Family Money

Alex Dobson with his wife, daughters, and in-laws travel just across the border into Mexico to help paint an orphanage and give the kids an experience that they would remember. While Alex and his father-in-law, Joe, shop for the evening meal at a local grocery store, Joe is kidnapped. Alex was puzzled because Joe did not put up a fight and seemed to mouth, “I’m sorry,” just before a black hood is placed over his head. A police officer arrives. He appears not to be in the pocket of the drug or gang lords. He tells Alex that it probably is a kidnapping for a quick few thousand dollars. A common occurrence in the area. The police officer calls Alex the next morning and asked that Alex met him at a location. When Alex arrived, the van used in the kidnapping had been blown up with a badly burn body inside. Only Joe’s recognizable belt buckle and his wedding ring were recovered. The novel proceeds from here as Alex, Joe’s executor, starts to tie up his estate to make sure his mother-in-law will have the money on which to live comfortably.

The main storyline is fast paced and all from the perspective of Alex. While it quickly seized my attention, the hook on my interest was set by the tension as Alex seemed to uncover Joe’s hidden life that definitely not very savory including from where the five million dollars that Joe gave Alex to start his company. This adds much tension as he tries to find out Joe’s finances, but red flags keep being discovered. He is torn not to tarnish his beloved Joe’s memory just before the funeral. A second avenue of tension appears as Alex has to lie to his wife about why he is pending so much time away from the family during this critical time. Carol, Alex’s wife, almost dumped him over a lie. While there is really a single thread, this thread is not straight that also helped to maintain my interest. Part of the thread, Alex believes that he and his family is a target of potential violence that heightened the tension even more. There are several what I call literary grenades that cemented my interest. These aspects are what I am looking for a high star review.

The B-storyline is focused primarily on Alex. The author achieves this in a way that I had not seen before. When Alex needs to remember something, he remembers it as part of a flashback where the answer is provided. These flashbacks provide much background on Alex and his dilemma in hiding what he suspects about Joe and in lying to his wife about his time out of the house.

For the aspects of a novel that can offend some readers. As for language, there is only the use of a few minor rude words. Lastly, there is violence that is portrayed and most edgy as it occurs. These aspects should not be a problem for the vast majority of readers.

Overall, this novel had all of the aspects that I require for a high star rating for the reasons I wrote above plus I could not stop reading it. Unfortunately, the over-the-top action ending put a dent into my reading enjoyment. I still kept this author in my “Must Read” category. I am still looking forward to reading further books from this author. I recommend it for reading. I rate this novel with four stars.

What a book! There is a lot I liked about this book. I loved the plotline. It was really riveting and it captured me right away. The scene when the main character's father-in-law was taken away definitely roped me in. There were moments I was annoyed by the main character, especially with his decision to hide information from his wife. But I do get it. And I feel like some parts in the middle dragged. But I actually think the author did a good job of writing an entertaining thriller. I could see this as a movie! I also think the ending felt a tad rushed. I saw some people criticize the author's writing style. I didn't see that being a problem at all. Definitely worth reading!

"Family Money" is a fast moving action mystery, written in the first person (Alex Mahan). The story begins in Mexico when Alex's father-in-law, Joe, is kidnapped in broad daylight off the street of a small village. His extended family has volunteered to spend several days helping at an orphanage. Joe, wife Carol, married daughter Taylor, grandchildren Nicole and Olivia, and Alex have their pleasant visit turn into a nightmare. At first the Mexican police explain that this kidnapping happens often and a ransom is required. Before any contact is made, Joe turns up dead in an abandoned van. His body is so badly burnt from an explosion that he can only be identified by his belt buckle and ring. The plot revolves around unusual circumstances which occur as Alex attempts to settle Joe's estate. The more Alex learns, the greater the danger to himself and his family. Carefully, the reader is led into the discovery of mysterious events: $50 million bank deposit, hunt by a Mexican cartel, peculiar death of a man who might have been Joe's father, a CIA contact, interference by a Mexican CNI agent, and maybe Joe wasn't really Joe Dobson. The novel is exciting and easy to read. However, I had trouble becoming engaged in the book because the author, Chad Zunker, didn't gain my trust. I really wanted to become full engaged but minor situations were unrealistic. The author expected I would accept that a $5 million dollar wire transfer from the Cayman Islands into a small US branch bank (and withdrawn in one week) wouldn't have been red flagged and reported to the IRS. Another difficulty that I had was accepting that Alex found the key under a flower pot to a CIA agent's home in Washington, DC. When entering the home, Alex hadn't thought about security systems when he owns a software company and supervises software engineers. Overall, the book was enjoyable. There are many characters and the author should consider having a character list in the forward.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Alex Mahan and his wife and two daughters along with his in-laws are on a charity trip to Mexico when his father Joe is abducted and killed. Beyond heartbroken Alex has to find out why? The man was a true father to him after his own father passed away and it was because of him that he was able to open his own very successful business. The more Alex digs the more confused he gets about his father-in-law’s life and the more dangerous for him and his family.

Chad Zunker is a new author for me and I really liked this story. He created very likable characters. It was easy to get invested in their lives. Joe was a dynamic character with a huge heart. He welcomed Alex into their family long before he married Taylor. Because of Joe’s large investment in Alex’s company after just 3 years, it is extremely successful and still growing. It also enables Alex to step away and go on a humanitarian mission to Mexico with his family. Joe almost backed out but Alex convinced him to come. The entire family is close-knit, doing almost everything together. I do wish Alex’s wife Taylor was a little more fleshed out but you could never doubt her love for her father.

Told from Alex’s point of view and through a series of flashbacks the story unfolds. With Alex as the executor of Joe’s will, he finds some inconsistencies, specifically where Joe got the money to invest in his business. The more he digs the crazier and more dangerous things become. Truthfully in some parts here and through the rest of the story, you have to suspend reality a bit but that is why I read books like this. A basically normal guy caught up in a kidnapping linked to drug cartels and hidden bank accounts, it sure did keep my attention. I really enjoyed the action scenes and the way the pace picked up about 2/3 of the way through the book. My one drawback is that one major part of the plot was very predictable but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much.

Family Money was a quick entertaining story that held my interest from beginning to end. I am open to reading more by this author.

I am a huge fan of mysteries, thrillers and police procedurals. I read a lot of them. Unfortunately, my February First Reads choice, FAMILY MONEY, gets only an average rating from me. There are a lot of great books out there, so I would rather not spend my time on one that, despite the good plot, was only a mediocre read.

The author really did have an interesting idea, with a plot line that could have made FAMILY MONEY into a great story. All the elements were there. The story is told by a doting son-in law who, as executor of the will, is trying to reconcile his deceased Father-in Law's financial affairs. Almost immediately, he stumbles on discrepancies. He is dogged in his pursuit of the source of a five million dollar investment (with a lot more available, if needed), made to him, by his in laws. The money helped him launch his new company three years earlier.

The financial mystery and the sequential, logical uncovering of clues, were well thought out and worked well. They were the best parts of the story.

Here is what didn't work: The characters are completely unbelievable. The action scenes are equally unrealistic. The writing feels like it was dummed down, so a fifth grader would be able to comprehend everything. There isn't the need to understand subtle references, nuance or inference, because everything is spelled out by the author.

Let me elaborate on how these flaws impacted the reading experience:

The narrator is so unrealistically sacchrin and "in love" with his perfect wife and perfect daughters and perfect in laws, that it is not only unrealistic, it is nauseating. He lies constantly, in the interest of protecting his loved ones , which makes him almost physically sick (because the act of lying so horribly offends his moral code). His justification for his abundance of lies doesn't even make sense. No actual person would act like that. No real person would idolize everybody in his life, like this guy does. He apparently only know perfect people. I felt like I was reading a sappy romance novel.

Our narrator also owns a 3 year old company that already employs forty software engineers and is looking to hire another twelve. He is presumably the CEO, and yet. . . he doesn't have to work, or ever even go into the office, unless he feels like it. And he never feels like it, apparently. Must be nice! Not realistic. "Work" however is a convenient excuse when unnecessarily lying to his wife. His company doesn't seem to notice when he isn't there, but his wife believes he constantly has business obligations he absolutely can't get out of. Hmmmm...

The action scenes were few and far between. They lacked any buildup of tension. They were also unrealistic. For example, a retired CIA agent shows up in another country and goes to work without any authorization. With the help of a man who has never held a gun before, they take on a bunch of armed guards , working for a vicious Mexican Cartel. Border crossings don't require a passport. Bodies get identified without the use of DNA. Everybody lies about things that don't matter. The Cartel kills the only man who knows where their 50 million dollars is stashed, without even questioning him first.

The story is just not believable. It could have been, but for all those ludicrous details. it made me feel like the author, Chad Zuncker, was writing the book for an audience he had determined were not very intelligent. I feel a little insulted by his writing style.