Guest Review: Saving Jason

Summary: Jason Stafford used to be a hot Wall Street trader, went too far, and paid for it in prison. Now a financial investigator, he’s been asked to look into rumors of a hostile takeover of his firm, but he has no idea it will turn his whole life upside down. Suddenly embroiled in a grand jury investigation of Mob-related activities on Wall Street, and threatened by some very serious men, he is thrust into witness protection with his young autistic son. And then his son disappears. Has he been kidnapped, or worse? With no choice but to act, Stafford has no choice but to come out of hiding and risk everything to save his son, his firm, his pregnant girlfriend—and himself. -- G.P. Putnam's Sons

Since my dad enjoyed BLACK FRIDAYS by Michael Sears, I decided to share with him another book in the series SAVING JASON. Here are his thoughts:

SAVING JASON is the fourth book by Michael Sears featuring Jason Stafford. I previously reviewed BLACK FRIDAYS, the first book in the series. Jason was a Wall Street trader sentenced to prison for white collar crimes that prevents him from ever again working as a trader. He now works as a financial investigator for a small investment firm. In SAVING JASON, Jason discovers an unusual penny stock trend. When he reports it to the CEO, Jason finds little interest because his boss is focused on a rumor suggesting the company is in play for a hostile takeover. Stafford’s investigation is now redirected toward finding the source of the hostile takeover. Jason’s efforts result in the death of a co-worker and lands him and his firm in the middle of a Grand Jury probe into Wall Street mob activities. The probe is led by a politically motivated U.S. Attorney who will sacrifice anyone to promote himself.

As a result, Jason’s life is threatened and he is placed into a Witness Protection program and relocated with his 7-year old autistic son, the Kid. This creates a myriad of problems because the Kid doesn’t adapt well to change and is more comfortable in a structured environment. Additionally Jason had to leave his pregnant girlfriend back in New York. When the Kid disappears, Jason doesn’t know if he ran away or has been kidnapped. A panicked search leads Jason to realize he must return to New York for his son and girlfriend and take control of his life.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the time Jason and his son are in witness protection with most of the action directed to protecting Jason’s identity and searching for the Kid. Although the action is fast and keeps the reader interested it does take the reader away from the original crime related storyline. Author Michael Sears does pull it nicely together at the end.

The most significant character development evolves around Jason and the Kid. Jason is the hero, but in pursuing his investigation, he exhibits some of the character flaws that originally landed him in prison. Jason’s autistic child adds an interesting dimension to the story as the reader gets a feel for the relationship between a parent and his autistic child. It’s clear that Jason really loves his son but makes one wonder why he constantly puts him in harm’s way.

SAVING JASON is a good story set in the risk-reward world of Wall Street. It is an easy to read, well written thriller that contrasts the greed and corruption of Wall Street with a tender story about a father and his autistic son.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and to the publisher and Saichek Publicity for providing a review copy of this novel.