Book Review: “The Fixer” by Joseph Finder

Genre: Thriller

Rick Hoffman was an up and coming investigative reporter for the Boston Globe when he was wooed away for a job, and much larger salary, as Editor of a classy Boston-based magazine, Back Bay.

With his high-class taste, a great job at Back Bay, and a beautiful fiance…..Rick’s life was pretty darn good.

Until he was laid off from Back Bay and his fiance dumped his ass.

Now without money, Rick is squatting in the house he grew up in.  No heat, no furniture, and no plans for the future.

Rick’s father, Lenny, was a well liked and well known attorney until a stroke 18 years ago left him in a nursing home unable to talk or walk or care for himself.

With no plans, Rick decides to fix up the old house and sell it.  Striking a deal with his neighbor, Jeff, (who is a contractor) the house renovations started when Rick and Jeff stumble upon a pile of something covered by a tarp in the attic space.  Rick takes a look, and much to his surprise, it is money!  Shooing Jeff out, Rick counts the money and finds it is an astonishing $3.4 million !!!

Rick quickly deposits the cash in several banks, pays off his credit cards (which were all maxed out), and tells Jeff to start the reno.

All is going very well as Rick, now wealthy, starts to investigate the source of the money.  Since his dad can’t communicate, he starts asking questions of people who knew his dad back in the 90’s.

A picture of a father he did not know starts to emerge when Rick is kidnapped, beaten, and told to leave the story alone, or worse will happen to him.

Oooops, it seems as though Rick has stumbled onto something bigger than he realized.  But….his investigative reporter alter ego kicks in, and Rick gets deeper and deeper in trouble as he intensifies the investigation, at the peril of his own life.

Will Rick meet his maker, or will he solve the mystery of the $3.4 million?

To find out, you will have to read the book.  🙂

“The Fixer” is a fun, fast thriller revolving around corruption and greed during the “Big Dig” in Boston in the 90’s.  With that connection to reality, “The Fixer” rockets to an ending that is both scary and satisfying.