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Book: The Fiduciary Delusion (The Horsemen Trilogy Book 1) by John Molik

categories: Book, Psychological Thriller, Global Banking System, Economic Terrorism, Multicultural Thriller, Character Driven Thriller, Conspiracy Thriller

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John Molik

about this book: An unambitious young man finally finds himself, only to nearly lose everything in an apparent web of international economic terrorism and intrigue. But, as his world begins to unravel, has he become genuinely delusional? Or is he really on to one of the most dangerous global conspiracies of all time? Against all odds, only love and a true friend's faith can save both him and the world as we know it from the abusive power of evil.

The inspiration for my first conspiracy thriller, The Fiduciary Delusion, came from colorful stories related to me by a friend of mine. A person known to my storyteller had become mentally ill and delusional while away on holiday in Japan. Like my protagonist, Kyle Pickens, this person was also overseas teaching. His delusional episodes were believable enough, and with language and cultural barriers, he had landed himself into some serious trouble. I then painted these stories with my own brush, using India as the backdrop, and had my protagonist get caught up in a real worldwide conspiracy engineered to take down the global financial system. The protagonist's uncle happens to be a VP of the Federal Reserve Bank, but is he also involved? Who are these strange people following him? And is the information he's uncovered in India really what it seems to be? Will anyone believe him? Is it too late?

The novel arcs through time from their humble, yet strained beginnings growing up in a San Diego suburban neighborhood and up to present day when both characters are in their early 40s. Together with other vibrant characters, life's intriguing themes of karma, breach of trust, false ambition, and the power paradox are thoroughly explored and provide the reader a psychological crime thriller with depth and plenty of food for thought. The mood of the story is uplifting with plenty of humor, while the tone is quirky, raw, and somewhat idiosyncratic, yet compassionate and highly existential.

Fiduciary is the trust given to a faceless global banking system that tells us that a colorful piece of paper with some numerals on it has a certain value. Our entire global monetary system is therefore based ultimately on the many trusting the few, no matter how thinly veiled that "trust" may be.

Much of the research into the settings come from direct experience, except for the India sections. Most of that source material comes from tireless online research and knowledge gained through memorable, impressionable stories given to me by a roommate while at UC Davis in the 1980s. My background and interest in Economics, finance, medicine (both holistic and Western) also helped to erect the scaffolding of the novel.

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Some early beta reader reviews:

• "Strong themes, unusual premise, yet thought provoking dialogue. It felt very multicultural, which is a brilliant thing!"

• "Character flashbacks, complex subject, plot and subplots, but it flowed nicely, had larger than life characters and I loved the ending. Loved the strong women characters."

So, if you like the Big Short? Try another strange trip inside the doomsday machine. Download a copy of The Fiduciary Delusion.