Fresh Start

De: Mark Shaiken

Narrado por: Jimmy Moreland

A secret family legacy becomes a ticking time bomb ...

Skyscraper developer Quincy Witherman has continued his family's 200-year practice of hiding assets in Switzerland. Now, needing protection from his creditors, he hires Kansas City bankruptcy lawyer Josephina Jillian Jones – 3J – but fails to disclose the Swiss assets to 3J, his bankers, the IRS, and the bankruptcy court...all felonies.

3J knows in her gut that something is wrong. So does Witherman's banker, Stacy Milnes.

Will anyone catch him?

©2021 Mark Shaiken (P)2021 Mark Shaiken

Financial Thriller

Quincy Witherman is a savvy financial wizard adept at hiding funds and a highly prized building developer. Witherman’s family practice of hiding funds in Swiss banks is threatened due to financial changes in market. Mix in Stacy Milnes, a persistent collector for the banks holding the loans who is about to come toe to toe with him. Who will win the battle?

The author Mark Shaiken weaves a complex story around the current financial and legal systems regarding bankruptcy. He provides insight into the emotional trauma of losing one’s financial security and the steps one may take to maintain their reputation. Each character was well-developed and moves the story forward while highlighting several issues found within the financial world. His main characters are such that you either love them or hate them. The storyline is smooth with Shaiken explaining the legal ramifications with each step and a few plot twists that make the listener smile at the end!

The narrator, Jimmy Moreland gives a solid performance. His enunciation is clear and precise. His tone is pleasant to hear and reflects the story and characters well.

This is a thriller filled with suspense. The international and domestic pieces are interesting and will thrill anyone interested in financial thrillers.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook, it was clear and well produced.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

The beauty of KC and intricacies of law play out!

Josephina Jillian Jones, known to all as 3J, is a black, female bankruptcy lawyer in Kansas City. Centering around 3J, author Mark Shaiken shakes up the legal thriller scene as he approaches “Fresh Start” from a sobering perspective.

As a bankruptcy lawyer, 3J is no stranger to tricky cases. Always requesting complete honesty and transparency from her clients, she’s not getting a good feeling from her most recent case of Quincy Gunn Witherman. Quincy has a checkered history. Going as far back as his namesake Gunnther Witherman, Gunn to his friends, who died in a debtor’s prison. Vowing distrust in all banks, Quincy faces bankruptcy in the face of Stacy Milnes’ desires.

Stacy Milnes is an abrasive and cold banker. As the first female senior special assets group (SAG) leader she has had to face an uphill battle. Leaning into the banker stereotype, Milnes fits the role well. Conversely, 3J is a levelheaded, hardworking, first black female partner of her law firm. I loved the dichotomy of these two strong women and the difference in personality, attitude, and approach to their work that Shaiken portrayed on the page. Especially as both 3J and Milnes find themselves in masculine fields, the rendering of their characters to the page lent well to the reality us women often face. Learning from the culture and men around us, working hard to get where they’re at, Shaiken approaches each woman with a deep understanding of females in these workplaces.

Shaiken uses his own experiences as a bankruptcy lawyer to educate, inform, and entertain his readers. From the personalities encountered on both sides of the legal table, to the drama playing across the pages both inside and outside of the courtroom, “Fresh Start” brings a fresh perspective to the lives of bankruptcy lawyers and the individuals they work with. As a banker and female in a male dominated profession, I found Shaiken’s portrayal of 3J and perception of SAG leader, Stacy Milnes, to be rather spot on. As a society, our work can become our identity, the various cultures surrounding us can overwhelm our perceptions of the world, and history is ever present. Shaiken captured the nuances, perspectives, and realities so eloquently as he shifted amongst the bank group, Stacy Milnes, Quincy Witherman, and 3J herself.

As the characters’ plights played out across the pages, the secrets were slowly unraveled, and the court interjected as necessary. Peppering this read with “debtor recalls” we are given exclusive access into the mind of Quincy as he gets deeper into his bankruptcy legal battle. History, the beauty of Kansas City, and the intricacies of the law play out wonderfully across the page as we become ever more ensconced in 3J’s charm, intrigue, and intelligence.