Finance, Betrayal, and a Very Bad Week for Walter Nash
Review of Nash Falls by Maria Antokas
When I was a Wall Street banker many moons ago, I worked with hundreds of Walter Nashes. You know the type: Ivy League brains, permanently wrinkled suits, and calendars so packed with flights, conference calls, and earnings models that their families practically needed appointments to see them. They were decent guys, mostly harmless, and very, very good at making money for companies whose business they rarely questioned too closely. Enter Walter Nash, the protagonist of Nash Falls. He’s one of those guys – disciplined, dutiful, and completely convinced he’s working for a respectable financial firm. Unfortunately for Walter, his employer turns out to be less “prestigious global enterprise” and more “international operation with some very questionable dealings.”
The company in question is run by Barron Temple, who reads like the human embodiment of corporate greed – imagine a bloated tycoon clinging to his third trophy wife and a fortune built on extremely murky business practices. His son Rett Temple is the equally charming heir apparent: handsome, entitled, and about as trustworthy as a fox in a henhouse. Together they’ve managed to tangle their firm in a web of corruption, financial misconduct, and global lawlessness, all while quietly funneling money for a dangerous international figure who treats their company like her personal ATM. Naturally, federal investigators start paying attention. After their first two informants meet very unfortunate ends (never a great sign for workplace morale), the Bureau decides third time’s the charm and recruits the utterly unsuspecting Walter Nash to follow the money trail. Meanwhile, Nash’s personal life implodes with spectacular efficiency: his wife is sleeping with Rett Temple, his teenage daughter disappears, his estranged father dies, and- just to round out the week—Walter himself is framed for several violent crimes. Enter “Shock,” his late father’s Vietnam buddy, the kind of battle-hardened character you definitely want on your side when things start going very, very wrong.
But Baldacci, who is one of my favorite thriller writers, is clearly just getting warmed up here. Nash Falls is the first book in a two-part series, and by the end Shock has essentially turned Walter Nash from bewildered Wall Street numbers guy into something closer to a reluctant action hero—think Rambo with a finance degree. The book barrels forward with Baldacci’s signature effortless pacing: colorful characters, sharp twists, and just enough chaos to keep you flipping pages late into the night. And then, just as Nash is gearing up to take down the people who wrecked his life, Baldacci pulls the curtain down and leaves us hanging for part two. I’m already in line for it. If Baldacci keeps the momentum going, the next installment – coming April 26 – should be one very satisfying showdown.
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