Product Description

From the author who created the international No 1 bestsellers Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls and Jack and Jill comes a lightning-paced novel of high finance, international terrorism and irresistible page-turning suspense -- now reissued in striking new cover style. The threat was absolute. At 5.05 p.m. Wall Street would be destroyed. No demands, no ransom, no negotiations. A multiple firebombing -- orchestrated by a secret militia group -- would wipe out the financial heart of America. Faced with catastrophe on an unimaginable scale, Federal agent Archer Carroll and Wall Street lawyer Caitlin Dillon are pitched into a heart-stopping race against time, tracking the unknown enemy through a maze of intrigue, rumour and betrayal towards a truly shocking climax.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9779 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
'The action is fast and furious' Wall Street Journal 'A tough, twisting tale.' New York Daily News 'Patterson brilliantly explores dark crevices of the aberrant mind and lets us soar and dip with rollercoaster thrills.' Anne Rule

About the Author
James Patterson combines his position as one of the fastest-rising stars of modern thriller writing with a career as the chairman of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in New York. He first reached the top of bestseller lists around the world with Along Came a Spider, which introduced his popular detective hero Alex Cross, who also appears in Kiss the Girls, Jack and Jill, Cat and Mouse and his most recent novel, Pop Goes the Weasel.

Customer Reviews

Different from the others
As an avid fan of James Patterson's detective charcter Alex Cross I looked forward to reading one of his earlier works without mr Cross, I wasn't disappointed! The plot was great following the possibilty of what would happen if there was a stock market crash, a very scary prospect! The main character Arch Carroll, a police man, was a very likeable police man who tries to figureout the mystery surrounding 'Green Band'. However the plot may confuse some people in places who may not follow stocks and shares and the economy as they are several complictaed parts in the plot concerning this, stick with it though you dont need to be a mastermind on it to enjoy the plot! a great novel, one of Patterons best! A must read for JP's fans!

Paceful, Prime Patterson
Black market is a truly fast, paced thriller that engages one from the very start and does this continously throughout the book.
An unexpected twist is beckoned upon the reader at the end and it is a truly delightful read, a pleasure to read.

slow slog - 2 and a half stars!
I know I'm not the fastest reader in the world but considering I've been on holiday for the past week with nothing to do but read and this book has taken up a large portion of it. Therefore, I'm going to apologise now for my rant and hope you still find some useful information in this review.

What most authors would have had as a climax somewhere in the middle happens virtually on page three - the bombing of multiple buildings in the finincial district of New York. A warning was given in order to allow for an evacuation but there were no demands, no reasons why and therefore no way to stop it happening.
Out of nowhere a terrorist organisation (Green Band) no one has ever heard of threatens to cause a market crash that will make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park.
The race is on the prevent the complete collapse of the Western Economy. It revolves around finding and neutralising Green Band swiftly but they somehow manage to stay one step ahead of the cops.

The ensuing cat and mouse sounds great in theory. In reality the book is long and tedious to get through.
Somehow a cop with 4 kids whos turning into an alcoholic following the death of his wife has everything fall into place for him. Archer Carroll finds a woman, survives a shoot-out, running into a burning building, being hit over the head a few times and a helicopter crash! How he finally makes the connection as to who is behind Green Band is glossed over. One moment he's thinking 'let me review my case notes' and the next page he's practically found his man.
Shockingly bad writing as it failed to keep me on my toes. I only finished this book out of sheer stubborness and a desire to know if I'd figured out the final twist.

A final piece of information - it's a little complicated to understand in parts! The financial world is central to the story and i must admit there were bits that just went over my head. I imagine people with a background knowledge in economics may enjoy the book more than me.