PITFALL by terry kirk
READ PITFALL - BOOK #1 IN MY HISTORICAL FICTION SERIES
FOLLOW ROGUE TRADER FRANK CORK AS HE NAVIGATES THE 1929 MARKET CRASH
Frank Cork is head trader at Chicago’s leading brokerage firm. It's October 1929, and Frank has made a killing trading wheat futures on the city’s commodities exchange. At thirty-two, Frank and his wife, Katrina, have climbed from South Side to the tony northern suburbs. They’re at the top of their game in their stunning modernist home with two young children. But on October 29, 1929, Frank watches in the trading pit as his fortune is wiped out in a single day. Some traders skulk home while others lurk in the shadows of the Clark Street Bridge; Frank drags himself to Grand Central Station. Hawkers scream, “Black Tuesday, Market Crash,” as Frank staggers onto the nearest train. Flattened by shame, the fallen trader finally debarks a thousand miles later as his train crosses the border into Saskatchewan.
Holed up in a shed on the Canadian Prairies, Frank wrestles with how to redeem himself and return home. The only opportunity in sight is selling Canadian whiskey to the Chicago mob. Frank faces setbacks at every turn, including a terrifying visit to the still in the tunnels under Moose Jaw.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Frank's firm is looking for him. Was it suicide? Murder? Everyone's a suspect, from the managing partner to the mob-boss mayor.
TESTIMONIALS
“From the sweaty trading pits and speakeasies of Jazz Age Chicago to the vast wheat fields and underground distilleries of Saskatchewan, Terry Kirk traces the fault lines beneath the greatest financial collapse in history. A rollicking good read filled with vivid characters and a magical sense of place.”
- Michel Lucas, Founding Partner, Decima Research (now part of Nielsen)
"The story is full of vivid, juicy, historic details, from financial markets to cars and music. It captures the time period with authority and intrigue. I found myself feverishly reading long after lights out."
- Kevin O’Farrell, Senior management consulting practice leader
"I thoroughly enjoyed this character and his time in Saskatchewan."
- Gerda Hnatyshyn, Viceregal Consort of Canada (former)
“Pitfall literally take you away to the places that are described in great clear detail. If you close your eyes you can see and place yourself in the scene. The description of the financial industry was accurate and well done. Right up there with Boardwalk Empire.
- Brian Howard, Dorchester Wealth Management (Retired Partner)
"I rarely come across the work of a debut novelist that is as assured, lively, and well-written as this. Brava!"
- Dinah Forbes, Editor, Coach, and Publishing Assistant
MEET THE CHARACTERS
