The Vault Reaches #1 on Amazon's New Financial Thrillers List

Major Reviewers & Industry Leaders Praise Story about Employees Stealing $100 Million in Bearer Bonds on Wall St

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ, UNITED STATES, February 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The response to The Vault, a new book by Amazon best-selling author Stuart Z Goldstein has been characterized as a “nail biting thriller,” and “an audacious heist,” with some calling it “a Robin Hood on Wall Street story from within,” according to publisher Pen Paper Press (PPP).

“For the first time in our knowledge, The Vault has catapulted to Amazon’s best seller list as #1 in Financial Thrillers only seven weeks from publication – with a cascade of endorsements by major book review companies.”

The Vault is a fictional tale of employees at Americlear, who after decades of mistreatment decide to steal $100 million in bearer bonds from the largest securities vault in the world. And as the heist unfolds, Hurricane Sandy slams New York City flooding the Vault and threatening to expose the crime.

“Ironically, in 2012, Hurricane Sandy did indeed flood the largest securities vault holding trillions in assets (stocks, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, bearer bonds, money markets, etc.),” Alice Sherman, Assistant Director, PPP, pointed out. “The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC (aka Americlear in the book) quickly claimed in the media that the financial industry suffered no losses. DTCC said they had backup copies of electronic records for all instruments held in their vault.”

But Goldstein imagines an alternative storyline. What if that was not true? What if, when the vault flooded, securities were lost, millions of dollars vanished, and a web of secrets was buried beneath the chaos? Would we have ever known? How would investors and financial markets worldwide react?

REVIEWS:

Publisher Weekly’s Book Life wrote: “This gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption takes place against the backdrop of Wall Street's largest bank securities vault.

“Goldstein weaves a captivating narrative, exploring the complexities of corporate loyalty and the moral dilemmas faced by employees who feel betrayed by their higher-ups. The characters are richly developed, each with their own backstory of struggle and survival, making their collective decision to commit the heist both understandable and riveting. As the heist unfolds, Goldstein skillfully builds tension, with careful attention to detail—the vault’s day-to-day operations and the intricacies of the financial industry—that adds authenticity to the story….This is a compelling narrative that stands out in the genre of financial thrillers.”

Midwest Book Review, which has been around since the 1970s and publishes nine monthly magazines said: “The Vault draws thriller readers into a story that mixes elements of crime and confrontation with psychological and ethical considerations.

“Goldstein takes the time to build personalities, motivations, and insights that not only give each character added dimensions, but makes their actions, reactions, and choices logical and realistic. This enhances the story’s tension, producing likeable characters whose involvements and interactions test the boundaries of moral and ethical behavior, financial savvy.

“The Vault is one of our top recommendations to Libraries seeking stories that rest as much upon psychological insight as on strong character development, evolving interpersonal relationships, and bigger objectives of financial management.

Aside from book reviewers, Sherman highlighted feedback from nationally known leaders in Media, PR & Corporate Communications: “The Vault, is an amazing financial thriller which keeps you at the end of your seat with each page turn! It also includes moral intrigue, ethical dilemmas and powerful twists and turns. I loved it! I give it 2 Thumbs up!” Michael G Paul, CEO, Reputation Doctor^® LLC

“The Vault is the setting for an extraordinary heist which is given all the more impact by Goldstein’s personal knowledge and his unerring ability to spin a story. The cast of characters ranges from poorly paid hourly workers struggling to make a living to a fast-living CEO, with twists and turns culminating in an unexpected finale. Goldstein has already won himself a following with the success of his first novel, Moe Fields: The Special Bonds between Fathers and Sons. The Vault is going to build on this reputation - and I’d be not at all surprised if some enterprising screen agent does not see this as a great opportunity. The Vault would make a brilliant movie,” Patrick Donovan, former City Editor, UK, The Guardian

Matt Levine, Senior Columnist at Bloomberg featured The Vault in a recent “Money Stuff” column: “You’d better believe that if you write a thriller about DTC, I’m going to mention it here. (It’s called The Vault, by Stuart Z. Goldstein)… DTC is the clearinghouse that, among other things, owns pretty much all of the stocks and bonds in America. A little-known company that owns trillions of dollars of stocks and bonds on behalf of everyone else” is such an obviously good subject for a thriller.”

Additional Book Reviews:

Reader Views:
“The Vault by Stuart Z. Goldstein isn’t just a modern-day heist novel. It’s also a story about making things right for people who have been overlooked and underappreciated…I found the concept of this story compelling as it’s not far removed from reality, and honestly, I was rooting for them throughout." — Richard Bist, Author, Book Blogger for Reader Views

“The Vault” is the story of what can happen when executives finally push their employees too far. Author Stuart Z. Goldstein has crafted a meticulously well-honed and character-driven plot. Backed by statistics and hard numbers, the Americlear vault feels utterly real, and the employees absolutely begin to feel like family.” —Jill Rey, Book Blogger for Reader Views

About the Author:

Goldstein served as spokesperson for two-decades at The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) serving as senior advisor to three CEOs. He co-authored two small books in plain English explaining the inner workings of U.S. capital markets that were used in lobbying Congress on the Dodd-Frank legislation. Prior to DTCC, he served as a VP spokesperson for the American Express Co. and VP/Deputy Director National Public Affairs at Citicorp/Citibank.

Contact: Alice Sherman, Assistant Director
Alice.penpaperpress@gmail.com
Alice@stuartzgoldsteinbooks.com

Stuart Z Goldstein
zach5@aol.com
609.203.5220
www.stuartzgoldsteinbooks.com

Alice Sherman
Pen Paper Press
+1 609-203-5220
email us here
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