This Bleeding City by Alex Preston

This Bleeding City

Alex Preston

In the high octane, drug-fuelled trading floor of Silverbirch, hedge fund bidder Charlie Wales takes risks, driven by his desire to live the London high life. A timely tale - I could feel the tension on the trading floor as traders struggled to counteract the impending economic downturn. I empathised with Charlie at first, admiring his ambition to succeed until an unexpected decision significantly altered my opinion of him in the closing pages.

Extract
We sharpened every evening with white powder. When we returned to our desks we saw everything moving together, understood the hidden paths that linked the markets, could contemplate recovery and profit and success again. The buzz lasted until after dinner, until the pizza boxes that sat beside the desk were sodden with cold grease.
Parallels
  • I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
  • Rogue Trader by Nick Leeson
  • Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh