Simon delivers a fun and suspenseful ride, blending high stakes drama with financial know how to keep you on your toes, but not do much that you’ll need a finance degree to keep up. The twists are intriguing, the pace is brisk, the characters engaging and they draw you in. If you enjoy stories where the stakes are as high as the stress levels, you will love Zero Ri$k.

I was so glad I had a chance to read Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes especially as Simon is a new author to me and the cover just caught my eye. It Christmas and this should be the most exciting time of the year..................especially when your bank account has had money added to your bank account!!!! How exciting - Free money!!! But, Why? and how did this happen! Was it a mistake by my bank? a botched system update? or is it a gift to help me out over this festive season! But there must be a reason why this has happened!!!! Nothing is free in life! The banks and the government are investigating and they have two private investigators are looking into this..............Now, National Bank Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a ‘Black Swan’ storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated. Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner and his team are racing against time to unravel the cause behind the anomalies, the plot intensifies with each twist and turn as cryptic emails begin to arrive. He has to enlists a top American cyber security expert, Ashley Markham, to assist, but the attacks only worsen.........bank balances rise remorselessly and spread to all the nation’s banks. But as they all scratch their heads and look at all the evidence in front of them everything, it just keeps getting worse and nothing makes sense! The only clue they have to the hacker’s intentions are cryptic daily emails, centred on Hieronymus Bosch’s medieval representation of the deadly sins, taunting Tanner and newly incumbent Prime Minister James Allen. To be honest with you.....I didn't know what to expect with this book as its not usually a book I would pick to read. But,.............WoW this book was excellent political thriller from start to finish............which is full of twists and turns that will just have you gripped and turning the pages to find out what happens next. But remember nothing is free! I highly recommend Zero Ri$k by Simon Hayes

political/financial thriller but there’s so much more to it than just that. A computer hacker is intent on bringing down the British banking system and along with it the government in the search for truth. What would you do if one day your bank account balance had a zero added to it by person or persons unknown and this is repeated the next day and the next? A real conundrum for the banking world especially as all the clues given by the hacker are cryptic references to a Hieronymus Bosch depiction of the seven deadly sins. This is a real rollercoaster of a story, the pace never lets up. It’s a cat and mouse chase and a race against time. Cleverly plotted and written, it’s thought provoking and entertaining. I was gripped from beginning to end. I do love a puzzle! With some great, well rounded and fun characters as well an intriguing storyline, it makes for a fantastic read. I read this book via the Pigeonhole app, one stave a day over twelve days, and eagerly awaited each stave. It’s a long one but I can highly recommend it. It will keep you up to the wee small hours wanting to know what happens next.

ZER0 RI$K is more than a thriller—it’s a wake-up call. Simon Hayes hooks you with a vivid, gripping story set in snowy London on December 23, 2024—a hauntingly near future. The relatable characters deepen the tension, making the stakes feel all too real. Despite my limited knowledge of cybersecurity, Hayes makes complex concepts like "black swan" cyberattacks accessible and disturbingly plausible. This realism recalls the UK’s Post Office IT scandal, leaving me questioning: What if this happened tomorrow? The cryptic puzzles woven into the plot add a unique, interactive twist, blending art, music, and riddles into a compelling narrative. Spanning ten intense days during Christmas, the story’s mix of financial crime, global investigations, and private detective work keeps the pace relentless. Hayes masterfully balances tension and intrigue against a snowy, festive backdrop, making this both gripping and thought-provoking. For a debut, it’s remarkably polished—smart, immersive, and Netflix-ready. ZER0 RI$K is a must-read that lingers long after the final page. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars - I’ve read it and listened so can I say 10/10 … I’d be happy at that

This is a hefty tome, at just over 560 pages, but don’t let that put you off reading this fascinating financial crime debut. It’s Christmas Eve & National Bank’s Chief Operating Officer, Rob Tanner, is looking forward to the holidays much like everyone else. However, he is about to be drawn into a nightmare that involves the whole country. Rob receives a frantic phone call from David Nash, Chief Risk Officer with the bank, to say that a thousand accounts have had their balance increased tenfold. Rob can tell from David’s tone that he is rattled & decides to go to the bank’s head office to see the problem for himself. He finds the risk team poring through computer printouts. In explanation, Nash says that he took a call from the Bangalore call centre informing him that 600 calls had come In questioning the unexpected large credit balances. All obvious answers to the increase had been dismissed which left only one possibility, someone had hacked into the bank’s computer system. The seriousness of the situation is not lost on Rob & he decides to call his boss, Martin Kellett, who has taken leave to visit his chalet in Zermatt over the festive period. Kellett is not happy but agrees to return to the UK. Rob calls an emergency meeting of the ten strong executive committee & whilst this is in progress the first email is received, to Martin’s confidential email no less. The meeting is paused for EXCO members to digest the meaning of the message. The email is from Joen Van Aken, better known as Hieronymus Bosch - a medieval Dutch painter best known for ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’; a depiction of Eden, lustful excess & Hell. Other clues in the email suggest that this is only the start. When the EXCO reconvene, Kellett believes that it is a minor glitch in the system & soon to be resolved. Rob is certain more is to follow & wants to call the chairman, board members & the regulatory authorities. Kellett forces Rob into a corner, follow his lead or resign. Rob chooses the latter. What happens next? Who is Joen Van Aken? What do they want? You need to read this financial thriller, it is full of twists & turns, including words I had never seen before (but I can now use at every given opportunity). It really makes you think about the security of not only our financial but all our personal data too. The writing style flows easily & it was a pleasure to read. I find it hard to believe that this is a debut novel but it is & shows how vulnerable our data could be in a potential financial meltdown of epic proportions. A fantastic read & I have no hesitation in recommending it to you.