What people are saying about
Ken Morris' "The Deadly Trade "

"Mr. Morris is a superb writer who knows how to entertain his audience. And if even one quarter of what he says about biological weapons is true, The Deadly Trade is scarier than any horror novel.”
-- HARRIET KLAUSNER, who rated the book a rare 10 out of 10 stars, meaning it’s a “truly exceptional read, the finest example of a genre, a book with which the reviewer can find no fault, and which will usually have universal appeal.”

“In his second outing, Morris sticks with the same setup he devised for last year’s popular Man in the Middle—innocent financial analyst drawn into his own company’s evil web— yet does so with addictive verve. Morris, a former Wall Street trader, caps off his plot with a nerve-wracking finale. His deft handling of pacing and compelling research into bio-weapons make his sophomore effort highly readable.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“No one ever put down a Ken Morris thriller.”
-- JIM CRAMER, CO-HOST, CNBC’S KUDLOW & CRAMER

“Morris adds a financial twist to the novel’s obvious topical relevance. He works hard to make the details clear, but doesn’t bog the novel down with needless explanation. Recommended ...”
—LIBRARY JOURNAL

“[Morris is] a first-rate storyteller who generates plenty of narrative steam with a mystery
that blends high-end finance with international intrigue.”
-- BOOKLIST

“Some of us find the real-life doings of the business world scary enough, thank you,without turning to fiction. But this latest financial thriller from Wall Street trader-turned novelist Ken Morris is too good to pass up. The hero is a burned-out financial analyst who moves out West to kick his drinking habit and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. But he stumbles into a world of terrifying intrigue, including a Middle Eastern extremist group indirectly in league with a desperate bio-tech firm.”
-- MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

“In The Deadly Trade, Ken Morris has a hit premise: Every biotech lab in the United States has the capability of developing a horrifying bioweapon, so the only additional ingredients needed for disaster are bad will and money. Money just happens to be Morris' thing. He's a former Wall Street trader and executive whose first financial thriller, ``Man in the Middle,'' was widely praised. This plot-driven novel doesn't waste a single word and is thrilling from beginning to end.”
-- SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

“The Deadly Trade is destined to be Ken Morris' biggest hit yet. The story snared me in the first chapter, and didn't let go until I was done. My only complaint is that as a resident of San Diego, living not too far from those biotech firms Ken writes about, he has now scared the hell out of me.”
-- HERB GREENBERG, MONTHLY COLUMNIST FOR FORTUNE MAGAZINE, DAILY COLUMNIST FOR THESTREET.COM, AND FORMER FINANCIAL COLUMNIST FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“A compelling read about the frightening dangers of the biotechnology industry.”
-- CARMEL VALLEY (CA) NEWS

“In this follow-up to Man in the Middle (2003), a failing San Diego biotechnology firm recklessly experiments with a deadly virus. Author Morris keeps the reader a couple of steps ahead of both trusting Tim Mack, the protagonist, and hard-boiled detective Bob Moore, who’s ultimately sidelined in a deadly ambush. The narrative of a hundred-plus chapters offers multiple twists as well as frequent perspective shifts … And Morris gets suspense mileage out of Tim’s uncertainty about whom to trust, and whom not to… A brisk thriller.”
-- KIRKUS REVIEWS

"WOW! The Deadly Trade is an AMAZING novel! Ken Morris is a masterful storyteller!"
-- ARIELLE FORD, NON-FICTION PUBLICIST TO DOZENS OF INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR

“Morris' genre is financial thrillers, which would sound like an obscure niche if it weren't for so many sensational news stories about business scandals in the past few years. Even more topical than Man in the Middle is The Deadly Trade, about a San Diego biotechnology firm, a broker linked to Middle East terrorists, and a plot that takes off from the anthrax attacks of 2001. Morris, a Del Mar resident, doesn't have any experience fighting bio-terror, but he does have intimate knowledge of Wall Street corruption and the temptations that face traders dealing with millions of dollars.”
-- SAN DIEGO NORTH COUNTY TIMES

“Another genre thriller, the protagonist [of The Deadly Trade] is a biotech stock analyst for a San Diego investment banking firm who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving the deaths of scientists in a bio-tech lab explosion. Two survivors of the blast later die of a mysterious disease, and the plot twists and turns amidst aspects of money, politics, terrorism, and cover-ups, and winds its way to a heart-pounding climax. With almost eerie foresight, Ken Morris seems to always be on the cutting edge of pertinent topics.”
—DEL MAR TIMES

" The Deadly Trade is an exciting page turner that takes plenty of twists, turns, and head fakes. As much as I wanted to know what happened next, I didn't want the story to end."
-- BILL FLECKENSTEIN, LEGENDARY SHORT SELLER AND PRESIDENT, FLECKENSTEIN CAPITAL (SEATTLE, WA); AND FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR TO CNBC

"I agree wholeheartedly with Harriet Klausner's review. She’s right when she calls The Deadly Trade ‘a truly exceptional read, the finest example of a genre, a book with which the reviewer can find no fault, and which will usually have universal appeal." I guess that’s why I loved this book as well as Ken Morris’ first thriller, Man in the Middle.”
-- LEE RATHBONE, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR OF GUEST SPEAKERS, FRIENDS OF THE MISSION HILLS LIBRARY, SAN DIEGO, CA

"In The Deadly Trade, Ken Morris mines a rich and terrifying plot as he leads readers on a twisted, frightening, and all-too-plausible journey through the world of money, politics, and bio-terrorism. Morris has rapidly established himself as one of the leading writers of financial thrillers. He is a master storyteller, carefully crafting tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats."
-- FRAN BAKER, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE LADY AND THE CHAMP