Snatch 2&20

A Satirical Romp through the Wall Street and Silicon Valley Swamps

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Pub Date 24 Apr 2020 | Archive Date 31 Oct 2020

Description

Would you sell your soul to a sociopathic hedge fund titan for tens of millions in dirty cash? What about your sexy wife? What if it meant cozying up to a neurotic and lecherous tech entrepreneur while risking your freedom, and maybe even your life?

Snatch 2&20 is a satirical memoir parodying the author’s past life as a hedge fund manager. It should not only be of interest to the fans of the hit TV shows Billions and Silicon Valley, and books like The Wolf of Wall Street and Liar’s Poker, but to anyone who wants an insider’s take on the rotten core of our delusional plutocracy in this second Gilded Age.

If you just say no to innuendo, then please enter with caution (as the strumpet said to the stiff). But just remember that, in this case, the only thing more offensive than the jokes is the truth they pillory- the corruption of our financial elites and the system that enables them, the ludicrous hype surrounding technology companies and their founders, and the blatant hypocrisy of pretty much everyone. It is also, perhaps, one man’s journey to find a grain of meaning in the castle of sand that is his life.

“Gloriously sardonic…a riotous ride for readers…fast-paced and often hilarious fiction.”- Kirkus Reviews. “A remarkable debut novel…Among the top stories I’ve read so far this year”- Reader Views; “A raucous story told by a brilliant mind…the novel sings like a satirical sword.”- Self-Publishing Review; “…readers will not be bored.”- Indie Reader. “A clever, cynical novel.”- Foreword Clarion. “Complex, witty, dramatic…engrossing, unexpected, and hard to put down.”- Midwest Book Review.

Luke Fellows is a forty-something recovering hedge fund manager. Born in London, he sacrificed his love of Classics for a Wall Street career, moving to New York City in 2000. After a sojourn at Harvard Business School, he made the leap to Silicon Valley, where he co-founded a technology-focused hedge fund, retiring as soon as his partners could practicably get rid of him. Despite his best efforts to escape the bubble, he still lives with his wife and three daughters near Palo Alto, CA. Snatch 2&20 is the first novel he is admitting to.

Would you sell your soul to a sociopathic hedge fund titan for tens of millions in dirty cash? What about your sexy wife? What if it meant cozying up to a neurotic and lecherous tech entrepreneur...


Advance Praise

"Snatch 2&20" is a remarkable debut novel by Luke Fellows and one I highly recommend. If you're looking for an entertaining escape and enjoy a little zing in your reads, this one scores off the charts in originality, entertainment value and excellent writing. Well done...Among the top stories I've read so far this year." - Reader Views

"A raucous story told by a brilliant mind becomes something both satirical and insightful in Snatch 2&20 by Luke Fellows...the novel sings like a satirical sword cutting through the worlds of finance and the realms of human folly, making Snatch 2&20 a timely caper that is both amusing and insightful from start to finish." -Self-Publishing Review, 4 stars out of 5

"A cast chock full of colorful and boldly unsympathetic characters...provides action and momentum. Touching on everything from corporate espionage and widespread political corruption to the horrifying precariousness of the financial markets, readers will not be bored." - Indie Reader

"Snatch 2&20 is just wild enough to support its destructive, incongruously wholesome conclusion...a clever, cynical novel about the absurdities of capitalism and the people who prop it up." 4 stars out of 5- Foreword Clarion Reviews

"In this gloriously sardonic book...the descriptions and dialogue are consistently pithy and snarky...Overall, this novel will be a riotous ride for readers...Fast-paced and often hilarious fiction." - Kirkus Reviews

"Complex, witty, dramatic, thought-provoking, and filled with business and social inspection...Snatch 2&20 is engrossing, unexpected, and hard to put down..." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Snatch 2&20" is a remarkable debut novel by Luke Fellows and one I highly recommend. If you're looking for an entertaining escape and enjoy a little zing in your reads, this one scores off the...


Available Editions

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ISBN 9798639785795
PRICE US$2.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 35 members


Featured Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A young somewhat lost.. entitled financial hotshot falls down the rabbit hole of Silicon Valley finances greed and politics. I can't say I didn't enjoy this book, because I did. It was sort of a mix between The Wolf of Wall Street meets The Devil's Advocate.. sort of? It definitely has it's fair share of shocking lifestyle choices and moments .. the open marriage to the ex stripper, etc. But for me, I felt there was an overuse of financial jargon for someone who really doesn't read the Wall Street Journal regularly.

It will definitely appeal to a different crowd.

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Snatch 2 & 20 is a fun read, taking a mocking look at the hype built up between start ups, their billionaire owners and the financial markets that facilitate them.

In some ways the company at the heart of the book felt a bit like OneCoin - all spin and no substance - while the main character, Giles, attempted to stay sane and in his job.

I related to the main character, Giles. At some points he was very knowing (and supremely sarcastic), while at others he was more idiot savant. As the plot bounced him round from one improbable rescue to the next, you were left wondering throughout whether he would keep his head above water.

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Don't Sell This Book Short

Sort of in spite of myself I liked, and then really liked, this book. At first I mostly just enjoyed the sharp, snarky humor, but then I actually warmed up to our hero Giles and even became invested in the plot. Sure, the hero starts out as nothing special. He is crafted along the lines of a slacker, trust fundy, con man who's floating along luxuriating in and flaunting his unreliability and lack of focus. Proud of his shallowness and crass misogyny. Been there, read that. Along the same lines the plot is nothing special. Our hero Giles is placed with a master of the universe billionaire type for the purpose of gathering insider info to be used and misused by Gile's financial taskmaster. None of this seemed very promising. It felt like "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" meets "The Great Gatsby", but without the grit, heart, depth, desperation, or despair.

But get this. Somewhere along the way the author found a character who was worth writing about. Giles is still snarky and disconnected, but he shows us flashes of decency and integrity and maturity that get us interested in how he will navigate the bizarre world in which he finds himself. Is this slow build on purpose, or did our debut author just need some time to find his writerly chops? I don't know, but as a reader I was delighted I stayed for the second and third acts.

I probably stayed, at first, because the book is loaded with fascinating and wildly amusing rants, riffs, drunken insider tips, and "financial elite" takedowns that are smart, pointed, vicious, and edgy. I was more than happy to suffer through some awkward plotting and to keep company with a main character who started out as basically a dick, just to come across all of these nutzy and withering bits, which are very generously sprinkled all through the book. Join Giles at his desk, at a tech conference, giving us his low down on fund allocators, or in conference with insane tech showmen and billionaires. Sympathize with Giles and his fellow laborers over drinks and despair. Consider this the only workplace dramedy in which all of the workers are holding out for million dollar bonuses. Find out what the title means.

Bottom line, at a minimum, if you're willing to start out with a smarmy slacker in order to be allowed access to his universe, and if you're willing to buy him drinks just to hear his hilarious stories, and if you want to learn more about the sleazy, greedy, buffoons who are making and keeping all of the money these days, then this is an excellent and entertaining find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

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