After selling his start-up business, Sam has the kind of money only dreams are made of. Young, and married to the love of his life, it’s time for Sam to enjoy his good fortune. That is, until Sam’s Chief Financial Officer is taken hostage by a ruthless criminal demanding a document in his possession. A brutal murder follows, Sam is the prime suspect, and soon he and his wife, Lauren, are on the run from both the police and a faceless network of conspirators somehow connected to the company they just bought out.
In a fight for survival, you need to know who to trust. And when it’s no longer the company you work for, and your best friend is dead, who do you turn to?
Sample
from Chapter 1
Thursday, June 4
Chaz Bailley was naked, sitting tightly bound to a chair. His wrists and ankles hurt. They’d used thin white rope to tie him, the kind you might find on a small sailing boat. The room was nearly empty. Some kind of storage facility. It had a grey cement floor, faded brick walls, a stack of brown cardboard boxes in the far-right corner, no windows that he could see, and a pair of old-fashioned fluorescent lights. A steel table was pushed up against the wall beside him. The only clean thing around.
He heard a door opening behind him. Turned out to be Blondie, the same lady he’d seen outside the Imperial Hotel. Dressed like a cocktail waitress.
‘You’re in good shape,’ she said, giving him the once over. Her accent had an Australian twang to it, but there was something else there, too. French or Swiss. ‘I hope you stay that way.’
‘Who are you?’ Chaz demanded.
Blondie was pacing around the room. ‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘Can you at least tell me why I’m here?’
‘Come on, Chaaaazzzzzz. You know why.’
‘I honestly don’t. Maybe this is some kind of mistaken identity or something?’
She sat herself down on his lap and crossed her legs, placing a cigarette between her lips. ‘Look at you. Putting it all together.’ She lit the cigarette and leaned into him, her elbow resting on his shoulder.
‘Please…’
‘Can you hear that music out there?’ she asked. ‘It’s one of those small Bluetooth speakers. They’ll bring it in here, soon. Not for you, of course, but for themselves. They’ll turn the volume up until the speaker distorts, and they’ll pretend you’re screaming along to it. Like you’re some kind of rock star. Isn’t that something?’
‘What are you saying?’
‘People make some awful noises in these…circumstances. I prefer the sound of music.’
‘What is this – some kind of torture routine?’
‘Chaz, you upset some people. Some very serious people. Now you have to give them what they want.’
‘Look. I’m not fucking James Bond. What do they want?’
Blondie continued to pace. She played with her cigarette, like in some old black and white movie. The room was cold. Silence seemed to make it colder.
‘So,’ said Chaz, ‘where are they?’
‘Keep your pants on,’ she winked.
Chaz couldn’t believe it. Blondie didn’t give a damn! She just kept walking around the room, like she was at a medical centre waiting to see the doctor, or the dentist, or a plumber, or – whatever. How did someone get that frosty?
The door opened again. Two men walked in. Steady. Deliberate. Eastern European types. Blondie tensed and left the room.
***
A solitary blonde locked eyes with Sam as he scanned the bar for any sign of his CFO. She was mouthing the words to a Vance Joy song playing in the background and playing with her drink. He’d noticed her looking at him before, when she still had another man’s company, but now she seemed to be alone. Sam quickly looked elsewhere.
‘Where are you Chaz…’
He said he’d be at the pub by seven, and it was now past eight. Sam checked his mobile again. He wasn’t one to assume the worst, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain positive. He phoned Zoe Barnes, his business partner. The call went straight to voicemail.
‘Great.’ Sam finished the soft drink he’d ordered fifteen minutes ago. He was deciding whether to leave or order something stronger when the phone rattled:
WE HAVE BAILLEY
A thousand thoughts ran through Sam’s head, but there was no time for any of them. The Clock Hotel was not the place for him to be, he knew that much. He raced downstairs and leapt into his car. He drove past the office, and a police station he probably should have stopped at, straight home to his cottage in Bondi.
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd)
THE SIGNATORY is a thriller set in and around an Australian advertising agency, leaving this reviewer wondering if there’s an argument that crime fiction set in the corporate / business world is under-represented. On the face of it, perhaps an unlikely setting, but then again, there are more than reasons to think that there’s villainy in day to day business, even if its not strictly illegal.
The story of THE SIGNATORY revolves around Sam Pride – who has just sold his start-up company to a US conglomerate for large piles of money. His life is looking good – young, married to the love of his life, good times look to be ahead for Sam. Until his CFO is taken hostage by a ruthless criminal demanding a very specific document in exchange for his life, followed by a brutal murder. Sam quickly finds he and his family are at risk, as he’s drawn deeper and deeper into corporate espionage, and a powerful group of faceless conspirators connected to the company that just bought them out.
This thriller, which moves setting between Australia and the US, is very much a “who can you trust?” story. The setup does take a while to get moving, and there are quite a few characters introduced in the early stages that readers might find they have to really pay attention to keep track of. Once the threats to Sam and those he loves fire up, the action is taut and rapid paced, delivered with a lot of twists and turns. There’s unexpected betrayals aplenty and some very unexpected complications for an ad exec like Sam to have to deal with. Deal he does, in a low-key, overtly Australian, “whatever” sort of manner.
Definitely one for fans of thriller styled fiction, THE SIGNATORY could end up giving readers a very different view of the corporate world (or not). It definitely will provide some very rapid, and quite engaging entertainment regardless of whether it’s dispelling, or reinforcing, those previously held views.
– Karen Chisholm, AustCrimeFiction
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd)
I was thoroughly impressed by this thrilling page-turner. As the protagonist, Sam, navigates through a dangerous situation after his Chief Financial Officer is taken hostage and a brutal murder follows, I couldn’t help but feel invested in his fate. The author’s intricate knowledge of the corporate world is clearly showcased, adding a layer of realism to the story. The writing is top-notch, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to any fan of the thriller genre.
– Drew Farinas, 4/5 Stars, NetGalley
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd)
The Signatory is a good thriller set in the unlikely world of an Australian advertising agency. The characters are interesting and the reader quickly becomes immersed in a complex plot.
Sam Pride sells his business to a US conglomerate for a lot of money and life looks good. But then his Chief Finance Officer goes missing and is killed. Sam finds himself drawn into a plot of corporate espionage, fraud and murder. And now he and his family are at risk – but who exactly are the enemy? Sam tries to track down the source of his friend’s death, finding himself in Chicago at corporate headquarters. But who can he trust?
Overall this is a good read, with a few twists and unexpected betrayals. If anything, Sam’s reactions to the extreme situation he finds himself in are a little underplayed – but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the novel.
– Gordon Johnston, 4/5 Stars, NetGalley
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd)
It couldn’t get any better. After selling his start-up business, Sam Pride has the kind of money only dreams are made of. Young, and married to the love of his life Lauren, it’s time for Sam to enjoy his good fortune. That is, until Sam’s Chief Financial Officer is taken hostage by a ruthless criminal demanding a document in his possession. A brutal murder follows, Sam is the prime suspect, and soon he and his wife are on the run from both the police and a faceless network of conspirators somehow connected to the company that just bought him out.
In a fight for survival, you need to know who to trust. And when it’s no longer the company you work for, and your best friend is dead, who do you turn to?
With its intricate plot and heart-pounding action, The Signatory takes readers from Sydney to Chicago and back again. It’s a story about millions of missing dollars, a perilous investigation, calculated corruption and, ultimately, murder.
CEO and corporate high flyer turned author Stuart Black wanted to shine a light on those who ruthlessly take advantage of their privilege. His intimate knowledge of the corporate world has certainly come into play with The Signatory.
Car chases, intrigue, blackmail, murder, email trails, glamourous rooftop parties and deals in lifts abound as we travel with Sam to uncover his offsider’s disappearance and untimely demise. And as Sam begins digging, he travels through the looking glass of corporate lies and deception, steadily uncovering the truth and dodging bullets as he does.
Black has a keen eye for detail, he sets the scenes deftly, with some particularly savvy descriptions of Sydney. Black is also adept at keeping the novel’s pace galloping as we plunge deeper into the intrigue.
Black’s not scared to show the brutal underbelly of the corruption and greed in the corporate world. The Signatory intriguingly explores the psychopathy of detachment, connected with exploiting one’s power when making a big sale and becoming a sell-out overlap. In the time of billion-dollar buyouts this is an alarmingly timely and relatable crime thriller.
– Better Reading