That's important in the plot because there are several Irish characters, and at least some of them have open connections with the IRA (Irish Republican Army), and because information about people could be found only in paper documents, not googling them.

There's not much action in this novel as Paul Kelly tries to discover who's part of a criminal network mostly talking to people who might be involved in it and to his contacts who assist him in this operation. However, there are some moments of violent action when criminals are involved. Kullum Murphy doesn't go into many details, but some descriptions of acts of violence are crude enough to make readers see criminals' brutality.

The plot is quite intricate because the criminal network is made up of various people and gangs with ties to various countries. There are several parts of the novel where those ties are explored together with relevant topics such as differences in various countries' financial laws. This is not a novel easy to read, but it offers a depiction of the influence of a number of criminal activities on various nations' financial world.

There are some flashbacks to the period when Paul Kelly is being trained for the mission and when it's set up. One thing I didn't like is that you have to understand on your own that they're flashbacks as there are no indications. The complex plot makes it difficult for readers to follow the leaps back and forth in time, so some details would have helped the novel's readability.

There are several instances of sex which in most cases can be defined as pure lust. That's appropriate in the sense that the novel is set in a field full of ruthless men who like to just use women. In that field, sex can be also used for blackmail.

The Deal Maker is an intriguing journey into the dirtiest part of the world of finance. Unfortunately, it contains several errors of various types. They didn't detract from my enjoyment, but I had to take a star from its rating, therefore I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. It contains many profanities, but the real reasons why I recommend it only to grown-ups is that it's complex and because the sex is quite explicit. What I liked the most is that Kullum Murphy explains finance, with the complex interconnections between trading, loans, and other activities of that world, in simple terms. If you're interested in an in-depth depiction of the world of finance with its dirty ramifications, this novel is for you.

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The Deal Maker
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[Adanna Inya]

This is quite interesting. Paul is like a fish out of water in a field that's not his. Beautiful review.

[Diana Lowery]

I like the idea of making finance a bit sexy and exciting. It is too bad that there were so many errors and that the flashbacks were not explained well.

[NetMassimo]

This is quite interesting. Paul is like a fish out of water in a field that's not his. Beautiful review.

True, but he must learn quickly to handle himself in that field, or he'll get killed. Thank you for your appreciation!

[NetMassimo]

I like the idea of making finance a bit sexy and exciting. It is too bad that there were so many errors and that the flashbacks were not explained well.

With a bit of more editing, the novel could be even better! Thank you for commenting!

[Maria Esposito]

This truly sounds like a fascinating book that delves into the unpleasant corners of finance. It must have been a thrilling experience reading this book. Amazing analysis and review, as always!

[Huini Hellen]

In as much as the topic of finance intrigues me, I would not want my reading experience to be hampered by a complex plot, whose structure is not clear. Thanks for the honest review.

[Bookworm101520]

I think I would have a hard time keeping track of the time jumps and plot points in the book, but your review does make the world of finance sound interesting! Thanks for a detailed review.

[NetMassimo]

This truly sounds like a fascinating book that delves into the unpleasant corners of finance. It must have been a thrilling experience reading this book. Amazing analysis and review, as always!

Even if it's not action-packed, there's an ongoing tension as the protagonist is always aware that a mistake could cost his life. Thank you for your appreciation!

[NetMassimo]

In as much as the topic of finance intrigues me, I would not want my reading experience to be hampered by a complex plot, whose structure is not clear. Thanks for the honest review.

The theme is indeed complex, so it's a novel that requires attention, but I think it rewards it. Thank you for commenting!

[NetMassimo]

I think I would have a hard time keeping track of the time jumps and plot points in the book, but your review does make the world of finance sound interesting! Thanks for a detailed review.

Yes, the flashbacks could have been handled better, but learning some finance mechanisms is interesting. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I appreciate your thorough review, and it painted a very clear image of the book. Thank you for your effort!

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Thanks for a great review and recommendations. This seems to be an interesting and intriguing book.

[NetMassimo]

I appreciate your thorough review, and it painted a very clear image of the book. Thank you for your effort!

It's great to know that I succeeded in my goal. Thank you for your appreciation!

[NetMassimo]

Thanks for a great review and recommendations. This seems to be an interesting and intriguing book.

If you want to know more about the world of finance, with its dark side, this is the book for your. Thank you for your appreciation!